Cowdenbeath

Kit History

1880-1887 b k

1887-1889 b k

1889-1891 k

1891-1893 k

1893-1894 k

1894-1896 k

1896-1903 k

1903-1905 k

1905-1911 k

1911-1920 b k

1920-1921 k n

1922-1924 k

1924-1925 k

1925-1928 k

1928-1930 k

1930-1935 k

1930-1940 d k

1946-1947 k

1948-1949 k

1949-1951 c k

1955-1959 k

1959-1960 k

1961-1962 k

1962-1963 k

1963-1965 k

1965-1969 k

1969-1970 k

1970-1971 f j k

1971-1972 k

1972-1973 k

1973-1974 f j k

1974-1975 k

1975-1977 j

Umbro

1977-1978 j

Bukta

1978-1980 i j

1981-1982 k

1984-1985 g

1985-1986 l

1986-1987 f

1988-1989 l

1991-1993 e

1990s e

2000-2001 f i

2001-2002 i

2002-2004 g h i

2004-2005 g

2005-2006 e

2006-2007 a e

Nike

2007-2008 m

Errea

2008-2009 a

Background

Cowdenbeath are the oldest surviving football club in the Kingdom of Fife and came into being when Cowdenbeath Rangers, formed by James and John Pollock in 1880, merged with Raith Rovers (formed 1881) in 1882. (There is no connection with the modern Raith Rovers who play nearby in Kircaldy – the merged club was probably named after the Raith colliery.)

The club soon became the strongest team in Fife and in 1905 they were elected to the Scottish Second Division when two vacancies were created by the expansion of the First Division. They went on to win the championship in 1914 and 1915 but were denied a place in the First Division. (This was before automatic promotion and relegation – clubs had to apply for election to the top level.) The Second Division was then suspended for the duration of the Great War and Cowdenbeath joined the Eastern League.

In 1920 a formal decision was taken to drop the Second Division although the member clubs had not been represented at AGMs since 1917 and it seems likely that their membership had been rescinded. Cowdenbeath joined the reformed Central League in 1920-21. This competition sat outside the existing league structure and members attracted many leading players by paying wages higher than those permitted in the Scottish League. Alarmed at this drain on their members' resources, the Scottish League reinstated the Second Division the following season by incorporating the Central League. The introduction of automatic promotion and relegation was part of the settlement, ending the unfair system of election that had previously robbed “Cowden” of their place in the First Division. In 1924 the club won promotion and enjoyed ten seasons in the top flight before being relegated in 1934. For a modest club from a small mining community (current population 9,000) this was quite an achievement. In 1939 they ran away with the Second Division championship by a margin of 12 points and made a triumphant return to the First Division. Their star forward, Rab Walls scored a record 54 goals in the championship season.

With half of the 1939-40 season played, Cowdenbeath failed to fulfil one of their fixtures (many of their players had joined the armed forces) and were fined £5,000. Unable to pay, the club was forced to resign but shortly afterwards all competition was suspended and their resignation was waived.

In 1946, rather than simply resume the pre-war league programme, the Scottish League decided to restructure and Cowdenbeath were one of the unfortunate clubs who, having expected to play in the First Division, were placed in Division B (second tier). After finishing bottom they should have been relegated to the new Division C but it was decided to expand Division B from 14 to 16 clubs and Cowden were reprieved. For the next 30 years, little of note was achieved although they did beat Rangers 3-2 in 1949 in a League Cup tie at Ibrox, the first time the Glasgow club had been lost to a side from the lower division. (Rangers won the second leg and the tie on aggregate).

In 1970 Cowdenbeath returned briefly to the First Division only to be relegated the following season. When the league was restructured in 1975 with the formation of the Premier Division, Cowdenbeath remained in Division Two, now the third tier. In 1992 the club won promotion but two disastrous seasons followed: 38 consecutive home matches without a win took them down to the Third Division (fourth tier). They have moved between the lowest two divisions ever since, winning the Third Division title in 2006, their first championship since 1939.

The club’s Central Park ground also hosts stock car racing and a weekly open air market, generating enough revenue to keep the club afloat. Despite the club’s modest status, Cowdenbeath’s supporters have affectionately dubbed them the “Blue Brazil.” Plans are now in hand to sell the decrepit "Fife Maracana" for retail development and move the club to a new home in the southern part of town sometime in 2009.

Historical Football Kits

Kit History

Background

Sources