Montrose

F.C.

Montrose Football Club are a Scottish football club based in Montrose, in the former county of Argyll and Bute. The club was formed in 1878 and played its first competitive match in May 1879.

The club competed in the Scottish Cup for the first time in 1886–87 and have reached the final twice: in 1903 and 1959. Montrose also reached the Scottish Challenge Cup final in 1921 and 1968, losing both times to Celtic.

The club folded in 1977 but was reformed in 2007. The team plays in the Montrose F.C. First Division, the second tier of Scottish football.

Montrose Football Club was officially formed on 10 May 1878, by Tommy Campbell and James Forrest, who had been pupils at the local school in Montrose. The two young men met one day while out walking, and decided to form a football club to play against other schools in the area.

The football club started with just a handful of pupils and a few sets of football equipment. The first match the club played was against Johnstone School, which was played at the Montrose Rifle Range. The match ended in a 1-1 draw, and Johnstone School would go on to become Montrose Football Club’s most famous rivals.

Busy teaching timetable and lack of enough football games meant that Montrose only competed in local cup tournaments for the next few years. In 1886–87, Montrose entered the Scottish Cup for the first time and became the first club from Argyll and Bute to reach the final. The final was against Rangers, who played with a number of players from Glasgow. Montrose lost the match 2-1, but the team had made an impression on the footballing world.

Montrose’s next Scottish Cup appearance came in 1903, this time against Celtic. The match ended in a 1-1 draw, and it was decided in a replay. Celtic won the match 2-1 and went on to lift the cup.

In 1959, Montrose reached their second Scottish Cup final. The final was against Kilmarnock, and a hard-fought match took place. In the end, however, Kilmarnock emerged victorious, and Montrose were runners-up.

Montrose’s next appearance in the Scottish Cup was in 1968. The club reached the final thanks to a 2-1 victory over East Fife in the semi-final. The final was held at Hampden Park against Celtic, and Celtic emerged victorious again.

Montrose’s glory days as a football club came to an end in 1977. The club was struggling to compete with the bigger clubs and eventually folded.

In 2007, Montrose were reformed and entered the Scottish Lowland Football League. The club was successful in the league, and in 2009 they were promoted to the Scottish Highland Football League. In 2013, Montrose were again promoted