DOKENS’ PARK BUILT AT COST

There were several responses to the ASHGROVE photo in our December 9 issue, when Kellas resident Ian Campbell asked for assistance in getting some details of the photo and, indeed, the football club itself.

BwB readers, as usual, didn’t disappoint.

ANDY MILNE, perhaps better known in local junior circles for the 39 years he spent as a player and committee member for North End until 1983, was able to pick out several faces.

“This Ashgrove team was a wee bit before my time, but I still recognise quite a few faces,” said Andy (77), who lives on the Kingsway in Dundee.

“In the back row, I can name Pop Adams, George Mill and Dode Meechan. In front is a guy called Butch, Arthur Galbraith, John Moran and one of the Hill brothers.

“I started off with Ashgrove and signed for North End in 1944. I didn’t play for long with the Dokens as I suffered quite a bad leg injury.

“However, I stayed with the club for nearly 40 years. I also helped to reconstruct the park in later years and, through my job with Bett Builders, was able to get the black earth and bricks at cost price. In all, it was a long and happy relationship at North End.

“However, back to Ashgrove, and I think the trophy is the Forfarshire Cup. I’m sure they won it again in 1953, beating Arbroath Lads Club 2-1 in the final at North End Park.

“There was always a tie-up between Ashgrove and North End, with many players going to the junior club.

“Some of the better-known players who once played for the club were Eddie Rae, who had a trial for Rangers, and Billy Boyle, who went to Forfar. Then there was Jimmy Gabriel, who went on to be a star with Dundee and Everton, and who you featured recently.

“Jackie Martin went to one of the Sheffield clubs and a very good player called Whittaker joined Dundee United. However, he took ill and died at a very young age.

WILLIE O’NEILL, of Hilltown, Dundee, has contributed previously to BwB, and he knew most of the faces in the photo.

“If some of your readers have kept the pictures, I can name quite a few of them in order,” said Willie (88).

“In the back row, from the left, is the legendary Pop Adams, who went on to play for North End,” he recalled.

“Then there are two unkowns, then it is George Dewar, George Hill, Hughes the goalkeeper and Willie McKiddie.

“There’s another unknown, then it is Dode Meechie, who played for North End and stayed on for many years more as their trainer.

“The back row finishes with unknown, Les Knight, who also played for Elmwood, and a guy called Robson.

“The front row, from left, is Bull Low, unknown, Arthur Baxter and the legendary Arthur Galbraith, who went on to become secretary of North End. He was the backbone of the team for many years.

“I can’t recall the captain’s name or the two committee men next to him, but the final three are the legendary Napper Thomson, Johnny Moran and Johnny Stewart.

“Moran went on to be treasurer with North End for many years.

“There were actually four Hill brothers who played for Ashgrove — Willie, Bert, George and Jimmy.”

SANDY HENDERSON, of Rankin Street, Dundee, has also been mentioned on this page during past debates.

“I watched Ashgrove playing from the age of eight and they were keen to sign me when I was 15,” said Sandy, more noted for his time with St Joseph’s and Montrose.

“However, my neighbour was Ronnie Robertson, and he just said to me, ‘You’re no’ signing for Ashgrove, you’re signing for me!’

“So I ended up playing for Ronnie’s Maitland Thistle, who were a great club, and I had many enjoyable years there.

“Ashgrove’s clubrooms in the 1940s were one of the two cottages at the end of Dundonald Street, at the junction with Catherine Street.

“The other cottage was the home of St Patrick’s FC.”

Finally, some of the above details may help TERRY DEMPSEY, who read the piece with interest, saying, “My dad WULLIE DEMPSEY played for Ashgrove just before the war.

“He is 86 and now suffers from Alzheimer’s, so it’s difficult for him to talk about the team with any clarity.

“He has no photos of his time with the team.

“I would appreciate if you could find any info on Ashgrove to help jog his memory.”

CLYDE’S BULLY WEE NICKNAME

Clyde’s recent shock Scottish Cup success over Celtic prompted Dundee’s GUS McGREGOR to get in touch.

“Why are Clyde called the ‘Bully Wee’?” he asks.

Digging deep into my reserves — and with no small assistance from my colleague James Masson — I unearthed a tale on this subject which dates back to just after the first world war.

Clyde had a legendary trainer called Mattha Gemmell, who was with the then Shawfield club for around 40 years.

He always referred to his beloved Clyde as a “wee team” in respect of other Glasgow clubs such as Rangers, Celtic, Partick Thistle, Third Lanark, and so on.

But he was always of the opinion that, on any one day, they were capable of getting results against these aforementioned teams if they were to get in about them and “bully” them.

Hence Bully Wee.

WULLIE ON IT

There can be no description of the trophy shown below other than “magnificent”.

It is 110 years old and was first commissioned as the Scottish Amateur Golf Championship, with a previous winner being the legendary Willie Auchterlonie, who won The Open in 1893.

TOM STEWART, a keen golfer, but who confesses to playing his home course Scotscraig “very badly”, sent in the photo.

“It was first donated by the Evening Telegraph in 1895 and, in fact, there is an engraving on the trophy of the front of D. C. Thomson’s Bank Street premises,” he said.

“It was relaunched in 1959 as the Scottish Golf Union Inter-Zone Championship and Fife won it at Scotscraig in 1974.

“This year’s winners were Paisley, and that’s where I took the photo, having played the Paisley course at the invitation of a friend.”

GEORGE BEST’S INTERNATIONAL JERSEY IS IN THE McDONALD HOUSEHOLD

In our December 9 issue, I revealed our hunt for George Best’s Northern Ireland international jersey lasted just a few days and that it had, indeed, been found.

WILLIE McDONALD and his wife BETTY, of Walker’s Mill, Dundee, are the proud owners of the strip, a family member having won it in the raffle at Stobswell Juniors’ gala day.

We had to hang off a while for the photo below to be taken as Willie was recovering from recent surgery.

I’m glad to report he is now fine and our original contributor JOHN LEDDIE popped into Willie’s home, where he was made welcome and briefly reunited with the jersey.

Willie signed for Dundee United as a 20-year-old after being demobbed from the army. He had spells at other senior clubs such as Stirling Albion, Montrose and Raith Rovers, before beginning a 30-odd year association with the Joeys as a player and committee member.