Championees.......67 year wait over!

The Blue Brazil are the Champions! Savour this short sentence - a combination of words that have not been uttered for 67 years. 2,646 fans witnessed a Cowden team lift the Championship trophy for the first time since 1939 as the Blue Brazil Maracana put on a carnival illuminated by the April sunshine and a sea of Cowden blue and Finnish and Brazilian flags.

As the referee blew his final whistle to bring the 2005/06 season to a close the Cowden faithful released all their pent up emotions which told the story of what supporting a lower league team is all about. Grown men cried and strangers embraced as the reality that Cowden had pulled of a miraculous comeback to peg back Stenhousemuir and Berwick Rangers to clinch the Third Division Crown sunk in.

For all this to happen in the season Cowden celebrated their 125th anniversary and 5000th league goal is pure 'Roy of the Rovers' stuff.

Hundreds of fans, young and old, risked life and death to scale the perimeter fence to celebrate with the heroes of the day - Mixu, his backroom team and the players.

After some calm was restored the players climbed the racewall, led by the groove of Armand, and joined the fans on the terracing. Families (in some cases three generations), friends and strangers danced together to the tune of the Coo Shed. 3240 minutes of pulsating football over the course the season was now over - all that was left was the small matter of the Championship trophy.

In a day of high drama the Scottish Football League flew in the trophy just after 5pm. The helicopter landed in a field just on the edge of Cowdenbeath, after first doing a lap of honour around the ground much to the delight of the home support, and the trophy was escorted to Central Park for the presentation. Every player was cheered as they received their medals before Central Park erupted as the Rt. Hon. Gordon Brown MP presented the trophy to Innes Ritchie.

Another pitch invasion followed as the players made their way to the dressing room to continue their celebrations as the fans on the terracing danced once more samba before moving onto Wee Jimmie's for the title party. There was just time left for Ritchie to lead a 'Rocky' style lap of honour chased by hundreds of fans before the entire team disappeared into a sea of blue and white.

Great credit must go to Mixu and his team, Gordon McDougall and the Board and all those who work in the back ground for a fantastic achievement.

Best of luck to Stenhousemuir and Berwick Rangers in the play-offs. It was a great three way contest right to the bitter end between three teams who have been a credit to the Third Division.

What a season! What a team! Great to be Cowden! It was just like watching Brazil. (30th April 2006)