Full name | Fraserburgh Football Club | ||
---|---|---|---|
Nickname(s) | The Broch | ||
Founded | 1910 | ||
Ground | Bellslea Park, Fraserburgh | ||
Capacity | 3,000 (480 seated) | ||
Chairman | Finlay Noble | ||
Manager | Mark Cowie | ||
League | Highland League | ||
2022–23 | Highland League, 5th of 18 | ||
Website | Club website | ||
Fraserburgh Football Club is a senior football club based in Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire. The fishing port is known locally as 'The Broch' hence the club nickname. They currently play in the Highland Football League in Scotland and also enter the annual Scottish Cup.
The club were formed in 1910 and play at Bellslea Park. Prior to 1910, they played as a select side made up of the best players from the local amateur league. The club's colours (consisting of black and white stripes) were acquired from a local fish merchant who had links with Newcastle United, and the tradition has since been kept, with the traditional away kit consisting of a sky blue shirt, white shorts and sky blue socks. Fraserburgh's first ever match was an away tie in the Scottish Qualifying Cup against rivals Peterhead, which Fraserburgh won 3–1. In their very first season they went on to win the Aberdeenshire Cup, defeating Buckie Thistle at Pittodrie Stadium.
They were granted admission into the Highland Football League in 1921 and up until that time they competed in the Aberdeenshire Cup and Scottish Cup.
Fraserburgh's most famous victory was in the Scottish Cup on 31 January 1959, where they defeated Dundee, one of the top clubs in Scotland at the time, 1–0 at Bellslea Park. This is widely regarded as the biggest ever 'giant killing' shock in the Scottish Cup.
On 21 January 1970, the Fraserburgh lifeboat The Duchess of Kent was lost, being turned over by a freak wave approximately 40 miles (64 km) from Fraserburgh while trying to escort the Danish fishing vessel Opal to safety. Only one of the six crew members survived. After the disaster, Jock Stein took his Celtic side to the Broch for a fundraising game, [1] which Fraserburgh lost 7–0.
Another one of Fraserburgh's most memorable games was a 10–0 victory away to local rivals Peterhead in the Highland League Cup on 14 August 1974. They have always had a rivalry with Peterhead but as Peterhead got promoted into the Scottish league the rivalry has wavered somewhat.
During 1984, Charlie Duncan was named new manager due to Brian McCann's departure; he eventually went on to manage his 1,000th game in charge during October 2009 in a Scottish Cup tie against Bonnyrigg Rose. [2] Duncan's tenure brought huge success to the club; becoming champions for only the third time in the club's history, winning the Highland League Cup for the first time in 47 years, the two Qualifying Cup wins in 1995–96 and 2006–07, as well as an Aberdeenshire Cup in 1996 and five Aberdeenshire Shield wins – 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996 and 1999. Duncan's tenure ended when he was sacked from the club in July 2011, after an eventful 27 years at the helm.
Fraserburgh are now the permanent holders of the Qualifying Cup (North), as they won the last competition at Princess Royal Park, Banff when they beat Keith 2–1 in November 2006, with goals from Marc Dickson and Michael Stephen.
The club has progressed to the fourth round (last 32) of the Scottish Cup twice, in 2013–14 when they lost 3–0 away to Stenhousemuir and in 2017–18 at home to Rangers where they also lost 3–0. [3]
In 2022 Fraserburgh secured their fourth Highland League title – their first for 20 years. As champions, Fraserburgh progressed to the Pyramid Play-offs where they played Bonnyrigg Rose; losing 3–1 away and winning 1–0 at Bellslea, thus losing 3–2 on aggregate.
Also as a result of being Highland League champions, Fraserburgh qualified for the 2022–23 Scottish League Cup, being drawn in Group B with Kilmarnock, Montrose, Stenhousemuir, and Partick Thistle.
The club's home ground is Bellslea Park. The capacity is 3,000 and the stand can hold 480 people.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
The Scottish Highland Football League is a senior football league based in the north of Scotland. The league sits at level 5 on the Scottish football league system, acting as a feeder to the Scottish Professional Football League.
Stenhousemuir Football Club is a Scottish football club located in Stenhousemuir, Falkirk. They are a member of the Scottish Professional Football League and currently play in Scottish League Two.
Buckie Thistle Football Club are a senior football club based in the town of Buckie, Moray, who currently play in Scotland's Highland Football League. Founded in 1889, they are also known as The Jags and play their football at Victoria Park, Buckie.
Peterhead Football Club are a football club based in Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. They currently play in Scottish League Two, after being relegated in the 2022–23 season.
Huntly Football Club are a senior football club, currently playing in the Highland League in Scotland. The club was founded in 1928 and plays at Christie Park in Huntly.
Duncan Nichol Shearer is a Scottish former footballer, currently coaching the 'Development squad' at Inverness Caledonian Thistle. During his playing career, Shearer predominantly played for Huddersfield Town, Swindon Town, Aberdeen and Inverness. He also captained the Scotland 'B' team and played seven times for the full Scotland national team.
Bellslea Park is a football ground in Fraserburgh in north-east Scotland, which is the home ground of Highland Football League side Fraserburgh. It is located on Seaforth Street in the centre of the town and has a capacity of 3,000 with 480 seated.
Steven William Paterson is a Scottish football manager and former player.
Bonnyrigg Rose Football Club is a Scottish football club from the town of Bonnyrigg, Scotland. Formed in 1881 and nicknamed the Rose, the team plays in Scottish League Two, having been promoted after winning the Lowland Football League in 2021–22.
The 2009–10 Scottish Cup was the 125th season of Scotland's most prestigious football knockout competition. The competition was sponsored by the Scottish Government and for sponsorship reasons was known as the Active Nation Scottish Cup.
The 2011–12 Scottish Cup was the 127th season of Scotland's most prestigious football knockout competition. The tournament began on 24 September 2011 and ended on 19 May 2012. It was sponsored by William Hill in the first season of a three-year partnership, known as the William Hill Scottish Cup. The winner of the competition qualified for the play-off round of the 2012–13 UEFA Europa League. Heart of Midlothian won 5–1 against city rivals Hibernian at Hampden Park.
The 2012–13 Scottish Cup was the 128th season of Scotland's most prestigious football knockout competition. The tournament began on 4 August 2012 and ended on 26 May 2013. It was sponsored by bookmaker William Hill in the second season of a three-year partnership and is known as the William Hill Scottish Cup. The winner of the competition qualified for the third qualifying round of the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League. The holders Hearts were knocked out by their Edinburgh rivals Hibernian in the fourth round, in a repeat of the previous season's final.
The 2013–14 Scottish Cup was the 129th season of Scotland's most prestigious football knockout competition. The tournament began on 14 September 2013 and ended on 17 May 2014. It was sponsored by bookmaker William Hill in the third season of a five-year partnership after a two-year extension was agreed, and was known as the William Hill Scottish Cup. The winner of the competition qualified for the second qualifying round of the 2014–15 UEFA Europa League.
The 2016–17 Scottish Cup was the 132nd season of Scotland's most prestigious football knockout competition. The tournament was sponsored by bookmaker William Hill in what was the sixth season of a nine-year partnership, after contract negotiations saw the initial five-year contract extended for an additional four years in October 2015.
The 2017–18 Scottish Cup was the 133rd season of Scotland's most prestigious football knockout competition. The tournament was sponsored by bookmaker William Hill in what was the seventh season of a nine-year partnership, after contract negotiations saw the initial five-year contract extended for an additional four years in October 2015.
The 2018–19 Scottish Cup was the 134th season of Scotland's most prestigious football knockout competition. The tournament was sponsored by bookmaker William Hill in what was the eighth season of a nine-year partnership, after contract negotiations saw the initial five-year contract extended for an additional four years in October 2015.
The 2021–22 Scottish Cup was the 137th season of Scotland's most prestigious football knockout competition.
The 2021–22 Scottish League Two was the ninth season of Scottish League Two, the fourth tier of Scottish football. The season began on 31 July.
The 2021–22 Scottish Challenge Cup known as the SPFL Trust Trophy due to sponsorship reasons, was the 30th season of the competition. The total number of participating clubs was 50, down from 58, with only Scottish clubs competing due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland. The competition began on 10 August 2021 with the first round and ended on 3 April 2022 with the final at the Excelsior Stadium in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire.
The 2022–23 Scottish League Cup group stage was played from 9 July to 24 July 2022. A total of 40 teams competed in the group stage. The winners of each of the eight groups, as well as the three best runners-up progressed to the second round of the 2022–23 Scottish League Cup.