LOVED STRIP FULL OF HOLES

Roy (Robert) Bell’s query about a Lochee United Scottish Cup medal is answered at the foot of this article, but I was intrigued by the story behind it.

So I got in touch with Roy and he gave me a run-down of his love affair with football in Dundee, and Lochee in particular.

“I was born in Dundee at 12 Cobden Street in l935,” revealed Roy.

“My father was John Bell and my mother Jessie (nee Morris). I have an older sister called Nancy.

“Although baptised Robert at Balgay Parish Church after my uncle Bob, my mother didn’t really like the name and I received the nickname Roy.

“My father was a cabinet maker and had a business with my grandfather at 26 Logie Street.

“Due to hard times before the war, the business closed and we all moved to London in search of employment. We lived in Kenton, NW9, where I was brought up.

“My dad had four brothers — Bob, Andrew (Add), Hugh and Arthur — and I believe they all played for Lochee United at some time.

“I know John and Bob played in this cup final in l922 as these are the medals we are trying to find out about. Bob, an outside-left, then signed for Dundee FC as an understudy to Alec Troup.

“However, his employer sent him overseas to become manager of a jute mill in Calcutta where he remained until he retired to a flat in Blackness Avenue, Dundee.

In India, I believe he played football for Dalhousie and represented Scotland. He was also a very fine tennis player.

“Add went on to play for East Fife, and Hugh was confined to playing on Wednesday afternoons as he became a grocer.

“As a result of the heavy bombing in London, Nancy and I were evacuated to Lochee to live with my granny, Auntie Joan, Uncle Jim and cousin Jimmy Anderson at 27 Heron’s Lane.

“The ground-floor flat was at the top of the hill and backed on to the single track railway which went to Invergowrie. The whole building shook whenever a train went by.

“We attended Liff Road school, which proved to be a great deal stricter than our school in Kenton, but, at least, there were no more lessons held in air-raid shelters.

“I received ‘the strap’ one day for speaking in a maths lesson, but never again, as it stung my fingers all that afternoon.

“Mr Dalglish, I remember, was a very firm, just and kind headmaster, who always conducted a short service at the end of every Friday afternoon for the whole school. We also attended St Luke’s Church on Sundays.

“Uncle Jim supported Dundee Violet and Dundee FC, but Uncle Add (l6 Loons Road) supported Harp and United. However, they were great pals. We went to the match together every Saturday either at Dens Park or Tannadice.

“One Saturday afternoon, we were putting on our coats to get ready when granny announced, ‘You’ll no’ be goin’ to the match in a’ that rain?’.

“It was pouring, but, immediately, my uncle replied, ‘Och, granny, that’s auld rain on the windows’.

“So off we went. We always walked to the grounds — a long way for a wee laddie’s legs — but we always GOT the bus home.

“Saturday tea was always a meat pie from McDougall’s shop with baked beans, followed by a delicious cake from the same shop.

“Then we waited patiently for The Sporting Post to be delivered to get all the reports, scores and Dixon Hawke.

“What joy.

“My hero at the time was Ronnie Turnbull as he never gave up and chased every ball. Later, I admired Bobby Ancell, that amazing half-back line of Gallacher, Cowie and Boyd and, of course, the genius of Billy Steel.

“I wanted a Dundee or a United shirt, but they were not available in the shops in the 1940s.

“Add knew a man who worked at Tannadice and asked him if they ever threw away old shirts. I was thrilled when he gave me an old United shirt full of holes. This was worn by me many, many times and acquired many more holes before the black-and-white hoops were discarded.

“Most of our spare time was spent in Lochee Park with a football, anD using clothes as goalposts.

“Bus trips to the foot of the Sidlaw Hills for wild games in the ferns and a picnic were great fun, as were trips across the Tay to Fife on the ‘Fifie’. After the war, we enjoyed many holidays in Lochee and attended as many matches as possible.

“Every week, I scanned the scores to see how the two teams were doing and followed their progress.

“When my father retired, my parents moved to 5l Dens Road. Whenever I visited them, it was with pleasure that I could walk for just two minutes and be at either of the grounds.

“On one occasion, I took my two teenage daughters to see Dundee play St Mirren at Dens Park — it was their first experience of a professional football match. We stood in the centre of the enclosure in front of the main stand, immediately behind the managers’ benches. The supporters were not impressed with Mr Smith’s team and were expressing their disgust. The girls, though, found all this banter highly amusing.

“On another occasion, when on holiday, I went along to Tannadice to see a European game when United were playing a side from Yugoslavia.

“There were many United supporters and they were very noisy outside the ground, so I decided to go in the ‘visitor’s end’. As a result, I had nearly all the terracing at that end of the ground to myself.

Roy’s original query about Lochee United in their juvenile days was answered by DAVE PULLAR, former Dundee and District Juvenile president and match secretary, and who still assists with the running of the D&D Youth Leagues.

“According to our records, Lochee United have never won the Scottish Juvenile Cup,” said Dave, who has been a great help to this sports desk over the years.

“Around the time of Mr Bell’s query, the Scottish Cup was won by a team called Bridgeton Waverley every year from 1921-24.

“The first Dundee team to win the Scottish Cup was Lochee Renton and that was in season 1964-65. Renton won it again two years later.

“The actual trophy — the senior Scottish Juvenile Cup — is worth £5000 by today’s valuation, and is currently in the SFA museum.

“Perhaps Mr Bell’s medal is a runners-up medal. The files we have don’t reveal who the losing teams were in those finals (1921-24).”

SSH . . . IGNORE IT AND IT MIGHT GO AWAY

Ssh . . . if you don’t talk about it, it might go away and not be true.

At the end of the 11 pm Grampian TV — oops, STV — North Tonight news on Tuesday, that evening’s CIS Cup scores came up on the screen.

Giving mainly the results of local teams, newsreader Pauline Allan, normally very switched on, said, “. . . and Aberdeen drew with Queen’s Park.”

No mention of extra time, penalties and the embarrassing defeat for the Dons.

Judging by the fury currently being vented by the Pittodrie fans in newspapers and airwaves, they certainly know the penalty shoot-out defeat to lowly Queen’s Park is a reality.