Here's a typical clash featuring 2 local football teams battling it out one Sunday back in the 80's.The location is Downfield Park, the teams are Dundee United Social Club & Royals and the level of game is from a short-lived under 23 League.
This was DUSC's first season together, with most of the players hailing from the Douglas area and the team being managed by brothers, Joe & Stevie Stewart, from Fintry. Being the new kids on the block, DUSC surprised everyone by winning the League and picking up 3 out of a possible 4 trophies (they were finalists in the 4th!). My wee brother (a Dundee supporter incidentally) played in the DUSC team and went on to be named "Player of the Year" that season.
The action caught on cam is a final encounter for a trophy called the Scottish Cup, which despite it's name only had Dundee teams involved. Only the goals in the video clip, and without revealing the score I can tell you that there are 5 goals in total.
No commentary but plenty of noise from the crowd!
Not sure of the team that day, but the DUSC squad that season was;
ReplyDeleteBairstow; Gurvan, Kenneth, Brown, Brannan, Stewart; Forbes, Kelly, Boyack, Buchan, Smith; McIntosh, King, Mullen & Webster.
Other than the shirt colour, there was no connection between DUSC & DUFC. In fact, there was only one DUFC supporter in the squad. Most of the rest supported DFC.
We really took everyone by surprise that season, probably including ourselves, given it was our first season together. We lost our first & last (cup final) games of the season, but were undefeated inbetween.
Best group of players i`ve ever played football with.
Nice one Anonymous (who are you by the way)! I don't remember the team, but I do remember some of the players from my days at Douglas Primary and Craigie High.I suppose it was John Kenneth (very good player, and had a famous brother of course), George Buchan (I think he was a winger, good player too) and Billy Mullen (another really good player). They were all a year or two ahead of me at school and I played with them in the school team. Brannan rings a bell but don't remember his first name (Paul?).
ReplyDeleteGreat look we had on the futba park in those days.
ReplyDeleteMullet ....check
Socks at ankles ......check
Shiny vee neck shirts ....... check
Budgie smuggler shoarts ......check
Dave Bowman and Colin Hendry kept it going well into the 90's
I was the "Gurvan" in the squad Donald. The guys you mentioned, were as you say, very good players. You were right about Paul Brannan, who was our captain, and again another really good player. Paul was the scorer of the free kick and penalty. He regularly scored from set pieces.
ReplyDeleteI was at Balerno & Craigie, but was a year or so older than those above. Some of the other guys from Douglas that played for us were Peter Kelly aka Scrapper, Sandy Brown,George Webster, Kenny Forbes, Peter Smith aka Speeko, Charlie Stewart & Brian King.
The non Douglas guys were goalkeeper Dave Bairstow, Jimmy McIntosh & Eddie Boyack.
Some really cracking players.
Cheers Gurvan. I remember most of the Douglas guys you mention. Most lived within a short walk from the Lea Rig. Sounds like a good team. We started a team in the Welfare League (Douglas Athletic) round about then and it's still going. Then there was the Douglas CC team that did well in a couple of different leagues. I played for Douglas Lads under 16 for a bit too. Good memories...
ReplyDeleteNae bather Donald.
ReplyDeleteI remember when Douglas Athletic were formed. Am i right in thinking Jocky & Eck Russell were there from the start? Think they might still be involved. My niece`s boyfriend has joined them this season.
I had a short spell with Douglas CC in the early 90s, as did quite a lot of the players that i played with in the video clip. The Douglas Clubbie was used as our changing room on matchdays, whilst the Lea Rig was used for our post match warm downs!
It was Jocky Stewart (whose Dad ran the Royals) and Steve Russell ('Weasel'). Yep, I think they're still involved. 22 years!! That part of Douglas is weird now: no Lea Rig or Douglas Primary, tenements knocked down...
ReplyDeleteI didn`t realise it was Jocky`s dad that ran the Royals, Donald.
ReplyDeleteDid you know that Douglas Athletic have their own website, which includes a wee history of the club?
It can be found at;
http://www.douglasathleticfc.tk/
Cheers again Gurvan. Would be good to see some photies of the old days but digital cameras weren't invented then... Maybe someone's got some old snaps though... Would be a laoght to see what everyone looks like and is doing now ;o)
ReplyDeleteJust spoke to John Kenneth about your website and have viewed the game thanks for the great memories as manager of the team it was a privelege I had run under age football teams for a couple of years and was asked to get involved with DUSC as a Dundee FC diehard this took a lot of thinking about, but kidding aside it was the best thing I ever did in football We had in goal Dave Bairstow right back Andy Gurvan left back John Kenneth Sandy Brown and Paul Brannan sweeper and centre halve Charlie Stewart,Kenny Forbes ,Peter Kelly ,Eddie Boyack ,George Buchan ,Peter Smith,Jimmy Mcintosh Brian King,Billy Mullen,George Webster ,Mark Brown,Paul Reilly a friend of mine played in one final,considering Paul played all his youth with the Royals this was a big ask ,I can,t speak highly enough of each player as I said at the start it was a privelege,the only Arabs in the squad were my brother Steve and Paul Brannan rest of us were DEES,The majority of players all played together in under age football and came from Douglas.In one of the post someone said we came from Fintry true but WE were raised in Mid Craigie I could write all night about each individual,but this was a team in every sense of the word.
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