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Montrose chairman John Crawford has Championship ambitions as he hopes to ’emulate and surpass’ Angus rivals Arbroath

Montrose have been play-off regulars and smashed their transfer record two years' running to fuel ambitions of joining Arbroath in the Championship.

Montrose chairman John Crawford
Montrose chairman John Crawford has ambitious plans for the Angus side. Image: Ewan Smith / DCT Media

Montrose chairman John Crawford has outlined his ambitious dream of masterminding the Angus side’s rise to the Championship.

Crawford has overseen Montrose’s steady climb from the brink of Highland League football to a League Two title win and four successive play-off place finishes.

They suffered play-off heartbreak twice in recent years – including surrendering a 3-0 lead to lose 6-5 on aggregate to Airdrieonians in 2022.

But after four play-off finishes in five years, they harbour ambitions of going further.

Local rivals Arbroath have created the template for success with five successive seasons in the Championship.

Montrose are currently enjoying the most successful period in their 144-year history and have led the way with their strong community focus off the park.

John Crawford has big ambitions for Montrose

Now they want to join – and ultimately overtake – Arbroath in the Championship.

“What Arbroath have done over the last four or five years is incredible,” said Crawford.

John Crawford, Montrose chairman
John Crawford has real ambitions for Montrose. Image: Ewan Smith / DCT Media

“For a part-time club to go up to the Championship and stay for five season is amazing.

“We’ve got to try and mirror that and be in the Championship.

“Can we do it? Let’s be positive. Let’s emulate Arbroath and try to surpass them.

“We’ll certainly give it a good go.

“The aim over the last few years has been to get into the Championship.

Arbroath will play in the Championship for a fifth successive season. Image: SNS

“It took a while for us to recover from the Airdrie game.

“We believed that was our chance.

“There were still two games to play but we believed we had a real chance and Queen’s Park went up instead.

“That’s football, isn’t it? You pick yourself up and go again.

 

“We broke our own transfer record to bring in Rory McAllister last year and have done it again with Kane Hester.

“Our manager Stewart Petrie is very ambitious, we’re ambitious. The two go hand-in-hand.”

Pyramid play-off

Crawford is still driven on to succeed by his memories of Montrose’s pyramid play-off win over Brora Rangers in 2015.

For 29 minutes of the second leg, Montrose were 2-1 down and facing the very real prospect of becoming the first SPFL side to drop down to the Highland League.

But they recovered with late goals from Marvin Andrews and Garry Wood.

Montrose won the League Two title in 2018. Image: SNS
Montrose won the League Two title under Stewart Petrie in 2018. Image: SNS

Since that day, Montrose have transformed their outlook as a club behind the scenes and won the League Two title in 2018.

They have embraced the sector-leading Montrose Community Trust in appointing their chief executive Peter Davidson to the board.

In Petrie, they have the third longest-serving boss in the SPFL behind Spartans boss Dougie Samuel and Arbroath’s Dick Campbell.

Montrose FC Women have just been promoted to the top flight and the Links Park club’s academy is beginning to bear fruit with four players graduating to the first team.

Montrose: Championship crowd boom?

Financially, Montrose are sound and are well on track with season ticket sales.

They would also benefit enormously from a massive crowd boom if they reached Scottish football’s second tier.

But Crawford can still remember darker days.

“When you’ve been in a position where you are in real danger of going down as club 42 you never forget it,” added Craword.

“Unfortunately, the next year we went to the East Stirling play-off game and saw them going down.

“I saw their chairman crying and thought: ‘That could easily have been us.’

“I can vividly remember the play-off game with Brora. Before it, I told myself if we won I wouldn’t go on the pitch.

“One of our directors found it so hard to watch that he came inside and began hoovering the carpet. It was unbearable.”

“It wasn’t a celebration. It wasn’t a cup final or a title win but as the game wore on it became increasingly apparent what could happen.

“We were facing the very real prospect of going into the Highland League.

“One of our directors found it so hard to watch that he came inside and began hoovering the carpet. It was unbearable.

“But when we won, I did go on the pitch. It was sheer relief..

“In the days that followed our play-off game we met as a board. Things had to change.

“Derek Sim decided to step down as chairman after giving long service to the club and I found myself voted on.

Montrose Community Trust chief executive Peter Davidson
Montrose Community Trust chief executive Peter Davidson is a key member of the football club’s board. Image: Paul Reid / DCT Media

“I brought Peter (Davidson) onto the board as I wanted us to embrace the Community Trust.

“I also wanted to bring a positive approach.

“You can never say never in this game but I don’t have time for negativity.

“If anyone ever comes in with a negative attitude I ask them to stop.

“The club is in a good place and we have to keep believing we can go forward and achieve even more.”

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