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NAME: Fir Park
ADDRESS: Fir Park Street, Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, ML1 2QN.
CAPACITY: Approx. 14,000.
CELTIC ALLOCATION: All of South Stand, as well as the Davie Cooper stand. We used to get the main stand, but that seems to have been swapped for the Davie Cooper stand which we only started getting from the 05/06 season.
RECORD VICTORY: Motherwell 0, Celtic 7, 18 September 1982
RECORD DEFEAT: Motherwell 8, Celtic 0, 30 April 1937




DIRECTIONS

Multimap Link

BY CAR: Junction 6 from the M74 is your best bet from pretty much every direction. Head into Motherwell and turn right onto Airbles Road. Follow that until you're just short of the A721 (windmillhill Street) and Fir Park will be visible on your right hand side. The alternative if you're coming from the North or the East is to take the A73 from the A80 (from the North) down through Airdrie and under the M8 (joining those from the East) and follow the A723 into Motherwell. You'll join the ring road - turn left and this will take you down to the A721 as before. Despite the lower classification of road, this can be quicker than the long way round of the M73/M74 route due to the fact there is usually less traffic using this route.

BY BUS: The 240, 255 and 267 all go from Buchanan Street, Glasgow to the station in the centre of Motherwell's ring road. Supporters buses may park in Orbiston Street on the other side of Windmillhill Street from the stadium.

BY TRAIN: The closest station to the ground is Airbles on Airbles Road. However, Motherwell station is the other side of the ring road from the stadium and is probably your best bet as it is on a mainline from Glasgow Central.

PARKING: If you're in the main stand then parking in one of the streets that runs parallel to the west of it is your best bet (access by turning right off Airbles Road). If you're in the South stand... then I really should work this out as I invariably end up parking in the same streets I just mentioned and then walking round three quarters of the stadium to get to the South Stand access from Dalzell Drive to the east of the stadium.

WHAT TO EXPECT

A dodgy surface. Of all the SPL Clubs, Fir Park has the most trouble with its pitch, which tends to result in all sorts of call offs and other postponements.

A lopsided stadium in that they have three smaller stands and a really big one - the really big one being the South Stand they give to the Celtic fans.

A lopsided stadium in that if you look closely at the Davie Cooper stand opposite the South stand, you'll see that the pitch actually slopes down from right to left.

The stewards to not care if you point out there's "a tollie" in the row behind you.

SAD TRIVIA

Motherwell were formed from the almalgamation of two amateur factory based sides - Glencairn and Alpha - in 1886, where they used Alpha's home ground on Roman Road. This lasted for only three years before they moved to Dalziel Park on Parkhead Street! Again, this lasted for only a few years before Motherwell moved to their current location of Fir Park in 1895, two years after their election to the Scottish League. Their first game at Fir Park? An 8-1 thrashing by Celtic!

Motherwell's current badge depicts three things. Fir trees and a football are two of these for obvious reasons. The third is the now defunct Ravenscraig Steelworks, mirroring their nickname of "The Steelmen". This badge was designed by the fans during a competition in 1982.

In recent years, the Motherwell fans have been taking part in an end of season pitch invasion after their final home game. This has been criticised by many as being foolish and dangerous, including Strathclyde Police and Motherwell FC themselves. Unfortunately the fans have completely ignored this and continue to carry out the tradition. Indeed, Celtic were the visitors in 2004 for this final game, and Ross Wallace was involved in an incident where he was kicked by one of the invading fans. As if to prove their point really. Due to the chance of Celtic being crowned champions after the final game in 2005, it is unknown exactly how the Motherwell fans will react as a whole.

While the Main stand enclosure is rather primitive in design, the other three stands have all had work done in recent times. The East stand was seated in 1991, the South Stand was completed in 1993, while the North stand was completed a year later, before being named after former player Davie Cooper following his death in 1995.

Motherwell held the rather interesting statistic of being the last team to "split the Old Firm" in the league in 1994/95. While its true that Hiberian also split them in the same year, it was Alex McLeish's Motherwell that finished runners up to Rangers in that season. Ever since then the top two places have been occupied by Celtic and Rangers - until season 05/06 where Hearts finally managed it, finishing runners up to Celtic.

TIM FRIENDLY PUBS

"Jack Daniels pub just beside the Civic Centre."
- Owenybhoy

"This is where the casuals hang out - beware there used to be a pub caled tully's its now called the windmill and in the centre of motherwell you will find the railway tavern (beside the train station) their is also a wetherspoons (no colours) or about 2 mile from the stadium in carfin you will find the hibs club, carrigans ( both take bookings from buses) and the carfin vaults."
- Beachbhoy

"Used Jack's for a number of years, yet to see any trouble whatsoever when Celtic are in town at this particular venue, have no fear of drinking in this boozer."
- Big_Bobo_Balde

"We're the same,never had any bother whilst in this pub,the fans are segregated anyway."
- Hooped_Avenger

"used to go there all the time when playing motherwell. a great pub i thought"
- Caz

"Jack Daniels is a decent boozer and Fir Park social club is also good and you can get in no probs."
- chrisk173

Any more???

PUBS TO AVOID

"Avoid the Electric bar by Airbles Train Station on Airbles Road, the 'leccy is a hun pub."
- thebhoyalan

"Never go to Starkas. A Motherwell pub although sumtimes unable to tell (as they dont wear colours aka casuals) but it is allways full of them on matchdays. Just telling you for the future as it is casual central around that place."
Any more???