Our files revealed this photo of a “Dundee area” team from 1975.
They are Grangehill Hearts and the “area” tag comes from the fact players in the team came from Monifieth, Broughty Ferry, Wellbank and Carnoustie, in addition to the city.
The team was coached by a Mr Frier.
Can anyone name the players?
This is the Lawside Academy U/16 from November 1979.
Back row (from left) – G Stark, C Thomas, M Connelly, P Cooney, F Grossing, M Lowe, G Kearns, A Handy.
Front row – A Conway, M Petrie, A Reilly, I McAlindon (capt), R Donnelly, S Flucker, I Rice.
The success story of St Clement’s Primary School football teams on November 7 saw a former match secretary respond.
Gerry Dignan was the match-fixer for the local schools for many years, and he opened: “I love to see school teams in the paper and liked the St Clement’s photos.
“I was at St Clement’s until 1970, but had left by the time the photo was taken in 1972.
“I think the team was run by the ‘formidable’ Mrs McFarlane. The team were scared to come off the pitch should they lose.
https://www.eveningtelegraph.co.uk/fp/blether-with-brown-dundee-charleston-dundee-united-paul-sturrock-rangers-jim-baxter/
“I’d like to mention I never tried for the team because I was too scared of getting hurt.
“It was too rough for me, but I loved to watch it and attended their cup finals.”
Gerry’s knowledge of the local schools football scene then came into use, as he continued: “I would like to just clear up a bit of confusion over the cups in the colour photo.
“These photos would have been in 1997, at the end of the season.
“The black and white photo is spot on with the naming of the trophies, but, in the colour one, it is as follows:
“League Shield Section A – leagues were made up of schools in a ‘close-ish’ geographical area.
“Junior Sports Cup – a knockout competition involving all Dundee schools.
“Rock Cup – a knock-out competition only competed for by Roman Catholic schools. It is actually a duplicate of the Scottish Cup – but rumoured to be slightly larger.
Cup clarification
“It only appears at finals day, gets presented and photos taken, then is boxed and returned to a safe until the next year.
“Linton Cup – knock-out competition competed for by schools in League Section A.”
Gerry, from Charleston, Dundee, turned his attention to the smaller photo in the article.
He went on: “This is the Linton Cup after the final at Thomson Park as reported.
“All the above competitions were seven-a-side by this time.
“The Meikleham Cup (proper spelling, points out Gerry) is a five-a-side tournament for Roman Catholic schools only. It was normally played indoors.
“As this is a separate organisation, I don’t have the records as to who won it that year, but more than likely it was St Clement’s.”
Gerry concluded: “There is also a five-a-side tournament named the Banks Trophy, which is competed for by the schools who lose their first-round tie in the Junior Sports Cup.
“Consequently, the ‘Clemmies’ would not have been involved in that.”
George McLean’s four-goal Euro haul featured in the October 17 issue and prompted a reader to get in touch.
“Our family has always been big Dundee fans,” opened Jim McKenna, of St Mary’s, Dundee.
The 72-year-old retired electrician continued: “My late father James went to as many Dundee games as he could, home and away.
“He was brought up in the Dark Blue faith by my grandfather Davie McKenna and, of course, this obsession with Dundee was passed down to me.
“Reading about George McLean scoring four goals away in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup against Royal Liege brought back memories of my dad’s favourite subject – Billy Steel.
“Steel was, of course, brilliant for Dundee, and dad thought he was a truly magnificent player.
“He often mentioned that he also scored four goals in one game – but for Scotland!
“Do you have any details of this game?”
Steel’s four-goal salvo came when Scotland entertained Northern Ireland in the Home International Championship on November 1, 1950.
In front of 83,142 fans, Celtic’s John McPhail scored two early goals for the Scots, but Kevin McGarry reduced the deficit just before half-time.
Steel’s four goals all came in the second half for a 6-1 victory.
Scotland lined up – Jimmy Cowan (Morton); George Young (Rangers, capt), Willie McNaught (Raith Rovers); John McColl (Rangers), Willie Woodburn (Rangers), Alex Forbes (Arsenal); Bobby Collins (Celtic), Jimmy Mason (Third Lanark), John McPhail (Celtic), Billy Steel (Dundee), Billy Liddell (Liverpool).
Football players, managers and staff are always sought for quotes by the media.
I’m continuing to share some of them with you.
On the question of THAT alleged handball against Wales at Anfield in a 1978 World Cup qualifying match, Scotland striker Joe Jordan said: “I denied it then, I deny it today.
“I will deny it at the moment of my death, which may be necessary as, if by some cruel fate, the sad event should occur in the presence of somebody from Wales.”
A transfer early in the career of Gordon Wallace was the subject of a query by Charleston reader John McPhee.
John remembers Wallace being transferred from Montrose to Raith Rovers and wanted details of the move, “especially who the managers were at the time”.
Former Dundee FC player Norrie Christie was the Gable Endies boss who sold the striker to George Farm, the Raith boss, in October 1966.
Wallace had been around four years at Links Park, having signed from Alyth United juniors.
He also had a spell with North End juniors, and was once a provisional signing for Dundee.
He was a part-time player with Montrose, with his day job at the time being a fitter with Bonar Long in Dundee.
https://www.eveningtelegraph.co.uk/fp/jimmy-johnstone-jimmy-greaves-celtic-dundee-fc-rangers-blether-with-brown/
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