KEPT BACK AFTER SCHOOL

The schoolboys in the photo at the bottom of this column, according to a People’s Journal report from 1966, were kept behind after school most Friday afternoons.

Not that they were bad pupils — they were keen footballers, who, according to the then team manager Bob Kean, were “more than willing to stay behind for an extra hour”.

The photo is of the Stobswell Secondary U/14 side of 1964, and was sent in by DOUGIE MUNRO, of Broughty Ferry, Dundee, and it features his brother Dave.

I know most of the players in the photo, and, indeed, played alongside several of them.

Stewart Duffy, Brian Alderson and Dennis Docherty were with me at Balerno Primary School.

I didn’t play alongside Stewart or Brian as they were a year or so older, but they were the best players at the school by a mile.

In fact, everyone wanted to be as good as them.

They were also good guys.

Brian, of course, went on to play for Lochee Harp, Leicester City and Coventry, before emigrating to America, where he continued his football career with New England T Men and Atlanta Chiefs.

He settled in the Georgia city after his footballing days were over. Tragically, he died in 1997 after being electrocuted on a building site.

I haven’t seen Stewart for many, many years, but it has been suggested to me that he went to Ireland to work with NCR.

I played briefly with Dennis, who, of course, went on to become a Carnoustie Panmure legend, skippering them in their glory days of the 1970-80s.

Until recently, he was mine host at Doc Ferry’s in Broughty Ferry, but now settles for his “9 to 5” job as a rep with Tennent’s.

Brian McNicoll was a team-mate at East Fife (he also played for Forfar, Brechin and Carnoustie) and also the famous Royals Sunday team, while skipper Gordon Daly and Davie Munro always looked out for me when I was a young player with Butterburn Youth Club.

In fact, it would be fair to say, along with another Butterburn player John McGuire, that I first sampled the finer points of life (lager, girls, etc.) while in the company of these “Three Amigos”.

However, enough said.

Norrie Wyllie emigrated at one time to Australia, but returned to Dundee.

He has been a member of the the Tayside Fire Brigade for a few decades and, indeed, is currently manager of their football team in the Midlands AFA.

And, of course, Ossie Heffell has been well-documented in recent times in this column.

BOB CONFIRMED AS FA CUP WINNER

Reader C. S. PETRIE has come up with confirmation of Bob Petrie being an Dundee-born FA Cup winner.

“I came across a cutting regarding Bob Petrie,” he writes.

“He was, indeed, born in Dundee in 1871 at 2 Eliza Street.

“You can now award Charlie Walker 10 out of 10 for his football knowledge, as I’m sure he will enjoy being right (yet again!).

“And I do enjoy your column. It just wouldn’t be Friday without it.”

We can’t reproduce the cutting because of the poor quality, but I can share some of the info with you.

Bob started his football career with Rockfield, then joined East End.

In 1893, East End amalgamated with Our Boys to form the first Dundee FC, with “headquarters” at West Craigie Park.

That same season, he joined Sheffield Wednesday, with whom he won the FA Cup in 1896, before moving further south to Southampton, where he played in yet another FA Cup Final.

However, he didn’t add to his winners’ collection as the Saints were beaten 4-0 by Bury in the 1900 final.

After a spell with New Brighton, he returned to his native Dundee to join Wanderers.

Three seasons with Arbroath followed, and he also had a spell with Brechin just short of his 40th birthday.

He married Dundee girl Christina Charles and, when celebrating their golden wedding, were staying at 6 Ferguson Street.

CLUBS AGREE TO EARLY SUB

Tom Galloway, of Coupar Angus, has some input re recent debates on the first substitute used in a competitive Scottish football game.

“After reading about Jeanfield Swifts recently, it brought to mind the time when my local team Coupar Angus played Jeanfield in one of the Perthshire Junior cup finals,” said Tom.

“The final was played at Muirton Park and Coupar’s Jimmy Findlay broke his collar-bone in the first minute of the match.

“Both clubs agreed to a substitute being allowed. This could be the first time a substitute was used in a competitive game in Scotland.”

RUN HALTED

A reader phoned to ask which team halted Liverpool’s run of 85 home games without defeat from January 1978 to January 1981.

The answer is Leicester City.

STOBSWELL SECONDARY SCHOOL, winners of the Sports Cup in 1964. Back row (from left) — John Hodge, Ossie Heffell, Andy Stewart, Jim Christie, Gordon Daly, Brian Alderson. Front row — Dennis Docherty, Davie Munro, Brian McNicoll, Stewart Duffy, Norrie Wyllie.