“A couple of months back, BwB asked for more information on Stobswell prior to their demise in the mid-80s,” said John, whose personal support of Dundee Schools football goes back many years.
“You have printed a few photos of Stobbie when we were, at best, a very average team, so I enclose a picture of the team early in season 1977-78.
“This team won promotion and then, the next year, lost the First Division Championship by just one goal to Carnoustie.
“We could have been the first actual Dundee team to win the Midlands/Tayside First Division.”
I checked the record books and, indeed, Blairgowrie won the first three titles from 1969-70, then Jeanfield Swifts, Kirrie Thistle and Blair again were crowned champs.
Then came Carnoustie’s dominant period, winning four in a row from 1975-76.
John, then the manager of the team, continued, “The photo (at foot of column) was early season and the first change I made was in goal and therein lies a funny story.
“The goalkeeper in the picture is ANDY STEWART — a good goalie — but he had a problem with cross balls, due to a problem with one of his eyes. Therefore, at the end of the previous season, I had CRAIG ROSS, from Harris FP, play in goal. He did very well and agreed to sign for the next season.
“I informed our secretary ANGUS ADAM to get this arranged, but Angus’ response was:
‘With all due respect, I know Craig is a better goalie than Andy, but Andy’s mother sells over 100 sweepie tickets per week and, if we can delay signing Craig from now (late April) until start of next season (August). we can still bring in a fair bit of money from the sale of sweepie tickets.’
“Now that’s what I call a good junior club treasurer.
“Craig actually signed in time for the second game of the new season, so I suppose it all worked out well.
“This was the start of one of Stobbie’s most successful periods, having come from third bottom of the Second Division.
“The catalyst was definitely having the ability and some modest resources to sign three ex-seniors in JIM BUTLER, GEORGE FALCONER and BRYN WILLIAMS.
“The following season, we signed others, including PAUL BOYLE, COLIN ‘CHIPPY’ LOWE and STEWART WILSON and that was when we lost the First Division by one goal, having finished level on points to the very good Carnoustie side of that time.
“We had some other very good players in the side.
“BILLY O’ROURKE played less than 10 games for us after signing from Logie Harp, and went professional with Montrose. What a good player he was and he had the ability to go further in the game.
“BRIAN KENYON was, pound for pound, one of the best-ever junior players never given the chance at senior level.
“He later moved to Harp and Downfield and won many junior league and cup medals.
“ALLY ADAMS was often described as one of the hardest (or dirtiest) players to play junior.
“I suppose it depends if he was for or against you.
“What I will say is he had the ‘sharpest’ elbows I have seen and many good centre-forwards had a very quiet game against us.”
IAN’S SENIOR CHANCE WAS TAKEN AWAY BY HIS SISTER-IN-LAW
Former colleague IAN FOGGIE, now retired, has been reading with interest the various recollections of Junior multi-goal feats from the past.
“Back in 1957, I managed to put away 11 goals in six games, playing on the left-wing,” recalled Ian, of Carnoustie.
“My junior team was Arnot, and these goals attracted the attention of Dundee United and Montrose.
“However, my one chance of a senior appearance slipped away from me.
“The very day I was asked to play a trial was the same day my sister-in-law was getting married.
“No question then of what I had to do!”
Ian enclosed cuttings from newspaper articles at the time.
“Is there a more prolific scoring winger in city circles than Arnot’s Ian Foggie?” one article asked.
“Winger Ian Foggie was missed for his shooting power and deadly crosses,” wrote another.
And confirmation of the wedding attendance came with — “Dundee United and Montrose wanted the services of Ian Foggie, Arnot’s left winger, last week. But he was not available, even for his Junior club.”
THE CHARLIE LOVE COLLECTION : PART VII.
The very first of CHARLIE LOVE’S collection was from 1967 as the OSBORNE junior club put up a bus to take Scotland supporters to Wembley.
This latest photo (below) — taken in Shore Terrace, Dundee — is from four years earlier (1963) and, again, it is a Bourners bus.
Names Charlie has highlighted as being in the photo are — HARRY EASSON, WILLIE CURRAN, PETER SCHIAVETTA, ERNIE CAMPBELL, BOB BERTIE, ALLAN GORRIE, JIMMY REID and WILLIE REID.
