1987–88 Dumbarton F.C. season

Season 1987–88 was the 104th football season in which Dumbarton competed at a Scottish national level, entering the Scottish Football League for the 82nd time, the Scottish Cup for the 93rd time and the Scottish League Cup for the 41st time.

Dumbarton

1987–1988 season
Manager	Mark Clougherty
Stadium	Boghead Park, Dumbarton
Scottish League Division 1	12th
Scottish Cup	Third Round
Scottish League Cup	Third Round
Top goalscorer	League: Owen Coyle (14) All: Owen Coyle (14)
Highest home attendance	1,283
Lowest home attendance	700
Average home league attendance	850

Overview

Following two promotion challenging seasons, Dumbarton inexplicably sank to the bottom of the First Division and were relegated to the third tier of Scottish league football. With the loss of Sir Hugh Fraser, finances at the club were tight, and with this in mind it was decided to appoint Mark Clougherty as player/manager. However results were generally poor and the board sacked Clougherty in January. In his place Bertie Auld was appointed and despite a spirited draw against Hibernian in the Cup, a winless run of 11 games would ensure the club's drop into bottom place in the league - a place they would occupy even though Dumbarton were unbeaten in their last four games.

In the Scottish Cup, another third round exit was Dumbarton's fate, although this would be after a draw against Premier Division opponents Hibernian.

In the League Cup, for the second year in a row Celtic were Dumbarton's third round opponents, and it would be the Premier Division side that would ease through to the next round.

Locally however, Dumbarton regained the Stirlingshire Cup, with a final victory over Stirling Albion.

Results & fixtures

  Win   Draw   Loss

Scottish First Division

Main article: 1987-88 Scottish First Division

Clyde v Dumbarton

8 August 1987 First Division	Clyde	5–0	Dumbarton	Shawfield Stadium
	Buchanan 13' (pen) Henderson 28' Mailer 30' McGlashan 51' Walker 67'			Attendance: 1,000 Referee: K O'Donnell

Dumbarton v Meadowbank Thistle

11 August 1987 First Division	Dumbarton	2–3	Meadowbank Thistle	Boghead Park
	Martin MacIver		Park McGachie	Attendance: 740

Dumbarton v Kilmarnock

15 August 1987 First Division	Dumbarton	1–3	Kilmarnock	Boghead Park
	Martin 33'		Harkness McInnes 56' Cuthbertson	Attendance: 800

Airdrie v Dumbarton

22 August 1987 First Division	Airdrie	0–1	Dumbarton	Broomfield Park
			Coyle,O 53' (pen)	Attendance: 1,200 Referee: J Renton

Dumbarton v Clydebank

29 August 1987 First Division	Dumbarton	1–1	Clydebank	Boghead Park
	Rooney,B		Conroy 12'	Attendance: 800 Referee: A Ferguson

Hamilton v Dumbarton

5 September 1987 First Division	Hamilton	2–1	Dumbarton	Douglas Park
	Caughey 16', 28'		Houston 29'	Attendance: 1,765 Referee: A Waddell

Dumbarton v Forfar Athletic

12 September 1987 First Division	Dumbarton	1–1	Forfar Athletic	Boghead Park
	Rooney 44'		Blackie 13'	Attendance: 700 Referee: D McVicar

Partick Thistle v Dumbarton

15 September 1987 First Division	Partick Thistle	1–2	Dumbarton	Firhill Park
	Kelly		Rooney,J Coyle,O	Attendance: 1,140

East Fife v Dumbarton

19 September 1987 First Division	East Fife	1–2	Dumbarton	Bayview Park, Methil
	Perry 61' (pen)		McGowan 16' Kay 44'	Attendance: 619 Referee: A Huett

Dumbarton v Queen of the South

26 September 1987 First Division	Dumbarton	2–2	Queen of the South	Boghead Park
	Coyle,O 5' Houston 89'		Mackin 27' Hughes 85'	Attendance: 700 Referee: M Gould

Raith Rovers v Dumbarton

29 September 1987 First Division	Raith Rovers	4–1	Dumbarton	Starks Park
	Dalziel Harris		Houston	Attendance: 1,730

Dumbarton v Clyde

3 October 1987 First Division	Dumbarton	1–1	Clyde	Boghead Park
	McCahill		McGlashan	Attendance: 1,200 Referee: K Hope

Meadowbank Thistle v Dumbarton

7 October 1987 First Division	Meadowbank Thistle	0–0	Dumbarton	Meadowbank Stadium
				Attendance: 650

Dumbarton v Airdrie

10 October 1987 First Division	Dumbarton	0–0	Airdrie	Boghead Park
				Attendance: 1,200 Referee: H Gould

Forfar Athletic v Dumbarton

17 October 1987 First Division	Forfar Athletic	0–2	Dumbarton	Station Park, Forfar
			Coyle,O 18' McCoy 85'	Attendance: 671 Referee: R Valentine

Dumbarton v Partick Thistle

20 October 1987 First Division	Dumbarton	4–2	Partick Thistle	Boghead Park
	Coyle,O MacIver McCoy		McDonald Scrimgeour	Attendance: 800

Kilmarnock v Dumbarton

24 October 1987 First Division	Kilmarnock	1–0	Dumbarton	Rugby Park
	Gilmour 89'			Attendance: 1,571 Referee: W Morrison

Dumbarton v Raith Rovers

27 October 1987 First Division	Dumbarton	1–3	Raith Rovers	Boghead Park
	Coyle,O (pen)		Dalziel Harris Wright	Attendance: 700

Dumbarton v Hamilton

31 October 1987 First Division	Dumbarton	2–1	Hamilton	Boghead Park
	Coyle,O 26' (pen) McCoy 41'		Montgomerie 3' (OG)	Attendance: 900

Clydebank v Dumbarton

7 November 1987 First Division	Clydebank	3–1	Dumbarton	Kilbowie Park
	Conroy 9' Charnley 45' 60'		McGowan 42'	Attendance: 1,431 Referee: P Hanley

Dumbarton v East Fife

14 November 1987 First Division	Dumbarton	1–1	East Fife	Boghead Park
	MacIver 70'		Hunter 12'	Attendance: 600 Referee: A Evans

Queen of the South v Dumbarton

21 November 1987 First Division	Queen of the South	2–0	Dumbarton	Palmerston Park
	Reid 44' Moore 89'			Attendance: 1,100 Referee: A Hewitt

Clyde v Dumbarton

28 November 1987 First Division	Clyde	3–4	Dumbarton	Shawfield Stadium
	Mailer 26' McGlashan 32', 44'		Docherty 33' Coyle,O 47' MacIver	Attendance: 800 Referee: J Renton

Dumbarton v Meadowbank Thistle

5 December 1987 First Division	Dumbarton	0–1	Meadowbank Thistle	Boghead Park
			McGonigal 64'	Attendance: 500 Referee: I Cathcart

Dumbarton v Forfar Athletic

12 December 1987 First Division	Dumbarton	0–1	Forfar Athletic	Boghead Park
			Blackie 87'	Attendance: 507 Referee: G Smith

Partick Thistle v Dumbarton

19 December 1987 First Division	Partick Thistle	1–3	Dumbarton	Firhill Park
	Gallagher 79'		McNeil 12' Docherty 39' Coyle,O 48' (pen)	Attendance: 1,407 Referee: D Hope

Hamilton v Dumbarton

26 December 1987 First Division	Hamilton	2–0	Dumbarton	Douglas Park
	Gordon Fairlie			Attendance: 1,250

Dumbarton v Clydebank

2 January 1988 First Division	Dumbarton	1–3	Clydebank	Boghead Park
	38' (OG)		Traynor 48' (pen) Irons Charnley	Attendance: 1,200

East Fife v Dumbarton

9 January 1988 First Division	East Fife	3–4	Dumbarton	Bayview Park, Methil
	Hunter 59' Conroy 64' (pen) Scott 90'		McCoy 5', 43' Coyle,O 79' McGowan,P 82'	Attendance: 615 Referee: D Syme

Dumbarton v Queen of the South

16 January 1988 First Division	Dumbarton	0–2	Queen of the South	Boghead Park
			Moore 57' Bain 75'	Attendance: 800 Referee: A Roy

Dumbarton v Kilmarnock

23 January 1988 First Division	Dumbarton	1–0	Kilmarnock	Boghead Park
	Rooney,J 42'			Attendance: 950 Referee: T Muirhead

Airdrie v Dumbarton

6 February 1988 First Division	Airdrie	1–1	Dumbarton	Broomfield Park
	McCabe 12'		McCoy 35'	Attendance: 1,150 Referee: D Millar

Raith Rovers v Dumbarton

13 February 1988 First Division	Raith Rovers	1–1	Dumbarton	Starks Park
	Lloyd 47'		McLeod 20' (OG)	Attendance: 1,802 Referee: D McVicar

Dumbarton v Clyde

27 February 1988 First Division	Dumbarton	0–1	Clyde	Boghead Park
			Willock 80'	Attendance: 750 Referee: A Ferguson

Forfar Athletic v Dumbarton

5 March 1988 First Division	Forfar Athletic	4–0	Dumbarton	Station Park, Forfar
	Ward 33' MacDonald Lorimer 84' Brown			Attendance: 397 Referee: A Roy

Dumbarton v Hamilton

19 March 1988 First Division	Dumbarton	1–1	Hamilton	Boghead Park
	McCoy 31'		Harris (pen)	Attendance: 1,283 Referee: J Renton

Dumbarton v Partick Thistle

22 March 1988 First Division	Dumbarton	1–2	Partick Thistle	Boghead Park
	Coyle,O		Gallagher McNaught	Attendance: 925

Clydebank v Dumbarton

26 March 1988 First Division	Clydebank	1–0	Dumbarton	Kilbowie Park
	Bryce 88'			Attendance: 1,088 Referee: R Orr

Dumbarton v Airdrie

2 April 1988 First Division	Dumbarton	0–1	Airdrie	Boghead Park
			Campbell 34'	Attendance: 800 Referee: J Duncan

Kilmarnock v Dumbarton

9 April 1988 First Division	Kilmarnock	3–1	Dumbarton	Rugby Park
	Gilmour 49' McGuire Bryson 70'		McCoy	Attendance: 2,205

Queen of the South v Dumbarton

16 April 1988 First Division	Queen of the South	0–0	Dumbarton	Palmerston Park
				Attendance: 1,100 Referee: D Yeats

Dumbarton v East Fife

23 April 1988 First Division	Dumbarton	0–0	East Fife	Boghead Park
				Attendance: 700 Referee: A Ferguson

Meadowbank Thistle v Dumbarton

30 April 1988 First Division	Meadowbank Thistle	2–4	Dumbarton	Meadowbank Stadium
	Armstrong Roseburgh 89'		McCabe 31' Coyle,O 48' McGowan,P 56' Docherty	Attendance: 600

Dumbarton v Raith Rovers

7 May 1988 First Division	Dumbarton	3–0	Raith Rovers	Boghead Park
	Rooney 24' Coyle,O 40' Docherty 70'			Attendance: 800 Referee: R Morrison

Skol Cup

Main article: 1987-88 Scottish League Cup

Ayr United v Dumbarton

19 August 1987 League Cup round 2	Ayr United	0–1	Dumbarton	Somerset Park
			McNeil	Attendance: 2,428

Dumbarton v Celtic

26 August 1987 League Cup round 3	Dumbarton	1–5	Celtic	Boghead Park
	Martin		Burns 28' Stark 38' Walker 70' McGhee	Attendance: 9,429

Scottish Cup

Main article: 1987–88 Scottish Cup

Dumbarton v Hibernian

30 January 1988 Cup round 3	Dumbarton	0–0	Hibernian	Boghead Park
				Attendance: 7,000 Referee: G Evans

Hibernian v Dumbarton

2 February 1988 Cup round 3R	Hibernian	3–0	Dumbarton	Easter Road
	Docherty (OG) Tortolano Orr			Attendance: 8,000 Referee: G Evans

Stirlingshire Cup

Stenhousemuir v Dumbarton

13 October 1987 First Round	Stenhousemuir	3–3 (Dumbarton p)	Dumbarton	Ochilview Park

Dumbarton v Alloa Athletic

26 April 1988 Semi Final	Dumbarton	2–0	Alloa Athletic	Boghead Park

Stirling Albion v Dumbarton

30 May 1988 Final	Stirling Albion	1–2	Dumbarton	Annfield Stadium
			McCahill Docherty

Pre-season matches

Dumbarton v Southampton

3 August 1987 Friendly	Dumbarton	1–1	Southampton	Boghead Park
	McNeil		Clarke (pen)	Attendance: 500 Referee: M McGinlay

Dumbarton v Celtic

5 August 1987 Friendly	Dumbarton	1–2	Celtic	Boghead Park
	Coyle,O (pen)		McGhee McCarrison

League table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Promotion or relegation
8	Partick Thistle	44	16	9	19	60	64	−4	41
9	Clyde	44	16	6	22	73	75	−2	38
10	Kilmarnock	44	13	11	20	55	60	−5	37
11	East Fife (R)	44	13	10	21	61	76	−15	36	Relegation to the Second Division
12	Dumbarton (R)	44	12	12	20	51	70	−19	36

Source: RSSSF and statto
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(R) Relegated

Player statistics

Squad

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		First Division		League Cup		Scottish Cup
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
	GK	SCO	Gordon Arthur	44	0	40+0	0	2+0	0	2+0	0
	GK	SCO	Hugh Stevenson	4	0	4+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
	DF	SCO	Willie Cairns	18	0	16+0	0	0+0	0	2+0	0
	DF	SCO	Craig Cranmer	22	0	18+2	0	0+0	0	2+0	0
	DF	SCO	Gerry Doyle	6	0	4+2	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
	DF	SCO	Stevie Gow	4	0	1+1	0	0+2	0	0+0	0
	DF	SCO	Ray Montgomerie	35	0	31+0	0	2+0	0	2+0	0
	MF	SCO	Joe Carson	3	0	2+1	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
	MF	SCO	Mark Clougherty	4	0	4+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
	MF	SCO	Owen Coyle	45	14	38+3	14	2+0	0	2+0	0
	MF	SCO	Tommy Coyle	1	0	0+1	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
	MF	SCO	Jim Creaney	4	0	2+2	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
	MF	SCO	Robert Docherty	23	5	19+2	5	0+0	0	2+0	0
	MF	SCO	Alan Kay	21	1	18+3	1	0+0	0	0+0	0
	MF	SCO	Dave Martin	46	3	42+0	2	2+0	1	2+0	0
	MF	SCO	Gerry McCabe	6	1	5+1	1	0+0	0	0+0	0
	MF	SCO	Steve McCahill	46	1	41+1	1	2+0	0	2+0	0
	MF	SCO	Donald McNeil	26	2	24+0	1	2+0	1	0+0	0
	MF	SCO	Jim McNeil	16	0	4+10	0	2+0	0	0+0	0
	MF	SCO	Jim Rooney	46	4	42+0	4	2+0	0	2+0	0
	FW	SCO	Jimmy Bell	1	0	0+1	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
	FW	SCO	Billy Blackie	4	0	4+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
	FW	SCO	Peter Houston	46	3	37+5	3	2+0	0	2+0	0
	FW	SCO	Stuart MacIver	26	4	12+12	4	1+0	0	0+1	0
	FW	SCO	Gerry McCoy	32	8	30+0	8	0+0	0	2+0	0
	FW	SCO	Pat McGowan	45	4	39+2	4	2+0	0	0+2	0
	FW	SCO	Dougie McGuire	3	0	3+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
	FW	SCO	Benny Rooney	15	1	4+9	1	1+1	0	0+0	0

Transfers

Players in

Player	From	Date
Craig Cranmer	Belhaven Athletic	27 Jun 1987
Benny Rooney	Petershill	27 Jun 1987
Jimmy Bell	Kilbowie Union	23 Jul 1987
Stevie Gow	Dumbarton United	23 Jul 1987
Iain McKinley	Duntocher BC	23 Jul 1987
Robert Docherty	Hamilton	1 Nov 1987
Jim Creaney	Stranraer (loan)	14 Nov 1987
Willie Cairns	Partick Thistle	9 Jan 1988
Dougie McGuire	Celtic (loan)	13 Feb 1988
Gerry Doyle	Stranraer	26 Feb 1988
Joe Carson	Stranraer	12 Mar 1988
Billy Blackie	Forfar Athletic	9 Apr 1988
Gerry McCabe	Hamilton (loan)	9 Apr 1988

Players out

Player	To	Date
Jackie Rafferty	Partick Thistle	13 Jun 1987
Danny Docherty	Queen of the South	1 Aug 1987
Tommy Coyle	St Johnstone	22 Aug 1987
Arthur Grant	East Stirling	28 Nov 1987
Joe Carson	Vale of Leven
Alan Kay
Jimmy Bell
Jim McNeil
Billy Traynor

Reserve team

Dumbarton competed in the Scottish Reserve League (West), winning 11 and drawing 11 of 33 games.

Trivia

• The League match against Clydebank on 29 August marked Owen Coyle's 100th appearance for Dumbarton in all national competitions - the 93rd Dumbarton player to reach this milestone.
• The League match against Forfar Athletic on 12 September marked Donald McNeil's 300th appearance for Dumbarton in all national competitions - the 6th Dumbarton player to achieve this accolade.
• The League match against Forfar Athletic on 12 September also marked Steve McCahill's 100th appearance for Dumbarton in all national competitions - the 94th Dumbarton player to reach this milestone.
• The League match against Queen of the South on 26 September marked Pat McGowan's 200th appearance for Dumbarton in all national competitions - the 20th Dumbarton player to break the 'double century'.
• The League match against East Fife on 14 November marked Alan Kay's 100th appearance for Dumbarton in all national competitions - the 95th Dumbarton player to reach this milestone.
• The League match against Raith Rovers on 13 February marked Gerry McCoy's 100th appearance for Dumbarton in all national competitions - the 96th Dumbarton player to reach this milestone.

See also

• 1987–88 in Scottish football

External links

• Jim McNeil (Dumbarton Football Club Historical Archive)
• Jimmy Bell (Dumbarton Football Club Historical Archive)
• Benny Rooney (Dumbarton Football Club Historical Archive)
• Scottish Football Historical Archive