Cowdenbeath host Rangers in a league game tonight for the first time since April 1971.
The Blue Brazil have won twice at home to the Ibrox men, in 1926/27 and 1929/30. Here are 10 other facts about the Fife club.
1 Eight of Cowdenbeath’s last 10 managers have been internationalists, with six of them earning full caps. Craig Levein, Peter Cormack, Keith Wright, Brian Welsh (U19) and Colin Cameron represented Scotland while Mixu Paatelainen played for Finland. Danny Lennon (B Cap) and Jimmy Nicholl turned out for Northern Ireland. Only Gary Kirk and Dave Baikie were not involved in international football.
2 When Cowdenbeath won the Second Division title in 1938/39, they scored an incredible 120 goals in their 34 league games. Rab Walls contributed 54 of them!
3 There was little home comfort at Central Park for a spell in the early 1990s when they went on a run of 38 games without a home league win.
4 Cowdenbeath are the oldest surviving senior football club in Fife, having been formed in 1881. Raith Rovers were formed in 1883, Dunfermline Athletic in 1885 and East Fife in 1903.
5 Cowdenbeath’s early nickname of the Miners, which came from their proximity to the rich coalfields of Fife, has all but been consigned to history and replaced by The Blue Brazil. This moniker is believed to have stemmed from the promotion-winning season of 1991/92 when the style of play was so good under John Brownlie it was remarked that it was ‘just like watching Brazil in blue shirt.’
6 A recent hero for Cowdenbeath was Craig ‘Toorie’ Winter, who clocked up over 400 matches in two spells with the Blue Brazil, after first playing for them in 1994. The club’s second-highest appearance holder, behind goalkeeper Raymond Allan, left in 2012.
7 Central Park has had a Stock Car Racing track circling the pitch since 1970 and in that time has hosted four World Championships.
8 The crowd at tonight’s game will be in the region of 4,000, which is a far cry from the record attendance – it was set at 25,586 when Rangers visited in September 1949.
9 Cowdenbeath have worn blue jerseys as their first-choice colours since 1911 and have had blue somewhere in their strip since they were formed, apart from a two year spell from 1894-1896 when they wore a maroon and white outfit.
10 Mixu Paatelainen’s side that won the 2006 Third Division trophy had it delivered by helicopter. Berwick and the Blue Brazil were involved in a final day shoot-out, with the Fifers winning the championship on goal difference after a 2-1 success over Elgin City.
Craig Stewart
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