Tayport legend Dave Baikie recently called time on a remarkable 25-year career in management.
The former Arbroath, Cowdenbeath and East Fife boss will undoubtedly be best remembered for his remarkable achievements during three spells with the Cainniepairt club, during which time he won every possible honour.
Indeed, in 13 seasons with Port his trophy haul numbered almost 30, with Scottish Junior Cup triumphs in each of his first two stints.
His decision to retire was hastened by the frustration experienced this season, highlighting just how much things had changed since the glory days of those first two spells.
Baikie said: “When I returned a couple of years ago Tayport were in a similar situation to now, bottom of the Super League, but even worse off with only one point from 11 games.
“It was a massive undertaking with some of the young lads and there wasn’t a lot of money and all I could do was juggle things about. After being relegated we bounced back last season, and winning the Premier Division and the GA Engineering Cup was good going, given the circumstances.”
However, he was disappointed at being unable to build on that success this summer.
He explained: “It was bad enough losing four of our best players Paul Thomson, Rhuri Donaldson, Grant Lawson and Allan Ramsay, who retired but a couple of weeks into the campaign we lost Kevin Milne to Downfield.
“Consequently, we returned to the Super League with a Premier League team, despite my best efforts to boost the squad. I must have talked to between 20 and 30 players in a bid to persuade them to play for Tayport, and, by and large, these were players whom in the past I would never have considered signing.
“Indeed, the quality of players I wanted to sign were few and far between. That isn’t to say there aren’t some good ones about, but financially they are out of Tayport’s reach.
“It came to the point I was getting more and more frustrated and I was no longer enjoying it. Probably because I have had so much success in football and don’t handle failure well as my wife will testify I decided it was time to go.”
Baikie was 23 when he joined Broughty Athletic, moving to Lochee United and later following the Grier brothers to Downfield, where he helped the Spiders to three titles.
But more importantly the move cemented his thoughts of going into management and he was later appointed player-coach.
Baike recalled: “Peter Marr then approached me regarding the Tayport job. Although he was the manager, he wanted somebody well versed in the juniors and I accepted so long as we would be co-managers.”
Success came instantly with the fledgling Port picking up five local cups in addition to winning the Tayside Second Division. Progress was swift. Tayport reached the final of the Scottish Junior Cup in 1993, losing 1-0 to Glenafton.
But Baikie maintained that the semi-final at Firhill with Auchinleck was really the game that saw Tayport came of age.
He pointed out: “As no Tayside team had reached the final for 39 years, it shows what a massive achievement it was, especially beating the Ayrshire giants 3-0.
“Our final was really against Talbot because we were only there for the occasion instead of being there to win it, something I certainly learnt from.
“Before I left in 1997 we had won six consecutive Tayside First Division titles, and the 1996 Scottish Cup.”
After losing out to Pollok in the following year’s final, Baikie had his first taste of the senior game and did well at Arbroath before leaving in controversial circumstances.
He returned to Tayport in 2001, winning the league again in his first season and in 2003 they became the first team to win the Super League, completing a double by beating Linlithgow Rose to again land the Scottish Cup.
Baikie’s took Port to another Scottish final the following year but they lost to local rivals Carnoustie Panmure in a penalty shoot-out.