East Stirlingshire F.C.
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East Stirlingshire Football Club, also known as East Stirling, is a member of the Scottish Football League, where it plays in the Third Division.
Club History
The club was originally called "Bainsford Britannia" (Bainsford is an area of Falkirk) and was formed in 1881. It joined the league in 1900, but has rested in lower regions of the league for most of its existence, although it won the Second Division in season 1931-32, and Division C in 1947-48. The club's nickname is "The Shire". Its home town is home to two other teams: Falkirk F.C. and Stenhousemuir.
In the 1960s the club moved to Clydebank under the name ES/Clydebank, but legal moves led to it returning to Falkirk and its original name.
The current chairman and major shareholder Alan Mackin has stated his intention to sell its ramshackle Firs Park home and move the club, possibly to nearby town Grangemouth. To the chagrin of the fans he allegedly wishes to pay 80% of the proceeds for the land to shareholders (i.e. largely to himself) leaving the club with hardly any money to pay rental, wages etc.
The perception of 'Shire fans is that he pays his players £10 per week so that they do not get any decent players and that in the long term the fans will disappear and he can shut the club down. Their manager works for nothing and the new club sponsor is Littlewoods Pools, which was attracted by the joke status of the club.
East Stirling's form in recent years has not been good. In the 2003-04 season it got only eight points during the entire season, reaching that total on the last day of the season and narrowly avoiding setting a new record lowest points total.
Honours
Division II: 1931/32
Club Records
Biggest league win: 11-2 v. Vale of Bannock in 1888
Biggest league loss: 1-12 v. Dundee United F.C. in 1936
Biggest home attendance: 12,000 .v.Partick Thistle F.C., 1921