GOWFERS’ BOGEY

Dougie Mitchell hasn’t been in touch for quite a while . . . however, that’s understandable.

First of all, he can be excused for still participating in celebrations after Carnoustie Panmure’s historic OVD Scottish Cup win, and also the hectic late-season exertions as the Gowfers chase the Tayside Premier League title — and promotion to the Whyte and Mackay East Super League.

Dougie’s a walking encyclopedia on all things Carnoustie Panmure, and he now sends in his latest contribution.

“As my club’s self-appointed club historian, I am always interested in any item about Carnoustie,” he said.

“I was especially so in Andy Hughes’ contribution in BwB (April 16) about Lochee Harp’s first game at Beechwood being against us, with Harp winning 9-0.

“I suppose I shouldn’t be all that surprised at the result, for, as you know, every side has a ‘bogey’ team and, in our case, I would have to say it is undoubtedly Lochee Harp.

“In my records, I have around 1300 Carnoustie results, and, of them, 48 are against Harp, with us winning 17, drawing eight and losing 23.

“With the teams being in different leagues at the moment, we haven’t actually played each other ‘in anger’ for over three years, but, of our last 12 meetings, we have won just three, with Harp winning the other nine.

“We did meet in a friendly on August 26 last year and, again, the Beechwood Park side ran out winners, beating us 3-2.

“One game in the past which sticks in my mind was back on September 11, 1993.

“The game was played at Westfield Park and we were winning 2-0 with two minutes to go.

“I turned and said to our secretary Russell Park, ‘Well, we seem to have laid the Harp bogey today’. To which he replied, ‘Aye, it looks like it.’

“Well, the words were hardly out of my mouth when Brian Archibald put in a great cross, which Neil Law hammered past our keeper Brian Murray.

“Then, right on the whistle, our left-back conceded a corner out on Harp’s right.

“Big Eric Manderson took the kick, swung the ball into the box and there was Stevie Higgins to thump it home to give them a 2-2 draw.

“The Harp jinx had struck again.

“Incidentally, if Andy has any more Harp/Carnoustie results, I would be extremely interested to hear of them.”

110-YEAR WHISTLERS

Whitton Park, in the Claypotts area of Dundee, has seen a flurry of action in recent weeks.

Not just host club Broughty Athletic tidying up their junior season but a host of cup finals from Boys to Juvenile to Saturday and Sunday amateur.

The level of refereeing in the Boys grade has been of a very high standard — and no wonder!

For three of the officials can boast no fewer than a combined 110 years’ service.

As you would imagine, all three are extremely well known on the minor soccer circuit.

BILL MILLS has been the man in the middle for 45 years, while DOUGIE FORDYCE is just two adrift of that total.

The “baby” of the trio is BILL McGREGOR, who has been refereeing for 22 years.

I spoke to Bill Mills at length recently on a sunny Sunday overlooking Broughty Ferry pier last month and I can tell you he is as keen on promoting the game now as he was when he took up the whistle in the West of Scotland in the mid-1960s.

BROUGHTY PHOTO

IAN MATHER emailed to ask if we had a certain photo of Broughty Athletic juniors.

“I played for Broughty Athletic for a season marred by illness back in the mid-1960s,” he writes.

“Peter Moncur was trainer then and other players on the team were Jimmy Carr, Bobby Rice and Davie Robb, who went on to play for Aberdeen and Scotland. There was a photo taken of that team. Can anyone help with a copy?”

ALHAMBRA HIBS

Jake Donaldson, for many years a prolific striker with Dundee amateur side SS Peter and Paul — and currently a name on the local and national pool scene — is also on the lookout for a photo.

Jake’s dad Bob played for a team called Alhambra Hibs, and he would like to know if there is a photo in circulation.

DAVE KNOX - A BROUGHTY ICON

Junior football lost another great servant earlier this week with the death of Dave Knox.

The former Broughty Athletic president was at the club when I joined in the early 1970s.

Forming a committee with other Fed icons at that time, Eddie Whitton and George Christison, Dave was charismatic.

His view was always that players came first, and he would always give a friendly word to anyone who needed it.

Dave was part of a dedicated backroom team in the late 1960s and early 1970s which saw Broughty emerge from being bottom markers in the old Dundee Junior League to a side challenging for all honours in the newly-formed Midlands Juniors.

It was just a few months ago that I was in Dave’s company at the club’s sportsman’s dinner in The Invercarse Hotel, Dundee.

Dave spoke candidly of his illness, but, so typical of the man, made light of the consquences.

My thoughts, of course, are with Dave’s wife Charlotte and daughter Judith, both of whom I spoke to this week.

A spokesman for Broughty Athletic JFC said, “We are devastated to hear of Dave’s death.

“He was a great friend and a great servant to our club.

“There will be a minute’s silence before our final game of the season a week tonight at Whitton Park against Arbroath Sporting Club.”