OCHILVIEW PARK
Home Of : STENHOUSEMUIR F.C.
Ground Share: East Stirlingshire
Ground Opened: 1890
Previous Grounds: Tryst Park
Goschen Park
Other Uses: Greyhound Track 1926/27
Directions From Train Station
The nearest train station is Larbert which is about a mile away from Ochilview Park. As you exit the station turn left and continue up the B905 on the left hand side of the road until you reach Tryst road, turn left into Tryst road and take the first right into Gladstone road and the ground is straight in front of you. The buildings in front of the ground have now been knocked down and so the ground is now visible as you approach Tryst road but there is a construction in process so how long for I can't be sure.
Ochilview Park
Stenhousemuir formed in the year 1884 when they broke away from a local team called Heather Rangers. They moved into Ochilview six years later the ground's name came from the Ochil Hills which are visible from the ground although there is a local saying that goes, "If you can see the Ochil hills it's going to rain, if you can't it's already raining".
The park's record attendance was on 11th March 1950 against today's opponents East Fife in a Scottish cup quarter-final match which drew a crowd of 12,500 but sadly the Warriors lost the game 3-0 and the Fifers went on to the final against Rangers and also lost 3-0.
One year later and Ochilview went into Scottish history by becoming the first ground in Scotland to have floodlights and Stenhousemuir played the first Scottish floodlit game on the 7th November 1951 in a friendly match against Hibernian.
An amusing story, well it's funny as far as I'm concerned, in 1994 Stenhousemuir were considering moving to a new build ground and had agreed to sell Ochilview to a supermarket chain for 2 and a half million but the deal was flawed by planning regulations and fell through and so Ochilview should be known as the one that got away and thankfully so. It was decided to upgrade the existing ground instead and means that I get to visit today.
Ground Layout
A MAIN STAND
On one side of Ochilview Park, is the relatively new looking Main Stand. This small all seated, covered stand, runs for about half the length of the pitch and straddles the half way line. It has a couple of floodlights perched on its roof.
B NORTH STAND
Opposite to this stand the side of the ground is unused for spectators and just has the team dugouts and a row of small floodlights.
C TRYST ROAD TERRACE
At the Tryst Road End of the ground is good sized terrace, that recently has had a roof put on it, giving much needed shelter for the standing fans. On one side of this terrace can be seen a Social Club which is owned by the Club.
D EAST STAND
The opposite East End of the ground is again unused for spectators. During the Summer of 2007 a new synthetic playing surface was installed at the stadium.
Today's Opponents EAST FIFE You've got to go back in time a bit for the best periods in the Fifers history, the mid to late thirties was a good time for them winning the Scottish cup in 1938 against Kilmarnock, drawing the first game 1-1 on April 23rd and winning the replay 4 days later 4-2.
The Fifers recorded their biggest ever win in that same season, 1937/38 beating Edinburgh City 13-2 at the old Bayview and finishing 6th in the division two table of that era. They won the Wemyss cup three years on the run 1935/ 36/ 37.
Their most rewarding spell in their history was the period after the second world war known as the golden age when they were Scottish league cup winners in 1948, 50 and 54, runners up to Rangers in the Scottish cup in 1950 and winners of the old division two (second tier) in 1948.
Fifers biggest defeat came on 5th October 1957 when they went down 9-0 to Hearts at Tynecastle also losing that season 9-1 to Aidrieonians away, 0-6 at home to Third Lanark and by the same score to Aidrieonians at the old Bayview. No wonder then that East Fife were relegated out of division one that season finishing 17th out of 18 five points adrift of, you guessed it, Aidrieonians.
These days Fife are predominantly in the bottom two tiers of the Scottish league. They had to relocate across town in 1998 to a stadium with the same name but with a capacity of just under 2,000.
In the league (third tier) this season the Fifers are clinging onto a play-off spot in 4th place on goal difference from, of course "Aidrieonians".
East Fife came again at Stenhousemuir looking to take at least a point back to Bayview but their attempts all came to nothing and were futile when the Warriors drew blood yet again with eleven minutes left of normal play and it was that man again Willis Furtado who found himself yet again centre of goal and unleashed a left footed shot that found the top right hand corner of Hurst and East Fife's net to finally kill off any hopes of retrieving anything from this game.
Ochilview Park
Stenhousemuir formed in the year 1884 when they broke away from a local team called Heather Rangers. They moved into Ochilview six years later the ground's name came from the Ochil Hills which are visible from the ground although there is a local saying that goes, "If you can see the Ochil hills it's going to rain, if you can't it's already raining".The park's record attendance was on 11th March 1950 against today's opponents East Fife in a Scottish cup quarter-final match which drew a crowd of 12,500 but sadly the Warriors lost the game 3-0 and the Fifers went on to the final against Rangers and also lost 3-0.
One year later and Ochilview went into Scottish history by becoming the first ground in Scotland to have floodlights and Stenhousemuir played the first Scottish floodlit game on the 7th November 1951 in a friendly match against Hibernian.
An amusing story, well it's funny as far as I'm concerned, in 1994 Stenhousemuir were considering moving to a new build ground and had agreed to sell Ochilview to a supermarket chain for 2 and a half million but the deal was flawed by planning regulations and fell through and so Ochilview should be known as the one that got away and thankfully so. It was decided to upgrade the existing ground instead and means that I get to visit today.
Ground Layout
A MAIN STANDOn one side of Ochilview Park, is the relatively new looking Main Stand. This small all seated, covered stand, runs for about half the length of the pitch and straddles the half way line. It has a couple of floodlights perched on its roof.
B NORTH STAND
Opposite to this stand the side of the ground is unused for spectators and just has the team dugouts and a row of small floodlights.
C TRYST ROAD TERRACE
At the Tryst Road End of the ground is good sized terrace, that recently has had a roof put on it, giving much needed shelter for the standing fans. On one side of this terrace can be seen a Social Club which is owned by the Club.
D EAST STAND
The opposite East End of the ground is again unused for spectators. During the Summer of 2007 a new synthetic playing surface was installed at the stadium.
Today's Opponents EAST FIFE You've got to go back in time a bit for the best periods in the Fifers history, the mid to late thirties was a good time for them winning the Scottish cup in 1938 against Kilmarnock, drawing the first game 1-1 on April 23rd and winning the replay 4 days later 4-2.
Their most rewarding spell in their history was the period after the second world war known as the golden age when they were Scottish league cup winners in 1948, 50 and 54, runners up to Rangers in the Scottish cup in 1950 and winners of the old division two (second tier) in 1948.
These days Fife are predominantly in the bottom two tiers of the Scottish league. They had to relocate across town in 1998 to a stadium with the same name but with a capacity of just under 2,000.
In the league (third tier) this season the Fifers are clinging onto a play-off spot in 4th place on goal difference from, of course "Aidrieonians".
STENHOUSEMUIR ... 3 EAST FIFE ... 1
What a glorious afternoon for a game of football and any idea I might of had about this game being a one way onslaught in favour of East Fife were blown out by the battling warriors. They certainly lived up to their nickname although the football wasn't the best there was no lay back and die attitude about this side as they went about wearing their opposition down into a final submission.
In a well contested first half where both sides had chances to take the lead it wasn't until the last but one minute when Willis Furtado with an assist from David Marsh found himself centre of the East Fife penalty area ans slotted the ball into Mark Hurst's left hand corner of the net.
The second half continued in the same gritty tempo of the first but with Fife knocking loudly on the Warriors door and eleven minutes in they got their just rewards when following a corner Chris Kane assisted by Nicki Paterson struck a shot from the left hand side of goal beating Graham Bowman and into the keepers far side corner of the net.
The Warriors showed real character and wasn't prepared to give up the fight and five minutes after the set back of the equaliser Justin Austin who came on for Scott Robinson at half time was adjudged to have fouled Willis Furtado in the penalty area and the ref pointed to the spot. Colin McMenamin stepped up to take it after a long wait as a East Fife player received treatment for an injury and he made no mistake tucking the ball into Hurst's bottom right hand corner of the goal.
East Fife came again at Stenhousemuir looking to take at least a point back to Bayview but their attempts all came to nothing and were futile when the Warriors drew blood yet again with eleven minutes left of normal play and it was that man again Willis Furtado who found himself yet again centre of goal and unleashed a left footed shot that found the top right hand corner of Hurst and East Fife's net to finally kill off any hopes of retrieving anything from this game.
MATCH DETAILS
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