Ronnie Mitchell’s recent tale about Seafield FC, which featured his grandad, brought a response from a local amateur football official.
Ronnie, well known in Dundee for his goalscoring exploits with amateur kingpins Riverside Athletic, sought information about the team.
Ally Martin, the Broughty United secretary came on to offer: “Re article on Seafield. I have some newspaper cuttings from the 1930s but they do not reveal any mention of a team called Seafield.
“They were never part of the Midlands AFA, which started in 1926.
“The first amateur league/ association in Dundee was Dundee & District Amateur League, founded in 1922 but there was no Seafield in that league between 1930 and 1932.
“The Angus Amateurs League, which contained some Dundee-based clubs, started in 1931 and Seafield were not founder members.”
Ally, who has held distinguished posts with the North of Tay FA and the Scottish Amateur FA, went on:
“Around that time, a Strathmore Juvenile League was formed, also with some Dundee-based teams.
“But, again, no trace of the Seafield team.
“In the late 20s or early 30s, there was a Dundee Welfare League and a strong Dundee Juvenile League, both run by the Junior Association but I have no knowledge of teams in that league.
“There was also a Dundee Half-Holiday League, which provided games for teams who played on Wednesday afternoons when shops were closed prior to the modern seven-day trading we now enjoy.
“I suspect Seafield may well have played in the Dundee Juvenile League, which had 47 clubs in the 30s.”
Ally, a goalkeeper of some repute in his day, moved on to a different subject, but one still involving Ronnie.
He continued: “Seeing Ronnie Mitchell’s story reminds me when a number of NCR former players and veterans decided to have a last fling in the Millennium season 1999-2000, and they entered a team, NCR B, in the Midlands AFA.
“Ron was a prolific scorer for them, with ‘Soapy’ Soutar keeping goal. They won the Alliance League Two in their first season, winning 19 out of 22 games, losing only two and drawing one.
“With promotion to Alliance One, they finished third and second in the following seasons.
“Further success followed in 2000-01 when they won the Lunan Trophy and then retained it the following season when they also won the Alliance Cup.
“The legs finally gave up and they retired from the scene at the end of season 2001-02.”
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