Stranraer Football Club is a Scottish semi-professional football club based in the town of Stranraer in Dumfries and Galloway. The club was founded in 1870, making it the third-oldest football club in Scotland behind Queen's Park and Kilmarnock and one of the 20 oldest in the world. The club currently competes in Scottish League Two as a member of the Scottish Professional Football League.
They have won the Scottish Second Division on two occasions, most recently in 1997–98, as well as coming runners-up in 2004–05 and 2014–15. Their only national cup final came in 1996, when the club defeated First Division champions St Johnstone 1–0 in the Scottish Challenge Cup final.
Stranraer's home ground is Stair Park, which has the capacity to seat around 1,830 spectators and a total of 4,178 including standing. The ground was opened in 1907 and is located in the east of Stranraer.
Contents
History
Stranraer were founded in 1870 and play their football at Stair Park. Most of Stranraer's football was played under Southern Counties auspices until, in 1949, the club was admitted to C Division where they came up against the reserve sides of the established league clubs. However they had taken part in the Scottish Cup since their debut in the national tournament in 1877–78. In 1955 C Division was abolished and the Blues found themselves in B Division and playing first team league football. They would remain in the bottom tier until their first-ever promotion eventually arrived under the club's legendary manager Alex McAnespie in 1993–94.
With the league reformation at the end of the 1993–94 season, champions Stranraer found themselves leapfrogging six relegated teams and playing in the new First Division in season 1994–95, finishing last, with only 17 points from 36 games. With Campbell Money at the helm Stranraer spent three seasons in the Second Division before winning promotion back to the First Division at the end of the 1997–98 season. Once again, they finished bottom of the league, with the same points total as before and 29 defeats. During that season a notable league win was secured at Easter Road against Hibernian. During Money's reign the club lifted the Scottish League Challenge Cup, defeating St Johnstone 1–0 at Broadwood on 3 November 1996. Saints' Danny Griffin was the unfortunate scorer of an own goal.
The club, now under the management of Billy McLaren, then spent a further four years in the Second Division, with the most notable event being a strong Scottish Cup run in season 2002–03, which saw them go to the quarter finals, where they were beaten 4–0 by SPL side Motherwell. However, the team's cup run did not reflect their league form, as they finished ninth in the Second Division, and thus were relegated to the Third Division for season 2003–04. The team's fortunes improved from there as, under Neil Watt, they won the Third Division at the first attempt, gaining promotion back to the Second Division. In season 2004–05, the team stayed in the top two for most of the campaign. A 1–1 draw with closest promotion rivals Morton on 30 April 2005 saw them gain promotion to the First Division for the third time, although they were relegated to the Second Division the following season after finishing ninth and losing out in the play-offs to Partick Thistle.
The team had a largely unsuccessful campaign in 2006–07, with heavy defeats by relegation rivals Peterhead and Forfar Athletic. They finished ninth, which resulted in a play-off with Third Division promotion contenders East Fife. A 4–2 aggregate defeat (despite winning the second leg 1–0) saw them relegated to the Third Division.
Records
Most league points in a season:
58 (Second Division – 1993–94) (two points for a win)
79 (Third Division – 2003–04) (three points for a win)
Most league goals scored by a player in a season
Derek Frye 27, 1977–78
Record attendance
6,500 vs Rangers, 24 January 1948
Record victory
9–0 versus St Cuthbert Wanderers, 2010 (Scottish Cup) and vs Wigtown, 2011 (Scottish Cup)
Record defeat
1–11 versus Queen of the South, 1932
In 1990, Stranraer became the first side to win a Scottish Cup tie on penalties, defeating Kilmarnock 4–3 after a 0–0 draw in the second round replay.
The club hold the record for a shirt sponsorship deal. Stena Line have been on the front of the shirts since the start of 1996–97 season (and Sealink from 1988 to 1989). As the Sealink brand was renamed Stena Line, as of the start of the 2026–27 season the club's sponsor has remained the same for over 35 seasons, making it one of the longest-standing sponsorships in world football, and the current longest unbroken sponsorship record in UK football.
Honours
League
Scottish Second Division: (third tier)
Winners (2): 1993–94, 1997–98
Runners-up (2): 2004–05, 2014–15
Scottish Third Division: (fourth tier)
Winners (1): 2003–04
Runners-up (1): 2007–08
South of Scotland Football League:
Winners (16): 1948–49, 1959–60, 1960–61, 1961–62, 1965–66, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1969–70, 1972–73, 1973–74, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1976–77, 1981–82, 1982–83 and 2018–19°
° Reserve Team
Cups
Scottish Challenge Cup:
Winners (1): 1996
Scottish Qualifying Cup:
Winners (1): 1937–38
Runners-up (1): 1946–47
Current squad
As of 3 September 2026
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
On loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Club officials
Coaching staff
Ref: