Ardeer Thistle F.C.
| Full name | Ardeer Thistle Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Thistle | ||
| Founded | 1900 | ||
| Ground |
Ardeer Stadium Stevenston | ||
| Capacity | 2500 | ||
| Manager | Derek Gemmell | ||
| League | SJFA Ayrshire District League | ||
| 2014–15 | West of Scotland Super League First Division, 13th (relegated) | ||
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Ardeer Thistle Football Club are a Scottish football club from Stevenston in North Ayrshire. Formed in 1900, they are based at Ardeer Stadium and are nicknamed "The Thistle". They compete in the West Region of the Scottish Junior Football Association and players wear red and black home kits and sky blue change strips.
Ardeer Stadium is the second home the club has occupied in its history. Previously playing at Ardchoille Park in the Hayocks area of the town, the club suffered badly due to vandalism at the pavilion, and were effectively left homeless. However Ardeer Stadium, a very good facility, existed in the bottom end of the town, having been the former home of the defunct Ardeer Recreation FC who were at one time sponsored by Chemical giants ICI - once a major employer in the town. When Thistle made the move to Ardeer Stadium in the mid-1970s the opening game was between Kilmarnock and St Mirren, who were managed at the time by none other than Alex Ferguson. Stevenston man Gordon Smith played for Kilmarnock in the game. Smith has since gone on to be the one time Chief Executive of the SFA, and is now Director of Football at Rangers FC. Thistle have remained at Ardeer Stadium ever since and have their own supporters group called none other than 'Ardeer Ultras', Ardeer still remains a decent facility in Junior football terms, with its large oval terrace and excellent playing surface. The outline of the former ground at Ardchoille can still be seen, and goalposts remain for public use.
The club also have a good youth system in place, Youth team coordinator David McBlain has two 2004 teams playing in the central Ayrshire league. The club also have a 2000 age group and recently had an u19s and u17s respectively. Both teams had boys make the step up to the first team and sign on for the upcoming season.
Honours
- Ayrshire & District League runners-up: 2013-14
- Ayrshire First Division winners: 1924–25, 1959–60
- Ayrshire Second Division winners: 1991–92
- Ayrshire (Ardrossan & Saltcoats Herald) Cup: 1924–25, 1925–26, 1959–60, 1965–66
- Ayrshire League (Kerr & Smith) Cup: 1925–26, 1959–60, 1960–61
- Ayrshire District (Irvine Times) Cup: 1906–07, 1907–08, 1908–09, 1915–16, 1925–26, 1961–62, 1962–63
- Western Junior League Cup: 1924–25, 1925–26
Current squad
- As of 14 February 2015
(GK)Paul McCann- (GK)Craig Smith
- (DEF)George Bonner
- (DEF)Jamie Donnelly
- (DEF)Michael Holden
- (DEF)Kevin 'SLICE' Ramsay
- (DEF)Marty McGregor
- (DEF)David Gregory
- (DEF)Joe Blair
- (MID)David 'HARPO' Smith
- (MID)Craig 'BAYWATCH' McIntosh
- (MID)Derek Gemmell
(MID)Arnault Bembo- (MID)Lee Munro
- (MID)Jordan Bruce
- (MID)Antoni Paton
- (MID)Steven 'STAN' Tan
- (FW)Ross Stewart
- (FW)Scott Reid
- (FW)Stephen Reid
- (FW)Francis 'FRANNY' Kilpatrick
Notable players
Andy Auld (1919–1921)