KEEPER WAS ONLY 4 FT. 3 IN.

FRANNIE MUNRO and the St Vincent’s Primary School team just won’t go away, with several readers supplying further input.

JOHN MAY, who now lives in the Lincoln area, was the goalkeeper in the 1961 team.

“I read your column online every week with great interest and, in particular, the two recent articles concerning the St Vincent’s PS football team of 1961,” he said.

“I was the goalkeeper and Frannie Munro was in my class. Mr Kirkwood was our teacher.

“I left St Vincent’s in February 1961 to start in the ‘transy’ class at Lawside Academy, but I was allowed to come back to play in the final.

“Your previous correspondent Willie Coupar may have got his dates and venues slightly mixed up.

“I’m sure the 1961 final was played at North End Park against Liff Road and we won 3-2.

“He is correct in that Frannie scored from just inside our opponent’s half.

“He just humped the ball upfield and the first bounce took the ball over the head of the Liff Road keeper, who was probably no taller than 4 ft. 3 in.

“As I remember, the referee told Frannie to take it easy as ‘you’re twice the size of the other laddies’.

“The photo (above right) shows the St Vincent’s team for the final. Apart from Munro, I have no idea how any of the others progressed in the game.

“The only down side of the picture for most of our team was that we were Dundee United supporters and Bobby Seith, from ‘across Tannadice Street’ presented the trophy.

“I was never good enough to play in the juniors and I left Dundee to join the RAF in October 1966 (still serving with The Red Arrows).

“My dad still lives in Fintry and I believe you know my brother-in-law Gordon Daly.

“Gordon keeps me in the picture with what’s happening on the junior scene and I was fortunate enough to be at Thomson Park recently when Lochee United clinched the East Super League.”

DISPUTES SOME DATES

Also in reply to Willie Coupar’s original piece, Dundee’s FRANK MARKIE is another who disputes some of the dates.

“Willie Coupar said that Frannie Munro had three A. C. Little Cup- winners’ medals, those from the years 1960, 1961 and 1962,” quoted Frank, of the well-known Dundee footballing family which includes brothers Johnny and Danny.

“Frannie is about the same age as me and, in fact, we played in the Dundee Primary Schoolboys’ Select side together. As stated, he was at St Vincent’s, while I attended Forebank Primary.

“I believe Frannie was born in 1947, and have confirmed that from books on Dundee United, one of his former clubs. That would definitely make him too old to play in primary finals on these dates. My view is that it is possibly 1958, 59 and 60.

“We also played together for the Dundee Catholic Schoolboys’ Select side at U/13 and U/14 level. He was at St Michael’s Secondary and I attended St John’s HS.

“One moment which sticks out in my mind was in season 1958-59 when we were both in the Dundee Primary Select side which lost 1-0 away to Central Buchan Select at Bellslea Park, Fraserburgh, in the Wilson Trophy (Primary Schools Scottish Cup).

“Ironically, this was in the same season that Dundee FC sensationally lost to Highland League side Fraserburgh in the Scottish Cup by the same scoreline.”

BENNY - DUNDEE’S YO-YO KING

On the subject of our lead story , WILLIE COUPAR got back in touch.

“I was delighted to see the reply from Grant McLean,” he said.

“Grant was, indeed, a classmate, and every dinner-time we walked home together. He went to his auntie’s at Honeygreen and myself to Fintry. And he was, after Frannie Munro, one of the best players to come out of the Vincies.”

Willie then changed the subject — and ‘sport’.

“Your column doesn’t just feature the best of local footballers, you’ve also featured the yo-yo champion of Dundee,” he continued.

“My dad, also Willie Coupar, who died in 1991, often told a story about how he learnt to handle the disappointments in life after he just lost the Dundee Yo-Yo Championship as a young lad to Benny Flood.

“After that setback, he reckoned he could cope with most of what life threw at him.

“Browsing through BwB columns from earlier in the year, I saw you featured a photo of St Joseph’s Primary team from the early 1930s.

“And there, in the photograph, was Benny Flood, the Dundee yo-yo king.”

GEORGE BEST WORE A DUNDEE JERSEY

Reader NICKY LAWSON has a query regarding Irish legend George Best.

“I was looking through items regarding Dundee on eBay and I found a picture of George Best at a Dundee open day in 1982,” he said.

“Bestie was wearing a Dundee strip. I wasn’t sure if it was a mock up and I was wondering if it actually did happen.”

George Best did, indeed, attend Dundee’s open day in 1982. The club had a tie-up with agent Bill McMurdo at the time and he brought along the former Northern Ireland international to a Dens Park open day and he did don the dark blue to the delight of the Dundee fans.

The photo, which can be viewed on eBay, is, to the best of my knowledge, genuine.

Staying with Best, I was chatting recently to former Downfield and Scottish international junior goalkeeper GRANT CLARK.

And that reminded me that another occasion Best came to the City of Discovery was for Grant’s testimonial dinner in 1993.

Grant is currently goalkeeping coach with Cowdenbeath, under former Downfield team-mate Dave Baikie.

GRIERS’ DINNER DATE CONFIRMED

On the subject of testimonial dinners, the date for Willie and George Grier, Grant’s former co-bosses at Downfield, has now been confirmed.

It goes ahead at the Invercarse Hotel, Dundee, on Sunday, September 11. Tickets (£30) are now on sale at Dens Park.

MC is Davie Nicoll and speakers are Joe Camay and either Murdo McLeod or Alan Rough. Top-table guests include George and Willie, Jim McLean and Dundee Lord Provost John Letford.

The people at Dens will take the buyer’s name and club(s) they played for, to try to get ex-clubmates sitting together.

PELE AND LOCHEE

Proof that ANDY WALKER can link almost anything to his beloved Lochee comes in his latest contribution, pairing the world’s greatest-ever footballer with the Dundee suburb.

“With Sheffield Wednesday coming to Dundee this weekend to play in the Discovery Cup, I find there is an interesting connection with the city, well actually Lochee,” he told me.

“When Santos, the great Brazilian side including Pele, travelled over to play in Britain, the first British side they played was Sheffield Wednesday on a Monday night in late October 1962.

“In opposition to the Santos captain (Pele) was the Lochee-born skipper of The Owls Tommy McAnearney, ex-Dunkeld Amateurs.

“Tommy was a favourite with the Wednesday fans, but this game still hurts.

“Not the fact that Santos were at their brilliant best and simply outplayed them.

“What upset Tommy was that football etiquette was simply ignored that night.

“In those days, it was an unwritten rule that captains exchanged shirts with one another.

“Not on this occasion, though, as a well-known English internationalist of the time, Peter Swan, sprinted up to Pele at full-time and virtually snatched his jersey.

“Even today, when, on occasion, Tommy is in Peter’s public-house, the framed jersey up on the wall in the ‘sneaky person’s’ premises is a reminder of what should be his.”

I remember the Topical Times football annual featuring this game, as Santos were awarded a penalty.

Pele took the kick and shuffled and shimmied before thundering the ball home.

The book, if I recall correctly, likened his movement to a “cha-cha” dance routine.