“Even guys a little older than myself, who you speak to in local pubs, pop up in an occasional picture or article,” he said.
“I’ve been lucky enough to have played for a number of good teams when younger in the juveniles and, of late, in the Dundee Sunday Morning League.
“These included Macalpine Thistle up to U/14 (along with your sports desk colleague GRAEME FINNAN), Celtic Boys and Menzieshill.
“I’ve also turned out for Gunners, Nine Maidens, Park and Doc Ferry’s in the Sunday Morning League, playing with many a character.
“I’m currently with Doc Ferry’s, with a great bunch of boys, although I think my boots will have to be hung up soon.
“It seems apt that JOHN MARKIE, SEN., was in your column in a North End junior team photo, who, along with STAN GARDINER, managed us to winning the Scottish Cup with Celtic Boys U/15 in 1980.
“I think the score was 3-0 or 3-1 after extra time against Douglas Lads Club.
“I’d be interested to hear of anyone else who was involved in this game and can remember more than me.
“We had a very good team, which included JIM PAGE, DENNY DEWAR, NEIL LAW and EDDIE McAULAY, all eventually going on to play senior or junior.
“Have there have been many Scottish Cup Finals in the Juvenile/Youth Leagues which were all-Dundee affairs?
“I attach a team photo of Celtic Boys U/15.
“It would also be great if a Gunners team photo from around 1993-94 season was unearthed as I am trying to plan a reunion.”
MURRAY SEVEN UP . . . AND IT’S 10-GOAL KETTLES
Old friend DAVIE BRUCE has hit the 21st century running . . . he sent me an email!
“I’m showing off my new-found skills on my laptop,” he opened.
“As usual I read and enjoy all the stories of the players who scored five goals or more in a game — and I recognised plenty, especially the older ones.
“There were some great scorers.
“I did not manage five goals in a game, but think I scored four in a game against St Joseph’s for Lochee United in a trial just before I moved up to the juniors from Butterburn Youth Club.
“Sandy ‘Sy’ Thomson mentioned the old Dundee Junior League.
“My mind is getting cloudy, but I think I captained Lochee United in the last year of the league before it merged with Perthshire and Angus.
“Sy sits in front of me at Tannadice on match days and I have got to say he still looks ‘no bad’ for his age . . . especially after witnessing how many pies he can put away before the game and at half-time!”
Former Blairgowrie Junior DAVIE DYE came on from Tenerife with more info on the time he was in goal and lost a barrowload.
“Just to put you straight, GORDON DUNN was the Forfar West End goalkeeper who got injured in that game against Blairgowrie,” said Davie.
“That was the reason I went in goal. I can’t remember if I let in all eight of them or not, but I do remember FWE getting relegated that year.
“I played a number of times in goal in the Juniors, playing twice for Hydro Dynamo when our keeper got injured (might have been Elliot Davie at the time) and twice for East Craigie from the start as we did not have a keeper for a few weeks.
“That year with the Shipbuilders, I remember we went up to Bankfoot and were beaten 6-0.
“I’m sure PAUL STURROCK scored five of them.
“Maybe someone else will remember that?
“Friday’s a great read online, especially when it’s about the 70s and 80s.”
CHARLIE GRIEVE doesn’t hang about at Tulloch Park. You see, he’s on the Kinnoull Junior FC committee and is also programme editor, webmaster and treasurer.
The piece on former Kinnoull striker ALAN SHEPHERD caught his eye.
“I checked the Kinnoull records for players who scored more than five goals in any one match and came up with four — or rather three — as ALLY MURRAY managed the feat twice.
“First, he scored seven against St Johnstone YM in a 9-2 league match during 1954/55 and then he followed that up the next season with five against Bankfoot in a 13-2 league victory.
“After a couple of trials for the St Johnstone first team in which he scored in the 4-1 victory over Cowdenbeath on December 22, 1956, he signed for the then Muirton Park club.
“One of the original founder members of Kinnoull Juniors was PETER MONCRIEFF and he was the first to manage the feat with five goals in a Rosebowl Cup tie against Perth St Leonard’s in September 1950.
“The other player to score five goals was another man who went on to play and score goals for St Johnstone — Jock Sampson.
“Jock netted five goals against Bankfoot in a League Cup tie in a 9-3 Kinnoull victory in August 1976.
“Incidentally, Alan and Jock both played for ’Noull at the same time and went for trials together with Saints in November 1976, but it was Jock who eventually signed for Saints.
Former Elmwood man ALEX STEWART offered, “In the late 1960s, I played for Elmwood. As we could never get 11 players every week, committee men had to play.
“With three games left, ALEX McCARLE asked TAM ALEXANDER to help out as he played amateur with SS Peter and Paul.
“Tam scored five goals in the three remaining games and we reckon he finished leading goalscorer for the whole season.”
WILLIE SAMUEL, from St Andrews, remembers a Violet player of the 1950.
“He was TOM KETTLES, and he was nicknamed ‘10-goal Kettles’.
“I don’t know for sure why he was called that, but always just presumed he must have scored 10 goals in one game at one time.
“Perhaps some Violet followers can enlighten me.”
