A fan’s guide – the club from early doors to today
In May 2015, the unthinkable nearly happened. Almost a century after joining the league, after decades of appearing on pools coupons across the UK and 19 years in Scotland’s lowest tier, Montrose FC came within 45 minutes of dropping out altogether.
Having finished bottom of League Two, ten points below perennial wooden spoonists East Stirlingshire, Montrose faced Highland League champions Brora Rangers in the newly instigated two-leg play-off for a league place. With the Gable Endies a goal down from the away game, the second leg drew over 2,000 to the club’s long-term home of Links Park, happy to see Montrose level the aggregate by half-time.
Right after the re-start, Brora equalised, putting the Highlanders ahead over the two games. Disaster. Then, two minutes later, a red card reduced the visitors to ten men, and Montrose roared back. A goal from 100-cap Trinidad international Marvin Andrews, another a minute later from Garry Wood, and the Gable Endies had saved the day.
Montrose first joined the Scottish League in 1923. Formed in 1879, Forfarshire Cup winners in 1892, the club had been playing numerous friendlies, firing a local rivalry with Arbroath and setting up camp at Links Park by the golf course.
The initial stint in the league only lasted three years before finance and logistics led to its collapse – Montrose were sturdy enough to maintain a lowly but decade-long presence in the subsequent Second Division from 1929 onwards.
After the war, Montrose spent another decade in the C Division, comprised of regional teams and reserve sides of bigger clubs. After another structural re-jig, they were granted a permanent Scottish League spot in 1955 – a status that lasted for 60 years, until it was put in jeopardy with the Brora play-off in 2015.
During those six decades, Montrose only really shone under player-manager Alex Stuart in the early 1970s. Bringing record gates to Links Park, such as for the Scottish Cup tie with Stuart’s former club Dundee in 1973, the Gable Endies came within a point of an elusive top-flight place in 1975.
Stuart was then snapped by Ayr but months later, the side he built went on to beat Hibernian after extra-time in the League Cup, before losing to Rangers in the semi.
It was a rare brush with glory – and one that has never been repeated.
Since then, the occasional promotion has kept the faithful happy, but the club’s part-time status has meant struggle and mediocrity.
On the plus side, the artificial pitch at Links Park, first laid in 2007 was replaced in 2015 by a revolutionary new 4G surface – just in time for the 2015-16 campaign, the club’s 20th straight season in the fourth tier, earned with that play-off victory over Brora.
Montrose’s fate still hung in the balance a year later, however, bottom of League Two until manager Stewart Petrie came along just before Christmas 2016. Taking the Gable Endies on an unbeaten run to a play-off place, former Dunfermline winger carried the momentum over into the next season.
A mean defence kept Montrose near the top of the table, until Petrie’s men just edged a title win at the end, Peterhead one point behind after having beaten the Gable Endies the year before in the play-off semi-final. The club’s first silverware since 1985 also represented a farewell to Scotland’s lowest rung after 22 years. Joining Montrose in League One were Brechin, meaning all four clubs from Angus shared the same divisional status, an eclipse-like rarity.
Remarkably, Petrie’s Montrose even made the Championship play-offs that April, the mercurial manager again lifting the club from the bottom of the table. A crowd of 1,124 gathered at Links Park for the biggest game since Brora 2015, the visit of Queen of the South for a place in the decider for second-tier status. Taking a 2-1 win to Dumfries, Montrose were brushed aside in the first half-hour.
Making the play-offs again in 2021, Montrose came agonisingly close to another final decider, falling to a 120th-minute hammer blow from Morton with the aggregate on 3-3 in the semi-final. Games were played at an empty Links Park and Cappielow due to pandemic restrictions.
Petrie led Montrose to yet another Championship play-off in 2022 with further drama in extra-time, Airdrie running out 6-4 winners on the day, 6-5 on aggregate, the last two goals in the second leg coming in quick succession after two hours of football at the Excelsior Stadium.
Undaunted by a middling campaign in 2022-23, Montrose kept faith in Petrie for a promising one the following season, old warhorse Graham Webster marking his tenth year at the club with vintage performances in midfield.
Ground Guide
The field of dreams – and the story behind it
The home of Montrose FC since 1887, Links Park has never broken the five-figure attendance barrier, the highest crowd being close to 9,000 for the visit of nearby Dundee in the Scottish Cup in 1973. Back then, the ground consisted of one main wooden stand, replaced with a dramatically cantilevered one in the 1990s.
The few hundred home and away fans usually sit here, happy to be under cover. Modest terracing, one roofed, one not, comprises the remaining areas of the ground.
Other new features that came with the much-needed renovations include an all-weather surface and modern-day, minimalist floodlights on unusually tall, thin pylons.
Capacity is just under 5,000, average gates a tenth of that, although that may change should Montrose gain promotion to the Championship after knocking on the door for so many seasons.
getting here
Going to the ground – tips and timings
Links Park is a 15min walk from Montrose station – head down Railway Close from the nearby roundabout, when you reach the High Street, take John Street that leads diagonally left. After the park this becomes Union Street, with the ground on your left. A taxi shouldn’t be more than £5, tops.
Note that the hourly 52 bus that passes Links Park is coming back from Hillside to Montrose – the service that leaves the station doesn’t go near the stadium.
The sat nav code for Links Park is DD10 8QD. There is no match-day car park. The nearest pay & display one is Murray Lane (11 Strathmore Place, DD10 8LQ), about 1km from the ground in the town centre, open 24hrs. Another, near Montrose Museum at Baltic Street (DD10 8ET), is limited to 4hr stays.
TICKETS & SHOP
How to get in and what to buy
Montrose distribute tickets online and sell to home fans only on match days. Visiting supporters must purchase in advance. Availability should never be an issue. For all enquiries, contact 01674 673 200, office@montrosefc.co.uk.
The club has a simple pricing policy of £17, cash-only if it’s a match day, £10 discounted, £5 for under-12s.
Match-day merchandise sold at the ground includes home shirts of azure blue, with an interlacing tartan pattern of sky blue across the sleeves, and white collars. Change strip is white, with red-and-blue used for the collar and the tartan forms on the sleeves.
Where to Drink
Pre-match beers for fans and casual visitors
Most bars in the town centre are convenient for a pre-match swiftie but some are more convenient than others.
Away fans tend to use The Picture House, just off the roundabout from the station, with nine HD screens for sport, one large one, and a decent menu. It’s also the largest pub in town, in a former cinema as its name suggests.
On the High Street, opposite the turning for John Street to the ground, the historic Royal Arch (No.32) was once a coffee house used by French sailors, hence the grandiose plaque over its modest façade. A little further up on Murray Street, the Black Horse Inn is a welcoming spot that shows sport and also hosts live music.
The classic Montrose pub is the Golf Inn, on Mill Street close to Links Park. In traditional surroundings, fans meet pre- and post-match to dissect the game and watch the scores come in. The pub runs several sports teams, too – it’s nearly impossible not to get into a conversation.
