HARP OPPONENT REPLACED BILLY STEEL

Well, the floodgates certainly opened after the recent request for info on the Harp team featured on October 10.

Scores of you got in touch to say Laurie Blyth went on to be the first Catholic to sign for Rangers.

That aside, there were a few other observations.

Longforgan’s Ron Ross went back to Harp’s semi-final in the 1954 year.

“Yes, it was an incredible crowd of 28,000 who witnessed that Harp win,” said Ron.

“I was at the game and remember Dundee signing the Clydebank inside-left after the game — the ‘Balding’ Joe Roy. He was actually signed as a replacement for the legendary Billy Steel.

“Harry Logan went on to Blairgowrie after Harp and skippered them in the successful years. There was also Peter Craig and Syd Pacione in the photo and BwB has featured them in the past.”

The photo also brought back many great memories for international boxing supremo FRANK HENDRY.

“Although spending the last 45 years in Olympic, Commonwealth, World and European international amateur boxing, my early years in football was most enjoyable — as is your column in the Tele,” said Frank.

“The photograph and story on the Lochee Harp brought many memories back to me, having played with most of them at various times. In fact, my first game for Osborne was against Harp at Beechwood Park. I recollect we beat Harp 3-2 and I scored two of the goals.

“These were the days and I had many enjoyable times playing for various teams. In the Midlands League, I turned out for YMCA, YMCA Anchorage, Central Amateurs, Balgay Amateurs, Timex and NCR.

“In Juveniles, I played for Parkhead, Lochee Emmet and Maitland Thistle. I scored 47 goals in 14 matches, including four goals for Maitland against Lochee Hibs on The Coup (Riverside). The following week, on North End Park, I scored five against Builders United, whom we beat 6-2. Bobby Anderson scored the other goal.

“I remember many of the players I played with. For Maitland, there was Jim Lumsden, Sandy Smith, Ernie Clark, John Middleton, Jackie Burns, Jim Lobban, Bobby Anderson, Jim Sandeman, Billy Ritchie, Ronnie and Harry (sorry, I’ve forgotten their surnames). That was some team.

“At Osborne, I played alongside Jimmy Dorward, Jim Webster, Dave McDonald, Jimmy Murphy, Tommy Dunlop, Tommy McGoldrick, J. Balfour, Willie and Johnny Green, Jim Keenan and Walter Selway. Quite a few of them went senior.

“In my time at Coupar Angus, team-mates included Ian Steen, Sandy Pirie, Tommy Smith, Alan Hynds, Jim Kidd, Norrie Milne, Doug Bannerman and Dougie Sneddon. Many of the Coupar team went senior and Eddie Whitton also took the following players to Broughty Athletic — Smith, Milne, Kidd and myself to join up with the likes of Norman Davie.

“I apologise in advance to any pals I’ve missed out as it’s a long time ago. These were nostalgic and great times and, while I went on to the boxing scene, I will never forget the good times in my footballing days.”

“MR LOCHEE UNITED”

Most people conncected with the Dundee and Tayside junior football scene over the last 60 years would have known Davie Mitchell (Dave to many, but always Davie to me).

All would certainly know him as a Lochee United stalwart — “Mr Lochee United” — serving the Thomson Park club for well over 50 years, in addition to occupying several positions on the various regional committees.

Many will have a tale to tell — and it won’t be an exaggeration to say they will all be good!

You would always be met by Davie’s cheery smile.

For what seemed like decades — and it was decades! — he could be seen walking from his Hospital Street home all the way up Strathmore Avenue/Harefield Road to his beloved Thomson Park.

And he made that trek almost daily, there and back!

When I was unceremoniously told by East Fife in the early 1970s that my services were no longer required at Bayview, I was, naturally, down in the dumps.

Davie, through Kenny Stewart, a workmate of mine who was a Lochee United player at the time, asked me to come up to Thomson Park to meet him.

It was late May or early June and the junior season was still continuing (as it does today), and almost immediately on meeting him, Davie made it clear that he wanted me to join the Bluebells.

He never left my side the whole game, introducing me to all and sundry as his “new player” — despite my minor protestations that I had not agreed anything.

Indeed, he walked me down to Liff Road after the game and stood at the bus stop with me as I waited for the No. 26.

As the bus approached the stop, he swiftly took two half-crowns (25p in total nowadays, but not a small amount then) out of his pocket and thrust them into my hand, saying, “Thanks for coming over tonight, John. This should cover your bus fares.”

Now it has to be said that Dave’s reputation as a frugal treasurer at Thomson Park was legendary — so this gesture came as a bit of a shock.

At that stage, I had a couple of inquiries from senior clubs, and had also promised Broughty Athletic I would sign for them if I did, indeed, return to the junior grade.

It would be disrepectful to Broughty to say I regret not taking Davie up on his signing offer. I had many great years with The Fed, but a wee bit of me always wondered what it would have been like to have worked with Davie and his team.

Davie never held the refusal against me and always took time to speak when we met.

Davie will be fondly remembered and the many friends who joined his family to attend his funeral earlier this week at the Dundee Crematorium is testimony to that.

BBC’S OLD FIRM LEANING

BBC Radio Scotland leant so heavily on the Old Firm last Saturday that they were in danger of falling over.

With Livingston's home game with Rangers kicking off at 12.30, I can see why they broadcast the second half of that game live after Scotland's debacle against France in the rugby World Cup.

However, who chose Celtic v. Aberdeen as the next best game to broadcast?

This was always going to be a canter, and the bookes even had the Hoops as 12-1 ON to win.

As it turned out, the contest was finished after just 3 min. 18 sec. when Henrik Larsson scored the first of his hat-trick in a 4-0 win.

Surely Hibs v. Kilmarnock had a more even-balanced look about it.

And while I am BBC-bashing, Rob McLean didn't let the facts get in the way of a good story on BBC TV's lunchtime Sportscene.

Interviewing Hamish McAlpine and John Reilly on last weekend's Dundee United

get-together to celebrate 20 years of winning the Scottish Premier League, McLean

said, "And you won the league in 1983 using just 13 players."

At least, John Reilly put him right (sort of!) when he mentioned there were others such as Murray, Payne and Britton who played their part in league games over the season.

In fact, United used 20 players in league games that season — yes, 20!

They were — McAlpine, Malpas, Stark, Gough, Hegarty, Narey, Bannon, Milne, Kirkwood, Sturrock, Dodds, Holt, Reilly, Britton, Payne, Murray, Taylor, Phillip, McNeil, Clark.

LOCHEE HARP SCRAPBOOK

Stephen Simpson, Whorterbank, Dundee, writes, “Re your article (BwB, Oct. 10), about Lochee Harp's Scottish Cup Final team. My father James Simpson is the proud owner of a scrapbook that was kept by his father, also James Simpson, who at the time, was the trainer of this great team.

“I think the contents of this book may be of interest to yourself and other Junior Football enthusiasts.”

Indeed, the scrapbook contains many photos and cuttings of the Beechwood Park team of that era and, in the Evening Telegraph, some of the pages were re-produced.

JUNIOR FANS SEE RED

Is there a serious problem creeping in to our junior game?

I’mIs there a serious problem creeping in to our junior game?

I’m talking, of course, of the number of red cards being brandished in Tayside, Fife and East Super League games. In some recent encounters, teams have been left with just eight men on the park.

One fan told me this week, “I’m getting a bit fed up with all the indiscipline in many of the games I’ve watched. I pay good money each week to watch a contest — and eight men against 11 is not a contest in my book. I’ve even spoken to one junior manager and told him of my views.” talking, of course, of the number of red cards being brandished in Tayside, Fife and East Super League games. In some recent encounters, teams have been left with just eight men on the park.

One fan told me this week, “I’m getting a bit fed up with all the indiscipline in many of the games I’ve watched. I pay good money each week to watch a contest — and eight men against 11 is not a contest in my book. I’ve even spoken to one junior manager and told him of my views.”