193-623: East Stirlingshire Football Club is a Scottish association football club based in the town of Falkirk . The club was founded in 1881 and competes in the Lowland League , the fifth tier of the Scottish football league system . The club's origins can be traced to 1880 when a local cricket club formed a football team under the name Bainsford Britannia . The club was elected to the Scottish Football League in 1900–01 and has competed in
386-941: A referendum on devolution proposals in 1997 , the Scotland Act 1998 was passed by the British Parliament, which established a devolved Scottish Parliament and Scottish Government with responsibility for most laws specific to Scotland. The Scottish Parliament was reconvened in Edinburgh on 4 July 1999. The first to hold the office of first minister of Scotland was Donald Dewar , who served until his sudden death in 2000. The Scottish Parliament Building at Holyrood opened in October 2004 after lengthy construction delays and running over budget. The Scottish Parliament's form of proportional representation (the additional member system ) resulted in no one party having an overall majority for
579-482: A 3–0 defeat against the Soviet Union in their final match meant they missed out on goal difference, but the real damage had been done by their failure to beat Iceland in their last home match, the match eventually finishing 2–2 after several hold-ups due to floodlight failures. Wales also only narrowly missed out on qualification for the 1984 UEFA European Championship . They were seconds away from qualification when
772-405: A 3–2 defeat to Airdrieonians . Merchiston Park remained the club's home until 1921 when a nearby iron works acquired the ground for expansion and the club moved to Firs Park. Firs Park was located to the south of the canal in the centre of Falkirk, named after the street in which it was situated, Firs Street. The club moved to the ground in 1921 and in the same year, the club's record attendance
965-507: A 4–0 defeat to Italy in 1999, and the FAW turned to two legends of the national team, Neville Southall and Mark Hughes, to take temporary charge of the match against Denmark four days later, with Hughes later being appointed on a permanent basis. Under Mark Hughes, Wales came close to qualifying for a place at Euro 2004 in Portugal, being narrowly defeated by Russia in the play-offs . However,
1158-655: A 7–0 defeat while its first match as East Stirlingshire was against the same opponent in August 1881. The club's nickname is "The Shire", which refers to the Stirlingshire part of the club name. After joining the Scottish Football Association , the club became eligible to compete in the Scottish Cup , Scotland 's main association football knock-out competition , eliminated in its first game in 1882. In December 1883,
1351-429: A defeat at Montenegro in their opening match, on 9 September 2010, John Toshack stood down as manager after being disappointed at previous results in 2010 against Croatia and the opening Euro 2012 qualifier. Wales under-21 coach Brian Flynn took over from Toshack as caretaker manager. Gary Speed was appointed as permanent manager on 14 December 2010. Speed appointed 20-year-old Aaron Ramsey captain, making him
1544-562: A distinctive Norse–Gaelic culture that saw many Old Norse loanwords enter the Scottish Gaelic spoken by islanders, and through successive generations the Norse would become almost completely assimilated into Gaelic culture and the Scottish clan system. After the conflict, Scotland had to affirm Norwegian sovereignty of the Northern Isles , but they were later integrated into Scotland in
1737-569: A full legal union be sought instead, a proposal to which the Scots Parliament would not assent, causing the king to withdraw the plan. Except for a short period under the Protectorate , Scotland remained a separate state in the 17th century, but there was considerable conflict between the crown and the Covenanters over the form of church government . The military was strengthened, allowing
1930-405: A heart attack at the end of the match. Wales also started strongly in their bid to qualify for the 1988 UEFA European Championship , and were undefeated after four games. But away defeats against Denmark and Czechoslovakia in the last two games in qualifying group 6 saw Mike England 's eight-year reign as Welsh coach end in another disappointment. Under coach Terry Yorath , Wales achieved
2123-578: A letter addressed to Adolf Hitler that detailed his intentions to open peace negotiations with the British. Pintsch delivered the letter to Hitler at the Berghof around noon on 11 May. Albert Speer later said Hitler described Hess's departure as one of the worst personal blows of his life, as he considered it a personal betrayal. Hitler worried that his allies, Italy and Japan, would perceive Hess's act as an attempt by Hitler to secretly open peace negotiations with
SECTION 10
#17330847836152316-619: A line between the River Tyne and the Solway Firth . Along this line, Trajan's successor Hadrian ( r. 117–138 ) erected Hadrian's Wall in northern England and the Limes Britannicus became the northern border of the Roman Empire. The Roman influence on the southern part of the country was considerable, and they introduced Christianity to Scotland. The Antonine Wall
2509-415: A manager until 1966. Before then, all management decisions were taken by the board of directors at the club. The first person to manage the club was Lawrence Binnie in 1966. The club's most famous manager is former Manchester United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson , who in his first position as manager, stayed at East Stirlingshire during 1974 before moving to St Mirren . No manager has won a league title with
2702-677: A match drawn 1–1. After World War II , Wales, along with the other three home nations, rejoined FIFA in 1946 and took part in the qualifying rounds for the 1950 World Cup , the 1949–50 Home Championships being designated as a qualifying group. The top two teams were to qualify for the finals in Brazil, but Wales finished bottom of the group. The 1950s were a golden age for Welsh football with stars such as Ivor Allchurch , Cliff Jones , Alf Sherwood , Jack Kelsey , Trevor Ford , Ronnie Burgess , Terry Medwin , Mel Charles and John Charles . Wales made their first World Cup finals tournament appearance in
2895-475: A newly created Division C along with the reserve teams of some of Scotland's top clubs. In the second season in Division C, East Stirlingshire won the league and was promoted back to Division Two, now renamed "Division B", but finished last after one season in 1948–49 , and were relegated back to the "C Division". After another six seasons competing in "Division C" the club rejoined Division Two in 1955–56 when
3088-402: A number of Scottish-born authors achieved international reputations, such as Robert Louis Stevenson , Arthur Conan Doyle , J. M. Barrie and George MacDonald . Scotland also played a major part in the development of art and architecture. The Glasgow School , which developed in the late 19th century, and flourished in the early 20th century, produced a distinctive blend of influences including
3281-536: A partnership with LK Galaxy Sports and others to develop a new playing facility at the former BP Club site at Little Kerse, between Grangemouth and Polmont . The site would also host other sports in due course. Planning was approved by Falkirk Council, but did not proceed at the time due to a lack of funds. The club trained at Little Kerse until the 2018 switch to the Falkirk Stadium, when all operations were moved to that venue. East Stirlingshire's traditional rival
3474-449: A play-off match to reach the quarter-finals against Brazil . However, Wales' chances of victory against Brazil were hampered by an injury to John Charles that ruled him out of the match. Wales lost 1–0 with 17-year-old Pelé scoring his first international goal. The goal made Pelé the youngest World Cup goal scorer and Brazil went on to win the tournament. Wales' remarkable campaign in Sweden
3667-460: A population of 4.8 million in 1911, Scotland sent over half a million men to the war, of whom over a quarter died in combat or from disease, and 150,000 were seriously wounded. Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig was Britain's commander on the Western Front. The war saw the emergence of a radical movement called " Red Clydeside " led by militant trades unionists. Formerly a Liberal stronghold,
3860-507: A qualifier strengthened Wales' bid to qualify for the 1978 FIFA World Cup , but six months later, that attempt ended in controversial circumstances. The decisive fixture against Scotland - nominally a home fixture for Wales, although relocated to Anfield amidst security concerns - was swung by a contentious penalty awarded to Scotland, replays suggesting the handball offence may have actually been perpetrated by Scottish striker Joe Jordan . Another notable achievement for Wales however came in
4053-475: A remarkable result on 5 June 1991 when defeating then world champions Germany in a Euro 1992 qualifier, thanks to a goal from Ian Rush . Three months later, on 11 September 1991, Wales achieved a notable double by defeating Brazil for the only time in a friendly international, thanks to a goal from Dean Saunders . At this point, Wales seemed well placed to progress from their qualifying group 5 . However, victories for Germany in their three remaining matches in
SECTION 20
#17330847836154246-565: A result, the club ranked last in the Scottish Football League for five consecutive seasons from 2002–03 to 2006–07 , losing 24 consecutive league games in the 2003–04 season , recording only 8 points from two wins and two draws in 36 games. From the 2005–06 season , it was determined if a club finished bottom of the Third Division twice in successive years, it would face the risk of being reduced to associate member status, meaning
4439-503: A rise of 109 places from an all-time low of 117th to a peak of 8th in the FIFA World Ranking between August 2011 and October 2015 – they qualified for UEFA Euro 2016 , where they reached the semi-finals before again losing to the eventual champions, Portugal . A second successive UEFA European Championship followed when Wales reached the round of 16 of UEFA Euro 2020 . They also progressed through UEFA Euro 1976 qualifying to
4632-467: A two-legged play-off match against Israel with a place in Sweden for the winners. Having defeated Israel 2–0 at the Ramat Gan Stadium and 2–0 at Ninian Park , Cardiff , Wales went through to a World Cup finals tournament for the first time. The strong Welsh squad made their mark in Sweden, drawing all the matches in their group against Hungary , Mexico and Sweden before defeating Hungary in
4825-477: A winning goal by Ljubomir Radanović for Yugoslavia during injury time in the final game of qualifying group 4 against Bulgaria eliminated Wales. Mark Hughes marked his debut for Wales by scoring the only goal of the match as England were defeated once again in 1984. The following season, Hughes was again on target, scoring a wonder goal as Wales thrashed Spain 3–0 at the Racecourse during qualification for
5018-530: Is Falkirk . The club's first match known as both Britannia and East Stirlingshire were friendly games against Falkirk in 1880 and 1881. Both clubs are based in Falkirk and have competed against each other in competitions such as Stirlingshire Cup since the late 19th century. East Stirlingshire was elected to the bottom tier of the Scottish Football League in 1900, closely followed by Falkirk two seasons later in 1902–03 . The first competitive league meeting between
5211-482: Is 12,000 for a third round Scottish Cup match against Partick Thistle on 19 February 1921 at Firs Park . Gordon Russell holds the record for East Stirlingshire league appearances, playing 445 first-team matches between 1983–84 and 2000–01 . The record for most league goals in a single season is 41 by Andy Rodgers in the 2016–17 Lowland Football League . Humphrey Jones holds the record number of international caps earned as an East Stirlingshire player with 5 for
5404-636: Is 12–1 to Dundee United in April 1936 in the same division. In the Scottish Cup, the club's record winning margin is 9 goals which it achieved in consecutive rounds of the 1888–89 Scottish Cup tournament: 10–1 against Stenhousemuir in the first round on 1 September 1888 and 11–2 against Vale of Bannock in the second round on 22 September 1888. In only its second season of competing in the cup, East Stirlingshire recorded its greatest loss: 2–10 to Renton in October 1884. East Stirlingshire's record home attendance
5597-619: Is 30,977 square miles (80,231 km ) with a land area of 30,078 square miles (77,901 km ), comparable to the size of the Czech Republic . Scotland's only land border is with England, and runs for 96 miles (154 km) between the basin of the River Tweed on the east coast and the Solway Firth in the west. The Atlantic Ocean borders the west coast and the North Sea is to the east. The island of Ireland lies only 13 miles (21 km) from
5790-520: Is 96 miles (154 km) long and shared with England ; the country is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, the North Sea to the north-east and east, and the Irish Sea to the south. The population in 2022 was 5,439,842. Edinburgh is the capital and Glasgow is the most populous of the cities of Scotland . The Kingdom of Scotland emerged as an independent sovereign state in
5983-601: Is controlled by the Football Association of Wales (FAW), the governing body for football in Wales . They have been a member of FIFA since 1946 and a member of UEFA since 1954. Wales have qualified for the FIFA World Cup twice, in 1958 and 2022 . In 1958, they reached the quarter-finals before losing to eventual champions Brazil . They then went 58 years before reaching their second major tournament, when – following
East Stirlingshire F.C. - Misplaced Pages Continue
6176-672: Is said to have invested in the Darien scheme . After another proposal from the English House of Lords was rejected in 1695, and a further Lords motion was voted down in the House of Commons in 1700, the Parliament of Scotland again rejected union in 1702. The failure of the Darien Scheme bankrupted the landowners who had invested, though not the burghs. Nevertheless, the nobles' bankruptcy, along with
6369-525: Is typical of the north-west of Europe, although several of the larger mammals such as the lynx, brown bear, wolf, elk and walrus were hunted to extinction in historic times. There are important populations of seals and internationally significant nesting grounds for a variety of seabirds such as gannets . The golden eagle is something of a national icon. On the high mountain tops, species including ptarmigan , mountain hare and stoat can be seen in their white colour phase during winter months. Remnants of
6562-424: The 1894 British Home Championship which Scotland won. James McKee scored twice during his only appearance for Scotland, in a 5–2 victory over Wales in 1898 . He is the last East Stirlingshire player to be capped by his country. Murray Brown was a steadfast defender during the late 90s having performed to a high standard at West Bromwich Albion during his teenage years. East Stirlingshire did not officially appoint
6755-589: The 1958 FIFA World Cup in Sweden . However, their path to qualification was unusual. Having finished second to Czechoslovakia in qualifying Group 4, the golden generation of Welsh football managed by Jimmy Murphy seemed to have missed out on qualification, but the politics of the Middle East subsequently intervened. In the Asian/African qualifying zone, Egypt and Sudan had refused to play against Israel following
6948-512: The 1958 FIFA World Cup , although they did achieve a highly creditable draw against then world champions England in the 1970 British Home Championship , weeks before England went to defend their title in Mexico 1970 FIFA World Cup . This helped to give Wales a share of the Home Championship trophy for the year, goal difference not at that stage being used to determine an outright winner. In 1976,
7141-450: The 1976 tournament . The following year, Wales defeated England on English soil for the first time in 42 years and secured their only victory to date at Wembley Stadium thanks to a Leighton James penalty. Wales went onto finish second in the 1977 British Home Championship . A few weeks earlier, Wales achieved another noted victory against then European Champions Czechoslovakia with Nick Deacy and James again scoring. This victory in
7334-493: The 1980 British Home Championship , as Wales comprehensively defeated England at the Racecourse Ground. Goals from Mickey Thomas , Ian Walsh , Leighton James and an own goal by Phil Thompson saw Wales defeat England 4–1 just four days after England had defeated the then-world champions, Argentina . In the 1982 FIFA World Cup qualifiers , the Wales team – managed by Mike England – came extremely close to qualification;
7527-546: The 1986 World Cup . However, despite defeating Scotland 1–0 at Hampden Park, it was again Iceland that wrecked Welsh hopes by defeating Wales 1–0 in Reykjavík , and for the second World Cup in a row, Wales missed out on goal difference. Wales had to win their last match at home to Scotland to be guaranteed at least a play-off, but were held to a 1–1 draw in a match marred by the death of Scotland manager Jock Stein , who collapsed from
7720-399: The 1994–95 season , the Scottish Football League was again restructured and East Stirlingshire was moved to a new Third Division , now the fourth-tier. The club finished its first season in the Third Division ranked fourth from ten and repeated it again in 1997–98 . With these exceptions East Stirlingshire generally finished below mid-table, including a final day victory against Arbroath in
7913-550: The 1996–97 season to avoid finishing last. In 2000–01 , the club reached the semi-final of a national cup competition for the first time in its history, losing 2–1 to Livingston for a place in the final of the Scottish Challenge Cup . At the start of the 21st century the club struggled financially, paying players £ 10-a-week and manager Dennis Newall became the first unpaid manager at senior level in Scottish football. As
East Stirlingshire F.C. - Misplaced Pages Continue
8106-578: The 2022 World Cup in Qatar . After a 1–1 draw with the United States in the opening match, Wales lost their second match to Iran after conceding two injury time goals. In their final match, Wales were eliminated after losing 3–0 to England, therefore, finishing bottom of the group. On 9 January 2023, Wales captain Gareth Bale retired from club and international football. At the time of his retirement he
8299-727: The Bruce dynasty and their long-term rivals of the House of Comyn and House of Balliol lasted until the middle of the 14th century. Although the Bruce faction was successful, David II's lack of an heir allowed his half-nephew Robert II , the Lord High Steward of Scotland , to come to the throne and establish the House of Stewart . The Stewarts ruled Scotland for the remainder of the Middle Ages . The country they ruled experienced greater prosperity from
8492-672: The Celtic Revival the Arts and Crafts movement , and Japonism , which found favour throughout the modern art world of continental Europe and helped define the Art Nouveau style. Proponents included architect and artist Charles Rennie Mackintosh . Scotland played a major role in the British effort in the First World War . It especially provided manpower, ships, machinery, fish and money. With
8685-570: The Community Charge (widely known as the Poll Tax) one year before the rest of Great Britain, contributed to a growing movement for Scottish control over domestic affairs. On 21 December 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 exploded mid–air over the town of Lockerbie , killing all on board as well as eleven Lockerbie residents. It remains the deadliest terrorist attack in the United Kingdom . Following
8878-580: The Hebrides , which had been ruled by various Scottish clans following the death of Somerled in 1164. In 1266, Scotland fought the short but consequential Scottish-Norwegian War which saw the reclamation of the Hebrides after the strong defeat of King Haakon IV and his forces at the Battle of Largs . Up until that point, the Hebrides had been under Norwegian Viking control for roughly 400 years and had developed
9071-625: The Highland Boundary Fault , which runs from Arran to Stonehaven . This part of Scotland largely comprises ancient rocks from the Cambrian and Precambrian , which were uplifted during the later Caledonian orogeny . It is interspersed with igneous intrusions of a more recent age, remnants of which formed mountain massifs such as the Cairngorms and Skye Cuillins . In north-eastern mainland Scotland weathering of rock that occurred before
9264-516: The House of Hanover from the British throne. The threat of the Jacobite movement to the United Kingdom and its monarchs effectively ended at the Battle of Culloden , Great Britain's last pitched battle . The passing of the Treaty of Union did not bring about immediate economic prosperity to Scotland as was widely speculated by the pamphleteer as a result of the little consideration given to prospects of
9457-553: The House of Stuart was resumed with the Restoration in Scotland in 1660. The Parliament of Scotland sought a commercial union with England in 1664; the proposal was rejected in 1668. In 1670 the Parliament of England rejected a proposed political union with Scotland. English proposals along the same lines were abandoned in 1674 and in 1685. The Scots Parliament rejected proposals for a political union with England in 1689. Jacobitism ,
9650-743: The Last Ice Age has shaped much of the landscape. A significant exception to the above are the fossil-bearing beds of Old Red Sandstones found principally along the Moray Firth coast. The Highlands are generally mountainous and the highest elevations in the British Isles are found here. Scotland has over 790 islands divided into four main groups: Shetland , Orkney , and the Inner Hebrides and Outer Hebrides . There are numerous bodies of freshwater including Loch Lomond and Loch Ness . Some parts of
9843-425: The Lowland League and ending their 61-year tenure in the Scottish national league set-up. East Stirlingshire's home colours have been black and white hoops for most of its existence since 1882. The club's first strip was thin blue and white hoops between 1880 and 1882, before changing to colours similar to the present day. An all-black shirt was introduced between 1960 and 1962, and again between 2008 and 2010, while
SECTION 50
#173308478361510036-793: The Moscow region in Russia , and the Kamchatka Peninsula on the opposite side of Eurasia . Temperatures are generally lower than in the rest of the UK, with the temperature of −27.2 °C (−17.0 °F) recorded at Braemar in the Grampian Mountains , on 11 February 1895, the coldest ever recorded anywhere in the UK. Winter maxima average 6 °C (43 °F) in the Lowlands, with summer maxima averaging 18 °C (64 °F). The highest temperature recorded
10229-520: The Northern Isles and Western Isles , where a lack of trees led to most structures being built of local stone. Evidence of sophisticated pre-Christian belief systems is demonstrated by sites such as the Callanish Stones on Lewis and the Maes Howe on Orkney , which were built in the third millennium BC. The first written reference to Scotland was in 320 BC by Greek sailor Pytheas , who called
10422-417: The Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux , Gareth Bale scored direct from a free-kick to give Wales a 1–0 lead, and Hal Robson-Kanu scored the winner in a 2–1 victory. In their second match, against England in Lens , Wales led 1–0 at half-time through another Bale free-kick, but lost 2–1. Against Russia at the Stadium Municipal in Toulouse , Aaron Ramsey, Neil Taylor and Bale scored in a 3–0 win that made them win
10615-475: The Parliament of Great Britain , which succeeded both the Parliament of Scotland and the Parliament of England , which rejected proposals from the Parliament of Ireland that the third kingdom be incorporated in the union. Andrew Fletcher , a prominent Scottish patriot, argued that the ratification of the treaty would see Scotland "more like a conquered province", and by 1713, the former Lord Chancellor of Scotland , James Ogilvy, 4th Earl of Findlater , who
10808-409: The River Tay , flows for a distance of 117 miles (188 km). The whole of Scotland was covered by ice sheets during the Pleistocene ice ages and the landscape is much affected by glaciation. From a geological perspective, the country has three main sub-divisions: the Highlands and Islands, the Central Lowlands, and the Southern Uplands. The Highlands and Islands lie to the north and west of
11001-413: The Roman Empire , was culturally divergent. Repeated glaciations, which covered the entire land mass of modern Scotland, destroyed any traces of human habitation that may have existed before the Mesolithic period . It is believed the first post-glacial groups of hunter-gatherers arrived in Scotland around 12,800 years ago, as the ice sheet retreated after the last glaciation . At the time, Scotland
11194-416: The Scots Confession , which signalled the Scottish Reformation 's sharp break from papal authority and Roman Catholic teaching. The Catholic Mary, Queen of Scots, was forced to abdicate in 1567 . In 1603, James VI, King of Scots inherited the thrones of the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Ireland in the Union of the Crowns , and moved to London. This was a personal union as despite having
11387-435: The Scottish Football League in the mid-2000s, Jim McInally also changed fortunes at the club, managing East Stirlingshire to successive third-place finishes in the Third Division between 2008 and 2010 to qualify for the promotion play-offs . League Cup League Cup The club's record Scottish Football League victory is 8–0 against Arthurlie in August 1927 in Division Two and its record defeat
11580-490: The Scottish League Two , the successor to the old Third Division. In October 2015, on loan Raith Rovers forward Jonny Court scored the SPFL 's 5000th goal (across all four divisions, but not including play-offs ), in a 2–0 home win over Elgin City . Having finished bottom of 2015–16 Scottish League Two , East Stirlingshire faced a play-off against Edinburgh City for a place in 2016–17 Scottish League Two . Edinburgh City won 2–1 on aggregate, relegating East Stirlingshire to
11773-418: The Suez crisis , while Indonesia had insisted on meeting Israel on neutral ground. As a result, FIFA proclaimed Israel winners of their group. However, FIFA did not want a team to qualify for the World Cup finals without actually playing a match, and so lots were drawn of all the second-placed teams in UEFA . Belgium were drawn out first but refused to participate, and so then Wales was drawn out and awarded
SECTION 60
#173308478361511966-454: The United Kingdom (green) Scotland ( Scots : Scotland ; Scottish Gaelic : Alba ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom . It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjacent islands , principally in the archipelagos of the Hebrides and the Northern Isles . To the south-east, Scotland has its only land border , which
12159-505: The Wales national football team between 1889 and 1890. The highest transfer fee received for an East Stirlingshire player is £ 35,000 from English club Chelsea for Jim Docherty in 1978, while the most paid by the club is the compensation development fee paid to Spartans for Jamie Dishington. The amount was higher than the previous record, £6,000 for the transfer of Colin McKinnon from Falkirk in 1991. Scotland – in Europe (green & dark grey) – in
12352-441: The Wars of Scottish Independence , until Robert the Bruce was crowned king of Scotland in 1306. Victory at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 proved the Scots had regained control of their kingdom. In 1320 the world's first documented declaration of independence, the Declaration of Arbroath , won the support of Pope John XXII , leading to the legal recognition of Scottish sovereignty by the English Crown. A civil war between
12545-410: The Welsh football league system . As a country of the United Kingdom , Wales is not a member of the International Olympic Committee (as Welsh athletes compete for Great Britain ) and therefore the national team does not compete in the Olympic Games . Wales played its first competitive match on 25 March 1876 against Scotland in Glasgow , making it the third-oldest international football team in
12738-428: The beaver and wild boar . Today, much of the remaining native Caledonian Forest lies within the Cairngorms National Park and remnants of the forest remain at 84 locations across Scotland. On the west coast, remnants of ancient Celtic Rainforest remain, particularly on the Taynish peninsula in Argyll , these forests are particularly rare due to high rates of deforestation throughout Scottish history. The flora of
12931-464: The final tournament . Chris Coleman resigned as Wales manager on 17 November 2017 to join Sunderland . Wales were invited to participate in the 2018 China Cup alongside China , Czech Republic and Uruguay . Wales beat China 6–0 in the semi-final but lost 1–0 in the final to Uruguay . On 15 January 2018, Ryan Giggs was confirmed as new manager. Despite losing two of the first three qualifiers for UEFA Euro 2020 , Wales went unbeaten in
13124-464: The glens in the Highlands, the Caledonians were again in revolt in 210–211 and these were overrun. To the Roman historians Tacitus and Cassius Dio , the Scottish Highlands and the area north of the River Forth was called Caledonia . According to Cassius Dio, the inhabitants of Caledonia were the Caledonians and the Maeatae . Other ancient authors used the adjective "Caledonian" to mean anywhere in northern or inland Britain, often mentioning
13317-409: The second tier of Scotland's main national league competition – the Scottish Football League – in 1900–01 , ending its first season ranked 7th from ten. In March 1905, a proposal was raised for the club to merge with neighbours Falkirk with an aim to creating a bigger and more financially stable club, which Falkirk accepted in a vote. However, East Stirlingshire's vote was not in favour and
13510-409: The " C Division" was abolished and the number of teams in the Scottish Football League was expanded. The club sold many young players to larger clubs, including defender Eddie McCreadie to Chelsea in 1962 who earned 23 international caps for Scotland and is tenth in Chelsea's all-time appearance list with 410. The money earned from the transfer helped attract new players and in the 1962–63 season ,
13703-471: The 14th century is now a crown dependency outside of the United Kingdom; the island groups Orkney and Shetland , which were acquired from Norway in 1472; and Berwick-upon-Tweed , lost to England in 1482 The geographical centre of Scotland lies a few miles from the village of Newtonmore in Badenoch . Rising to 4,413 feet (1,345 m) above sea level, Scotland's highest point is the summit of Ben Nevis , in Lochaber , while Scotland's longest river,
13896-447: The 15th century. Scandinavian culture in the form of the Norn language survived for a lot longer than in the Hebrides, and would strongly influence the local Scots dialect on Shetland and Orkney . Later, a system of feudalism was consolidated, with both Anglo-Norman incomers and native Gaelic chieftains being granted land in exchange for serving the king. The relationship with England
14089-540: The 1870s, and the Fortingall Yew may be 5,000 years old and is probably the oldest living thing in Europe. Although the number of native vascular plants is low by world standards, Scotland's substantial bryophyte flora is of global importance. Wales national football team The Wales national football team ( Welsh : Tîm pêl-droed cenedlaethol Cymru ) represents Wales in men's international football . It
14282-404: The 1888 final. Two goals came from Lawrence McLachlan who was an influential goalscorer in the club's early successes; scoring more times than any other East Stirlingshire player with 135 known goals. The latter years of the 19th century was East Stirlingshire's most successful era in the Scottish Cup. In the 1888–89 and 1890–91 tournaments, the club reached the quarter-finals in what was to be
14475-613: The 9th century. In 1603, James VI succeeded to the thrones of England and Ireland , forming a personal union of the three kingdoms . On 1 May 1707, Scotland and England combined to create the new Kingdom of Great Britain , with the Parliament of Scotland subsumed into the Parliament of Great Britain . In 1999, a Scottish Parliament was re-established, and has devolved authority over many areas of domestic policy . The country has its own distinct legal system , education system and religious history , which have all contributed to
14668-503: The British nations withdrew from FIFA in 1928 in a dispute over payments to amateur players. As a result, Wales did not enter the first three FIFA World Cups . In 1932, Wales played host to the Republic of Ireland , the first time they played against a side from outside the four home nations. One year later, Wales played a match outside the United Kingdom for the first time when they travelled to Paris to play France national football team in
14861-493: The British. After 1945, Scotland's economic situation worsened due to overseas competition, inefficient industry, and industrial disputes. Only in recent decades has the country enjoyed something of a cultural and economic renaissance. Economic factors contributing to this recovery included a resurgent financial services industry, electronics manufacturing , (see Silicon Glen ), and the North Sea oil and gas industry. The introduction in 1989 by Margaret Thatcher's government of
15054-646: The FAW decided Wales would play all of their home matches at either the Cardiff City Stadium or the Liberty Stadium, with the exception of the home tie against England, which was played at the Millennium Stadium. The 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign saw four home matches at the Cardiff City Stadium and one at the Liberty Stadium. Cardiff City Stadium's capacity was increased to 33,000 in 2014 and all home matches for Euro 2016 qualifying were scheduled at
15247-448: The FAW uses the term in its internal and external communications. In October 2022, the FAW announced it was considering rebranding the team to only use the Welsh name for the country, ditching the term "Wales", following the 2022 FIFA World Cup . The association said it was in discussions with UEFA over how to change the name, and were inspired by Turkey 's rebrand to Türkiye and not being
15440-672: The FIFA rankings, making Wales – in ninth position – the highest-ranked British team for the first time in its history. In October 2015, Wales attained their highest ever FIFA ranking of eighth. On 10 October 2015, Wales lost 2–0 to Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, Wales' qualification for Euro 2016 was confirmed after Cyprus defeated Israel that same evening. Wales qualified for Euro 2016 in France, their first European Championship tournament, and were drawn into Group B with Slovakia, Russia and England. On their Euro debut, on 11 June against Slovakia at
15633-678: The Liberty Stadium in Swansea (now known as the Swansea.com Stadium ) and the Racecourse Ground in Wrexham. Qualifying matches continued to be played at the 74,500-capacity Millennium Stadium until the end of 2009, which was typically only around 20–40% full amid poor team results. This led to calls from fans and players for international matches to be held at smaller stadiums. For the Euro 2012 qualifying campaign,
15826-474: The Millennium Stadium was against Finland on 29 March 2000. The Finns won the match 2–1, with Jari Litmanen becoming the first player to score a goal at the stadium. Ryan Giggs scored Wales' goal in the match, becoming the first Welshman to score at the stadium. With the opening of the Cardiff City Stadium in 2009, the FAW chose to stage most home friendlies there, with other friendly matches played at
16019-557: The Pictish language went extinct as its speakers shifted to Gaelic. From a base in eastern Scotland north of the River Forth and south of the River Spey , the kingdom expanded first southwards, into the former Northumbrian lands, and northwards into Moray . Around the turn of the millennium, there was a centralization in agricultural lands and the first towns began to be established. In
16212-671: The Roman victory, Roman forts were briefly set along the Gask Ridge close to the Highland line , but by three years after the battle, the Roman armies had withdrawn to the Southern Uplands . Remains of Roman forts established in the 1st century have been found as far north as the Moray Firth . By the reign of the Roman emperor Trajan ( r. 98–117 ), Roman control had lapsed to Britain south of
16405-470: The Scottish Enlightenment is traditionally considered to have concluded toward the end of the 18th century, disproportionately large Scottish contributions to British science and letters continued for another 50 years or more, thanks to such figures as the physicists James Clerk Maxwell and Lord Kelvin , and the engineers and inventors James Watt and William Murdoch , whose work was critical to
16598-730: The Scottish Parliament after the referendum, following cross-party talks in the Smith Commission . Since the 2014 referendum, events such as the UK leaving the European Union, despite a majority of voters in Scotland voting to remain a member, have led to calls for a second independence referendum . In 2022, the Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain argued the case for the Scottish Government to hold another referendum on
16791-515: The Scottish economy. Campaigners for the union between Scotland and England believed that there would be economic advantages to Scotland as a result of the failed Darien scheme which left the Kingdom of Scotland bankrupt. Eventually however, with trade tariffs with England abolished, trade blossomed, especially with Colonial America . The clippers belonging to the Glasgow Tobacco Lords were
16984-657: The Southern Uplands is Merrick with an elevation of 843 m (2,766 ft). The Southern Uplands is home to Scotland's highest village, Wanlockhead (430 m or 1,411 ft above sea level). The climate of most of Scotland is temperate and oceanic , and tends to be very changeable. As it is warmed by the Gulf Stream from the Atlantic, it has much milder winters (but cooler, wetter summers) than areas on similar latitudes, such as Labrador , southern Scandinavia ,
17177-596: The Stirlingshire Football Association was founded, with membership open to clubs exclusively from the county of Stirlingshire . It resulted in the establishment of a new regional tournament called the Stirlingshire Cup , with the club reaching the final in its first season. East Stirlingshire dominated the tournament in its early years, winning it for a record four consecutive seasons 91885 and 18890, including an emphatic 9–0 victory against Falkirk in
17370-436: The Welsh national team on 9 July 2024. Live television broadcast rights are held by S4C ( Welsh language commentary) and Sky Sports ( English language commentary) until 2022. The primary kit has long been all-red. The crest of the Football Association of Wales features a rampant Welsh Dragon on a white shield. From 1920, the shield was surrounded by a red border, and the letters 'FAW' were added in 1926. The badge
17563-442: The army and navy, trade, economics, colonial enterprises and other areas across the nascent British Empire . Historian Neil Davidson notes "after 1746 there was an entirely new level of participation by Scots in political life, particularly outside Scotland." Davidson also states "far from being 'peripheral' to the British economy, Scotland – or more precisely, the Lowlands – lay at its core." The Scottish Reform Act 1832 increased
17756-611: The central belt of the country. Perhaps the most significant air raid in Scotland was the Clydebank Blitz of March 1941, which intended to destroy naval shipbuilding in the area. 528 people were killed and 4,000 homes totally destroyed. Perhaps Scotland's most unusual wartime episode occurred in 1941 when Rudolf Hess flew to Renfrewshire, possibly intending to broker a peace deal through the Duke of Hamilton . Before his departure from Germany, Hess had given his adjutant, Karlheinz Pintsch ,
17949-510: The championship on a superior goal average . East Stirlingshire spent one season in its first spell in the top flight, ending the year bottom of the league in 20th with seventeen points. Back in Division Two in the 1935–36 season , the club's heaviest league defeat of 12–1 was inflicted by Dundee United in April 1936. In 1938–39 , the final season before the league was suspended due to World War II , East Stirlingshire finished second-bottom of
18142-424: The closing stages of their campaign. Needing to win the final match of the group at home to Romania on 17 November, Paul Bodin missed a penalty when the scores were level 1–1; the miss was immediately followed by Romania taking the lead and going on to win 2–1. Following the failure to qualify, Yorath's contract as manager of the national side was not renewed by the FAW, and Real Sociedad manager John Toshack
18335-468: The club finished runners-up by one point to rivals Falkirk in the Second Division. The clubs shared the top two spots in the league for most of the season and entered the final match equal on points, with East Stirlingshire required to better Falkirk's result to win the championship due to an inferior goal difference. However, Falkirk won its match and East Stirlingshire drew and so finished second. In
18528-480: The club moved to Ochilview Park in a ground-share agreement with neighbours Stenhousemuir . Under manager Jim McInally , the club finished third in successive years to qualify for the promotion play-offs to the Second Division . However, a second-bottom place finish in the 2010–11 season saw McInally sacked and replaced by John Coughlin . The club would subsequently post another two bottom-place finishes in
18721-631: The club played many of its matches in the late 19th century. Some home matches were also played at Randyford Park in the town. Merchiston Park was a football ground located in the village of Bainsford , approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) north of Falkirk . It was situated on the northern bank of the Forth and Clyde Canal near to present day Main Street in Bainsford. The ground hosted East Stirlingshire's first Scottish Football League match in 1900–01 which ended in
18914-478: The club progressed past the group stage of Scottish League Cup for the first time since it was inaugurated in 1947. The year beforehand saw the club appoint its most famous manager, Alex Ferguson , who was at the club during 1974 before moving to St Mirren . In 1979–80 , East Stirlingshire won promotion to the First Division , which is the last time the club was promoted in the league. Managed by Billy Lamont ,
19107-404: The club rejected the proposal. The years following included finishing bottom of the league in 1905–06 , recording only one win from 22 games, contrasting with finishing as high as third in table in 1912–13 , narrowly missing out on winning the championship by two points. The club remained in Division Two until 1914–15 when it, and the Scottish Cup , were both suspended due to World War I . At
19300-596: The club won promotion to the top flight for a second time, as runners-up in Division Two behind St Johnstone. Like the previous occasion in 1932–33 , East Stirlingshire spent one solitary season in the top tier before being relegated. After relegation from Scotland's top flight, East Stirlingshire was controversially merged with Clydebank Juniors in 1964 . The new club was renamed East Stirlingshire Clydebank – often E.S. Clydebank for short – and relocated to Kilbowie Park in Clydebank against fans' wishes. However,
19493-418: The club's centenary strip in 1981 was all-white. In 1996–97 , the stripes were changed from horizontal to vertical for a full season; a similar design featured for one month in August 1982 before changing back. The first company to supply kits for East Stirlingshire was Bukta between 1979 and 1987. For the 1998–99 season , the club signed a deal with French kit supplier Le Coq Sportif who failed to deliver
19686-492: The club's first official manager , prior to his appointment the board of directors took responsibility for management roles. After de-merging with Clydebank Juniors, the club spent ten seasons in Division Two before being moved by league reconstruction to a new Second Division for the 1975–76 season , now the third tier with the creation of the Premier Division at the top of the Scottish Football League. During this period,
19879-445: The club, however, Billy Lamont managed East Stirlingshire to promotion to the 1980–81 Scottish First Division after finishing runners-up in Division Two, one point behind rivals Falkirk . He also took East Stirlingshire to the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup , the furthest stage of the tournament the club has reached since reaching the same stage 91 years beforehand in 1889–90 . After five consecutive seasons finishing bottom of
20072-411: The clubs ended in a 2–0 win for Falkirk at Merchiston Park in August 1902. The two clubs' old grounds of Firs Park and Brockville Park were geographically close, separated by less than half a mile (0.8 km). On a regional scale, East Stirlingshire has rivalries with football clubs from the historical county of Stirlingshire , who have competed in the Stirlingshire Cup against each other since
20265-451: The coastline consist of machair , a low-lying dune pasture land. The Central Lowlands is a rift valley mainly comprising Paleozoic formations. Many of these sediments have economic significance for it is here that the coal and iron-bearing rocks that fuelled Scotland's industrial revolution are found. This area has also experienced intense volcanism, Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh being
20458-402: The continuation of Scottish culture and national identity . Scottish English and Scots are the most widely spoken languages in the country , existing on a dialect continuum with each other. Scottish Gaelic speakers can be found all over Scotland, however the language is largely spoken natively by communities within the Hebrides . The number of Gaelic speakers numbers less than 2% of
20651-444: The country is varied incorporating both deciduous and coniferous woodland as well as moorland and tundra species. Large-scale commercial tree planting and management of upland moorland habitat for the grazing of sheep and field sport activities like deer stalking and driven grouse shooting impacts the distribution of indigenous plants and animals. The UK's tallest tree is a grand fir planted beside Loch Fyne , Argyll in
20844-563: The defeat was not without its controversy, as Russian midfielder Yegor Titov tested positive for the use of a banned substance after the first qualifying leg, a scoreless draw in Moscow . Notwithstanding, FIFA opted not to take action against the Football Union of Russia other than instructing them not to field Titov again, and the Russian team went on to defeat Wales 1–0 in Cardiff to qualify for
21037-421: The early 1880s such as Stenhousemuir and since 1945, Stirling Albion and Alloa Athletic . East Stirlingshire played its home matches in a ground-share agreement with rivals Stenhousemuir at their Ochilview Park home until 2018. As of 31 October 2024 Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Gordon Russell holds
21230-456: The end of World War I, the club was re-elected to the old Division Two which was re-established in the 1921–22 season . The year beforehand saw the club move to Firs Park after leaving their old ground of Merchiston Park in 1920. In the same year, a record home attendance of 12,000 was set when the club played eventual champions, Partick Thistle , in the Scottish Cup in February 1921. The club
21423-631: The end of the 14th century through the Scottish Renaissance to the Reformation , despite the effects of the Black Death in 1349 and increasing division between Highlands and Lowlands . Multiple truces reduced warfare on the southern border. The Treaty of Perpetual Peace was signed in 1502 by James IV of Scotland and Henry VII of England . James married Henry's daughter, Margaret Tudor . James invaded England in support of France under
21616-652: The execution of the Scottish king at Whitehall in 1649, amid the Wars of the Three Kingdoms and its events in Scotland , Oliver Cromwell , the victorious Lord Protector , imposed the British Isles' first written constitution – the Instrument of Government – on Scotland in 1652 as part of the republican Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland . The Protectorate Parliament was the first Westminster parliament to include representatives nominally from Scotland. The monarchy of
21809-426: The family unit and had sharp divisions in wealth, although the vast majority were poor and worked full-time in subsistence agriculture . The Picts kept slaves (mostly captured in war) through the ninth century. Gaelic influence over Pictland and Northumbria was facilitated by the large number of Gaelic-speaking clerics working as missionaries. Operating in the sixth century on the island of Iona , Saint Columba
22002-739: The fastest ships on the route to Virginia . Until the American War of Independence in 1776, Glasgow was the world's premier tobacco port, dominating world trade. The disparity between the wealth of the merchant classes of the Scottish Lowlands and the ancient clans of the Scottish Highlands grew, amplifying centuries of division. In the Highlands, clan chiefs gradually started to think of themselves more as commercial landlords than leaders of their people. These social and economic changes included
22195-732: The final tournament. Following a disappointing start to the 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign, Hughes left his role with the national team to take over as manager of Premier League outfit Blackburn Rovers . John Toshack was appointed manager for the second time in November 2004. In Euro 2008 qualifying , Wales finished 5th in Group D . In 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 4 , two 2–0 home defeats by Finland and Germany in spring 2009 effectively ended Wales' hopes of qualification. Wales were drawn in UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying Group G . After
22388-581: The first British nation to advance to the semi-finals of a major tournament since 1996 . Wales lost 2–0 in the semi-final against Portugal with goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani early in the second half. Wales were welcomed back home on 8 July with an open-top bus parade around Cardiff, starting at Cardiff Castle and going past the Millennium Stadium before finishing at the Cardiff City Stadium . Wales finished third in their 2018 World Cup qualifying group , therefore failing to qualify for
22581-450: The first leg 2–0 in Zagreb and were eliminated from the competition following a 1–1 draw in a bad-tempered return leg at Cardiff's Ninian Park, which was marred by crowd trouble. This initially led to Wales being banned from the 1980 tournament , but this was reduced on appeal to a four-year ban on qualifying matches being played within 100 miles of Cardiff. Yugoslavia went on to finish fourth in
22774-647: The first phase of the Highland Clearances and, ultimately, the demise of clanship. The Scottish Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution turned Scotland into an intellectual, commercial and industrial powerhouse — so much so Voltaire said "We look to Scotland for all our ideas of civilisation." With the demise of Jacobitism and the advent of the Union, thousands of Scots, mainly Lowlanders, took up numerous positions of power in politics, civil service,
22967-604: The first three Scottish parliament elections. The pro- independence Scottish National Party led by Alex Salmond achieved an overall majority in the 2011 election , winning 69 of the 129 seats available. The success of the SNP in achieving a majority in the Scottish Parliament paved the way for the September 2014 referendum on Scottish independence . The majority voted against the proposition, with 55% voting no to independence. More powers, particularly concerning taxation, were devolved to
23160-618: The first time, winning 7–1 in Wrexham. The associations of the four Home Nations met at the International Football Conference in Manchester on 6 December 1882 to set down a set of worldwide rules. This meeting saw the establishment of the International Football Association Board (IFAB) to approve changes to the rules, a task the four associations still perform to this day. The 1883–84 season saw
23353-807: The five caps he earned whilst at East Stirlingshire. His first came in a British Home Championship match against England in 1889 . The three other players to make an appearance for their country are Archibald Ritchie , David Alexander and James McKee , all for the Scotland national team at the British Championship. Each of them made their début against Wales, although in different seasons. Archibald Ritchie's one and only Scotland cap came in March 1891 against Wales, who were captained by former East Stirlingshire player Humphrey Jones. David Alexander made two appearances, one against Ireland and scoring against Wales at
23546-399: The football and banner coloured black, white or orange in different versions. East Stirlingshire has played at several grounds over its history. In the club's early existence as Britannia , it played one of its first known matches at Burnhouse against a Falkirk 2nd XI , which ended in a 7–0 defeat for the team. Burnhouse is thought to be the location that was to become Merchiston Park, where
23739-477: The formation of the British Home Championship , a tournament which was played annually between England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales until 1983–84. Wales were champions on 12 occasions, winning outright seven times whilst sharing the title five times. The FAW became members of FIFA , world football's governing body, in 1910, but the relationship between FIFA and the British associations was fraught and
23932-417: The ground, where it remained until the end of the 2007–08 season . The decision was taken by the club to close Firs Park due to the prohibitive costs of potential refurbishing to meet new Scottish Football Association stadium criteria. At the time of closure, the ground had a capacity of 1,800 with 200 seated in the main stand. After leaving Firs Park in 2008 they played their home matches at Ochilview Park
24125-474: The group, including a 4–1 win in the return fixture against Wales, eliminated the Welsh. Wales also made a strong showing in their qualifying group for the 1994 World Cup , achieving a noted victory at home to Belgium. Wales thus attained what was then their highest position in the FIFA World Rankings on 27 August 1993. Wales again came close to qualifying for a major championship only to fall short in
24318-628: The group. In their round of 16 match at the Parc des Princes in Paris, Wales played Northern Ireland and won 1–0 after an own goal from Gareth McAuley . In the quarter-final against Belgium, Wales went behind to a long-range effort from Radja Nainggolan , but captain Ashley Williams headed an equaliser before Hal Robson-Kanu and Sam Vokes confirmed a 3–1 victory for Wales. This victory advanced Wales to their first major tournament semi-final and also made them
24511-467: The home of local rivals Stenhousemuir ; the club entered a groundshare agreement with Stenhousemuir, originally intended to be for a period of five years, during which the club planned to develop a new stadium in Falkirk. Since the summer of 2018, East Stirlingshire have been playing their home matches at Falkirk Stadium which is the home ground of local rivals Falkirk . In May 2014, the club entered into
24704-414: The imposition of royal authority on the western Highland clans. The 1609 Statutes of Iona compelled the cultural integration of Hebridean clan leaders. In 1641 and again in 1643, the Parliament of Scotland unsuccessfully sought a union with England which was "federative" and not "incorporating", in which Scotland would retain a separate parliament. The issue of union split the parliament in 1648. After
24897-756: The industrial districts switched to Labour by 1922, with a base among the Irish Catholic working-class districts. Women were especially active in building neighbourhood solidarity on housing issues. The "Reds" operated within the Labour Party with little influence in Parliament and the mood changed to passive despair by the late 1920s. During the Second World War, Scotland was targeted by Nazi Germany largely due to its factories, shipyards, and coal mines. Cities such as Glasgow and Edinburgh were targeted by German bombers, as were smaller towns mostly located in
25090-543: The issue, with the Supreme Court later ruling against the argument. Following the Supreme Court decision, the Scottish Government stated that it wished to make amendments to the Scotland Act 1998 that would allow a referendum to be held in 2023. The mainland of Scotland comprises the northern third of the land mass of the island of Great Britain, which lies off the northwest coast of Continental Europe . The total area
25283-426: The kits in time for the start of the season so sent a set of Queen's Park strips with East Stirlingshire's crest and sponsors ironed on top of the original. The supplier for the 2012–13 season is Jako . Past suppliers include Hummel , Umbro and Joma . The club crest is a shield with black and white stripes and a stylised football, with a banner displaying the club name at the top. It has several variations with
25476-579: The last 16 round Wales lost to Denmark in Amsterdam . [REDACTED] Rob Page remained in interim charge for the 2022 World Cup qualification campaign. Wales finished second in Group E and progressed to the qualification play-off stage. After beating Austria in the play-off semi-final, Wales qualified for the World Cup for the first time since 1958 with a 1–0 win over Ukraine . Following their promotion in
25669-413: The last country alphabetically in some football events. The suggestion was stated by University of Limerick professor Owen Worth, to be an example of the connection between the team's supporters' clubs and pro- Welsh independence groups such as YesCymru and AUOB Cymru . From 2000 to 2009, Wales played most of their home matches at the Millennium Stadium , Cardiff. The stadium was built in 1999 on
25862-427: The last time for 91 years, losing to Celtic and Hearts respectively. In the 1888–89 tournament, the club recorded its highest win and equalled it in successive rounds with a 10–1 victory against local rivals Stenhousemuir in the first round and an 11–2 win over Vale of Bannock in the second round. It was during this period that four East Stirlingshire players earned international caps for their countries. The first
26055-454: The last two games due to legal troubles. With Rob Page in interim charge, the team beat Finland 3–1 in their final match to finish top of the group and gain promotion to League A for the 2022–23 UEFA Nations League . UEFA Euro 2020 was played in June and July 2021. Under Page as interim manager, Wales progressed from the group stage after finishing second in the group on goal difference. In
26248-665: The later 4th century, which included the participation of the Gaelic Scoti and the Caledonians, who were then known as Picts by the Romans. This was defeated by the comes Theodosius ; but Roman military government was withdrawn from the island altogether by the early 5th century, resulting in the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain and the immigration of the Saxons to southeastern Scotland and
26441-407: The league system for most of its existence. East Stirlingshire has won the second tier of Scottish football once and finished runners-up once, earning promotion to the top-flight on both occasions. The club's highest league ranking came during the two solitary seasons it competed in the top flight in 1932–33 and 1963–64 . In 2016, East Stirlingshire became the first club ever to be relegated out of
26634-399: The league, ahead of only Edinburgh City , but despite finishing low, Malcolm Morrison became the club's highest league goalscorer in a single season with 36 goals. The club was excluded from a wartime league in 1939 and was also denied re-entry to the Scottish Football League Division Two at the end of World War II, along with six other small league clubs. As a result, the clubs competed in
26827-476: The likes of Tiree and Coll are much flatter. Scotland comes from Scoti , the Latin name for the Gaels . Philip Freeman has speculated on the likelihood of a group of raiders adopting a name from an Indo-European root , * skot , citing the parallel in Greek skotos ( σκότος ), meaning "darkness, gloom". The Late Latin word Scotia ("land of the Gaels") was initially used to refer to Ireland, and likewise in early Old English Scotland
27020-429: The loss of voting rights. In East Stirlingshire's case, a league vote was held and concluded in favour of the club retaining full member status with the condition that it did not finish last the following season in 2008. The club won its final game of the season to move off the bottom of the table in a 3–1 win against Montrose , which was also the last game at Firs Park . The following season, retaining full member status,
27213-432: The merge lasted only one season, with East Stirlingshire shareholders winning several court cases against it and thus the club reverted to its original legal status and moved back to Falkirk . During the single season as E.S. Clydebank, the club set a record attendance at Kilbowie Park when 14,900 spectators attended a Scottish Cup first round replay against Hibernian in February 1965. In 1966, Lawrence Binnie became
27406-409: The most mountainous region of the British Isles and contain its highest peak, Ben Nevis , at 4,413 feet (1,345 m). The region also contains many lakes, called lochs ; the term is also applied to the many saltwater inlets along the country's deeply indented western coastline. The geography of the many islands is varied. Some, such as Mull and Skye , are noted for their mountainous terrain, while
27599-500: The national league system. East Stirlingshire first entered in the Scottish Cup in 1882 , its best result reaching the quarter-finals on three occasions, the last in 1981 . The club's best result in a national cup competition was in the 2000–01 season when it reached the semi-finals of the Scottish Challenge Cup , losing to Livingston for a place in the final. In 2008 , the club left Firs Park and moved to Ochilview Park to ground-share with local rivals Stenhousemuir . Since
27792-405: The native Scots pine forest exist and within these areas the Scottish crossbill , the UK's only endemic bird species and vertebrate , can be found alongside capercaillie , Scottish wildcat , red squirrel and pine marten . Various animals have been re-introduced, including the white-tailed eagle in 1975, the red kite in the 1980s, and there have been experimental projects involving
27985-412: The ninth century, the Norse threat allowed a Gael named Kenneth I (Cináed mac Ailpín) to seize power over Pictland, establishing a royal dynasty to which the modern monarchs trace their lineage, and marking the beginning of the end of Pictish culture. The kingdom of Cináed and his descendants, called Alba, was Gaelic in character but existed on the same area as Pictland. By the end of the tenth century,
28178-407: The northern tip of Britain "Orcas", the source of the name of the Orkney islands. Most of modern Scotland was not incorporated into the Roman Empire , and Roman control over parts of the area fluctuated over a rather short period. The first Roman incursion into Scotland was in 79 AD, when Agricola invaded Scotland; he defeated a Caledonian army at the Battle of Mons Graupius in 83 AD. After
28371-411: The number of Scottish MPs and widened the franchise to include more of the middle classes. From the mid-century, there were increasing calls for Home Rule for Scotland and the post of Secretary of State for Scotland was revived. Towards the end of the century prime ministers of Scottish descent included William Gladstone , and the Earl of Rosebery . In the late 19th century the growing importance of
28564-410: The political support for the exiled Catholic Stuart dynasty, remained a threat to the security of the British state under the Protestant House of Orange and the succeeding House of Hanover until the defeat of the Jacobite rising of 1745 . In 1698, the Company of Scotland attempted a project to secure a trading colony on the Isthmus of Panama . Almost every Scottish landowner who had money to spare
28757-401: The previous Nations League campaign, Wales were drawn in Group A4 of the 2022–23 UEFA Nations League along with Belgium, the Netherlands and Poland , with Rob Page still interim manager. On 20 June 2022, Ryan Giggs resigned as Wales manager due to his upcoming court case. Page stayed on as interim manager before being given a four-year contract extension in September 2022, managing Wales at
28950-475: The proposal. Despite this, Welsh players Aaron Ramsey and Gareth Bale expressed their interest in representing the Great Britain Olympic football team . Bale withdrew due to injury, but Ramsey was joined by four other Welshmen in Stuart Pearce 's 18-man squad: Swansea City 's Joe Allen and Neil Taylor , while Manchester United 's Ryan Giggs and Liverpool 's Craig Bellamy were included as over-age players, with Giggs being made captain. Chris Coleman
29143-436: The quarter-finals, though this was played on a two-legged, home-and-away basis and is not considered part of the finals tournament. Historically, the Welsh team has featured a number of players from Wales' top club teams, Cardiff City and Swansea City . These two Welsh clubs play in the English league system alongside fellow Welsh clubs Newport County , Wrexham and Merthyr Town . However, most Welsh football clubs play in
29336-430: The record for the most number of Scottish Football League appearances for East Stirlingshire with 415 between 1983 and 2002. He also went on to become the manager of the club for a short period in 2002. East Stirlingshire players have been capped for their country at full international level 9 times by four players. The first person to do so was Humphrey Jones , who captained the Wales national team four times out of
29529-453: The region's people and animals, its cold climate, its pearls, and a noteworthy region of wooded hills ( Latin : saltus ) which the 2nd century AD Roman philosopher Ptolemy , in his Geography , described as being south-west of the Beauly Firth . The name Caledonia is echoed in the place names of Dunkeld , Rohallion , and Schiehallion . The Great Conspiracy constituted a seemingly coordinated invasion against Roman rule in Britain in
29722-525: The remnant of a once much larger volcano. This area is relatively low-lying, although even here hills such as the Ochils and Campsie Fells are rarely far from view. The Southern Uplands is a range of hills almost 125 miles (200 km) long, interspersed with broad valleys. They lie south of a second fault line (the Southern Uplands fault) that runs from Girvan to Dunbar . The geological foundations largely comprise Silurian deposits laid down some 400 to 500 million years ago. The high point of
29915-453: The rest of eastern Great Britain. Beginning in the sixth century, the area that is now Scotland was divided into three areas: Pictland , a patchwork of small lordships in central Scotland; the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Northumbria , which had conquered southeastern Scotland; and Dál Riata , which included territory in western Scotland and northern Ireland, and spread Gaelic language and culture into Scotland. These societies were based on
30108-411: The same monarch the kingdoms retained their separate parliaments, laws and other institutions. The first Union Jack was designed at James's behest, to be flown in addition to the St Andrew's Cross on Scots vessels at sea. James VI and I intended to create a single kingdom of Great Britain, but was thwarted in his attempt to do so by the Parliament of England , which supported the wrecking proposal that
30301-458: The seasons to follow, which could have again put them in danger of reduction to associate member status, but due to ongoing negotiations about league restructuring for the 2013–14 season , the league opted not to enforce the rule. The negotiations ultimately saw the formation of a new governing body, the Scottish Professional Football League , following the merger of the Scottish Football League and Scottish Premier League . East Stirlingshire joined
30494-451: The second half of 2019 and ultimately qualified in second place following a 2–0 win over Hungary in their final match on 19 November. Euro 2020 was delayed until 2021 by the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe , which meant Wales' next games came in the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League . They kept five consecutive clean sheets on the way to an unbeaten record in the competition, winning five games and drawing one, despite Giggs not being available for
30687-407: The site of the old National Stadium , known as Cardiff Arms Park , as the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) had been chosen to host the 1999 Rugby World Cup . Prior to 1989, Wales played their home games at the grounds of Cardiff City , Swansea City and Wrexham , but then came to an agreement with the WRU to use Cardiff Arms Park and, subsequently, the Millennium Stadium. Wales' first football match at
30880-443: The south-western peninsula of Kintyre ; Norway is 190 miles (305 km) to the northeast and the Faroe Islands , 168 miles (270 km) to the north. The territorial extent of Scotland is generally that established by the 1237 Treaty of York between Scotland and the Kingdom of England and the 1266 Treaty of Perth between Scotland and Norway. Important exceptions include the Isle of Man , which having been lost to England in
31073-424: The stadium and Wales subsequently qualified for the finals tournament in France. All five home qualifiers for the 2018 FIFA World Cup were held at the stadium as well as both of the team's home 2018–19 UEFA Nations League games. All home games in the Euro 2020 qualifying campaign also took place there. A friendly against Spain was played at the Millennium Stadium on 11 October 2018, which was Wales' first match at
31266-457: The start of the 2018–19 season the club have ground-shared with their neighbour club Falkirk at the Falkirk Stadium . East Stirlingshire's official date of formation was in 1881, but its origins can be traced to the previous year when a local cricket club called Bainsford Bluebonnets formed a football team under the name Britannia. The team's first recorded match was a friendly against Falkirk 's second eleven in December 1880 and resulted in
31459-434: The team – managed by Mike Smith – reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA European Championship , having finished top of qualifying Group 2 ahead of Hungary , Austria and Luxembourg , but this was not considered part of the finals. Prior to 1980, only four countries qualified for the finals tournament, and Wales were drawn to play against the winners of Group 3 – Yugoslavia – in a two-legged, home-and-away tie. Wales lost
31652-412: The technological developments of the Industrial Revolution throughout Britain. In literature, the most successful figure of the mid-19th century was Walter Scott . His first prose work, Waverley in 1814, is often called the first historical novel. It launched a highly successful career that probably more than any other helped define and popularise Scottish cultural identity. In the late 19th century,
31845-446: The terms of the Auld Alliance and became the last monarch in Great Britain to die in battle, at Flodden in 1513. The war with England during the minority years of Mary, Queen of Scots between 1543 and 1551 is known as the Rough Wooing . In 1560, the Treaty of Edinburgh brought an end to the Siege of Leith and recognized the Protestant Elizabeth I as Queen of England. The Parliament of Scotland met and immediately adopted
32038-513: The threat of an English invasion, played a leading role in convincing the Scots elite to back a union with England. On 22 July 1706, the Treaty of Union was agreed between representatives of the Scots Parliament and the Parliament of England . The following year, twin Acts of Union were passed by both parliaments to create the united Kingdom of Great Britain with effect from 1 May 1707 with popular opposition and anti-union riots in Edinburgh , Glasgow , and elsewhere. The union also created
32231-422: The total population, though state-sponsored revitalisation attempts have led to a growing community of second language speakers. The mainland of Scotland is broadly divided into three regions: the Highlands , a mountainous region in the north and north-west; the Lowlands , a flatter plain across the centre of the country; and the Southern Uplands , a hilly region along the southern border. The Highlands are
32424-641: The twelfth and thirteenth centuries, much of Scotland was under the control of a single ruler. Initially, Gaelic culture predominated, but immigrants from France, England and Flanders steadily created a more diverse society, with the Gaelic language starting to be replaced by Scots; and a modern nation-state emerged from this. At the end of this period, war against England started the growth of a Scottish national consciousness . David I (1124–1153) and his successors centralised royal power and united mainland Scotland, capturing regions such as Moray, Galloway , and Caithness , although he could not extend his power over
32617-417: The unofficial award for biggest mover of 2011 in the FIFA rankings. His tenure as manager ended in tragic circumstances two weeks later when he was found dead at his home on 27 November, having apparently committed suicide. Due to London's successful bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics , a Great Britain team would qualify as of right of being the host nation. However, the FAW stressed it was strongly against
32810-418: The wettest, with annual rainfall in a few places exceeding 3,000 mm (120 in). In comparison, much of lowland Scotland receives less than 800 mm (31 in) annually. Heavy snowfall is not common in the lowlands, but becomes more common with altitude. Braemar has an average of 59 snow days per year, while many coastal areas average fewer than 10 days of lying snow per year. Scotland's wildlife
33003-407: The whole of Great Britain was forestalled by Roman forces becoming bogged down in punishing guerrilla warfare and the death of the senior emperor Septimius Severus ( r. 193–211 ) at Eboracum ( York ) after he was taken ill while on campaign. Although forts erected by the Roman army in the Severan campaign were placed near those established by Agricola and were clustered at the mouths of
33196-488: The wooden sailing vessels of both the merchant fleets and the battle fleets of the world. It became the world's pre-eminent shipbuilding centre. The industrial developments, while they brought work and wealth, were so rapid that housing, town planning, and provision for public health did not keep pace with them, and for a time living conditions in some of the towns and cities were notoriously bad, with overcrowding, high infant mortality, and growing rates of tuberculosis. While
33389-500: The working classes was marked by Keir Hardie 's success in the Mid Lanarkshire by-election, 1888 , leading to the foundation of the Scottish Labour Party , which was absorbed into the Independent Labour Party in 1895, with Hardie as its first leader. Glasgow became one of the largest cities in the world and known as "the Second City of the Empire " after London. After 1860, the Clydeside shipyards specialised in steamships made of iron (after 1870, made of steel), which rapidly replaced
33582-428: The world. Although the Scots won the first fixture 4–0, a return match was planned in Wales the following year, and so it was that the first international football match on Welsh soil took place at the Racecourse Ground , Wrexham , on 5 March 1877. Scotland took the spoils winning 2–0. Wales' first match against England came in 1879, a 2–1 defeat at the Kennington Oval , London , and in 1882, Wales faced Ireland for
33775-400: The youngest Wales captain. In August 2011, Wales attained their lowest FIFA ranking of 117th. After some promising performances, in October 2011, Wales had rapidly risen to 45th in the FIFA rankings. A 4–1 home win in a friendly match against Norway on 12 November 2011 proved to be Speed's last match in charge of Wales. The match was a culmination of Speed's efforts which led Wales to receive
33968-461: Was 35.1 °C (95.2 °F) at Floors Castle , Scottish Borders on 19 July 2022. The west of Scotland is usually warmer than the east, owing to the influence of Atlantic ocean currents and the colder surface temperatures of the North Sea . Tiree , in the Inner Hebrides, is one of the sunniest places in the country: it had more than 300 hours of sunshine in May 1975. Rainfall varies widely across Scotland. The western highlands of Scotland are
34161-445: Was a prominent supporter for the Treaty of Union between Scotland and England had changed his position on the treaty, and unsuccessfully advocated for the treaty to be reversed. The deposed Jacobite Stuart claimants had remained popular in the Highlands and north-east, particularly among non- Presbyterians , including Roman Catholics and Episcopalian Protestants . Two major Jacobite risings launched in 1715 and 1745 failed to remove
34354-486: Was appointed Wales team manager on 19 January 2012. For 2014 World Cup qualification , Wales were drawn in Group A but finished 5th. Wales were placed in Group B for qualifying for Euro 2016 . In July 2015, following four wins and two draws, Wales topped the group. In July 2015, having attained their then highest FIFA ranking of tenth, Wales were placed among the top seeds for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification draw. In September 2015, England dropped to tenth in
34547-417: Was appointed in June 1995. Gould's time in charge of Wales is seen as a dark period by Welsh football fans. His questionable tactics and public fallings-out with players Nathan Blake , Robbie Savage and Mark Hughes, coupled with embarrassing defeats to club side Leyton Orient and a 7–1 thrashing by the Netherlands in 1996 did not make him a popular figure within Wales. Gould finally resigned following
34740-505: Was appointed on a part-time basis. However, Toshack resigned after just one match (a 3–1 defeat to Norway ) citing problems with the FAW as his reason for leaving, although he was sure to have been shocked at being booed off the pitch at Ninian Park by the Welsh fans still reeling from the dismissal of Yorath. Mike Smith took the manager role for the second time at the start of the Euro 1996 qualifiers, but Wales slipped to embarrassing defeats against Moldova and Georgia before Bobby Gould
34933-446: Was built from 142 at the order of Hadrian's successor Antoninus Pius ( r. 138–161 ), defending the Roman part of Scotland from the unadministered part of the island, north of a line between the Firth of Clyde and the Firth of Forth . The Roman invasion of Caledonia 208–210 was undertaken by emperors of the imperial Severan dynasty in response to the breaking of a treaty by the Caledonians in 197, but permanent conquest of
35126-490: Was complex during this period: Scottish kings tried several times, sometimes with success, to exploit English political turmoil, followed by the longest period of peace between Scotland and England in the mediaeval period: from 1217–1296. The death of Alexander III in March 1286 broke the succession line of Scotland's kings. Edward I of England arbitrated between various claimants for the Scottish crown. In return for surrendering Scotland's nominal independence, John Balliol
35319-429: Was covered in forests, had more bog-land, and the main form of transport was by water. These settlers began building the first known permanent houses on Scottish soil around 9,500 years ago, and the first villages around 6,000 years ago. The well-preserved village of Skara Brae on the mainland of Orkney dates from this period. Neolithic habitation, burial, and ritual sites are particularly common and well preserved in
35512-399: Was one of the earliest and best-known missionaries. The Vikings began to raid Scotland in the eighth century. Although the raiders sought slaves and luxury items, their main motivation was to acquire land. The oldest Norse settlements were in northwest Scotland, but they eventually conquered many areas along the coast. Old Norse entirely displaced Pictish in the Northern Isles . In
35705-424: Was pronounced king in 1292. In 1294, Balliol and other Scottish lords refused Edward's demands to serve in his army against the French. Scotland and France sealed a treaty on 23 October 1295, known as the Auld Alliance . War ensued, and John was deposed by Edward who took personal control of Scotland. Andrew Moray and William Wallace initially emerged as the principal leaders of the resistance to English rule in
35898-435: Was redesigned in 1951, adding a green border with 11 daffodils, as well as the Welsh-language motto Gorau Chwarae Cyd Chwarae ("The best play is team play"). The motto was briefly removed in 1984, but the badge stayed largely the same until 2010, when the shield was changed to feature rounded sides and the motto banner was changed from white to red and green. The dragon also changed from rampant to rampant regardant. The motto
36091-468: Was relegated to the newly created, but short lived, Division Three in 1922–23 , earning promotion back to Division Two after one season; setting a record of 23 home games without a loss. A decade later, East Stirlingshire won promotion to Division One , Scotland's top flight , for the first time. En route to promotion, the club spent 32 weeks at the top of Division Two, ending the season equal on 55 points with St Johnstone , with East Stirlingshire winning
36284-429: Was removed again in 2019, following another major redesign of the badge, which saw the top of the shield flattened and the sides changed not to curve outwards; the green border was also thinned and the daffodils removed. The team is sometimes known and branded mononymously as " Cymru ", the Welsh language name for Wales, by the Football Association of Wales (FAW; or in Welsh : Cymdeithas Bêl-droed Cymru ; CBC), as
36477-438: Was set at a Scottish Cup match against Partick Thistle when 12,000 spectators attended. Firs Park was East Stirlingshire's home for 87 years, except a solitary season in 1964 when the club played at Kilbowie Park in Clydebank after being controversially merged with Clydebank Juniors . As a result of the merger, Firs Park was closed, however, after only one season, the merger was disbanded and East Stirlingshire moved back to
36670-419: Was the Wales national team captain, Humphrey Jones , who earned five caps whilst with the club. Three other players, David Alexander , Archibald Ritchie , and James McKee made appearances for the Scotland national team from 1891 to 1898. Between 1891 and 1899, the club competed in regional leagues, including winning the Midland Football League and Central Football Combination , before being elected to
36863-416: Was the record goal scorer and record appearance holder for Wales. During UEFA Euro 2024 qualification , Wales finished 3rd in their group, meaning they would need to qualify via the play-offs. In the play-off semi-final , Wales beat Finland 4–1 but lost the play-off final to Poland on penalties. In June 2024, Rob Page was sacked as Wales' manager. Craig Bellamy was announced as the head coach of
37056-454: Was the subject of the best-selling book When Pele Broke Our Hearts: Wales and the 1958 World Cup (by Mario Risoli, St David's Press) which was published on the 40th anniversary of the World Cup and was also the inspiration for a Bafta Cymru-nominated documentary. Wales failed to qualify for the first four finals tournaments of the UEFA European Championship from its inception in 1960. They also did not replicate their success in qualifying for
37249-399: Was used for Ireland. By the 11th century at the latest, Scotia was being used to refer to (Gaelic-speaking) Scotland north of the River Forth , alongside Albania or Albany , both derived from the Gaelic Alba . The use of the words Scots and Scotland to encompass all of what is now Scotland became common in the Late Middle Ages . Prehistoric Scotland , before the arrival of
#614385