Thirty years ago today, on 5 November 1995, Stenhousemuir Football Club etched its name into Scottish football history, defying incredible odds to lift the Scottish Challenge Cup with a famous victory over Dundee United at McDiarmid Park.
A crowd of 7,856 gathered in Perth to watch the Warriors take on the top-flight Tannadice side, managed by Billy Kirkwood.
Under the guidance of Terry Christie, Stenny produced a performance full of grit and determination, with 120 minutes of football ultimately ending goalless and the final decided by penalties.
United’s first penalty, taken by Craig Brewster, was saved by Man of the Match Roddy McKenzie, who dived low to his left to block the effort.
All of the next eight penalties were successfully converted, leaving the decisive spot-kick to Lloyd Haddow, who rocketed the ball past Ally Maxwell to seal a 5-4 victory, before wheeling away in celebration towards the Warriors faithful behind the goal.
The road to the final in Perth was just as remarkable. Along with Cowdenbeath, Stenhousemuir received a random bye into the second round of the competition, where the Warriors claimed a 3-1 victory over Montrose at Ochilview Park.
That result set up a quarter-final trip to Dens Park to face Dundee, where the Warriors produced another shock in the tournament with a commanding 3-0 win over the Dee.
The semi-final brought a local derby, as Stenny travelled to the newly built Forthbank Stadium to face Stirling Albion. Terry Christie’s side triumphed 2-1, sending Stenhousemuir into the club’s first-ever national cup final.
Final opponents Dundee United entered the match without conceding a single goal in the competition, having scored ten times across four games. However, that was no deterrent for Stenhousemuir, who after 120 minutes of football held aloft the trophy at McDiarmid Park, securing one of the most iconic moments in the club’s history.
Thirty years on from this tremendous achievement, Stenhousemuir would like to pay tribute to every player, coach and supporter who made history for the Warriors on that unforgettable November afternoon.
The Winning XI
Starting XI
Roddy McKenzie
Eamonn Bannon
Lloyd Haddow
Graeme Armstrong
George McGeachie
Adrian Sprott
Paul Hunter
Jimmy Fisher
Miller Mathieson
Gareth Hutchison
Ian Little
Substitutes
Neil Aitken
Tommy Steele
Paul Logan
