1984–85 Dumbarton F.C. season

Season 1984–85 was the 101st football season in which Dumbarton competed at a Scottish national level, entering the Scottish Football League for the 79th time, the Scottish Cup for the 90th time and the Scottish League Cup for the 38th time.

Dumbarton

1984–1985 season
Manager	Davie Wilson
Stadium	Boghead Park, Dumbarton
Scottish Premier League	9th
Scottish Cup	Third Round
Scottish League Cup	Second Round
Top goalscorer	League: Joe Coyle (7) All: Joe Coyle (9)

Overview

Dumbarton's return to the top tier of Scottish league football for the first time in a decade was to be short-lived. At the end of the year, it was looking likely that survival might be achieved, being 6 points clear of the relegation zone, however with only a win and a draw being taken from the last 15 matches, Dumbarton finished in 9th place and relegated to the First Division for next season.

In the Scottish Cup, Dumbarton lost to First Division Motherwell in the third round - the team who would replace them in the Premier Division at the end of the season.

The League Cup format reverted to straight knock-out, and after a first round win over Queen of the South, Dumbarton lost to fellow Premier Division opponents Dundee United.

Locally, in the Stirlingshire Cup, after a win on penalties over Falkirk in the first round, a reversal of rolls was the case in the semi-final in a disappointing 'penalties' semi final defeat to East Stirling.

Finally, Premier Division status brought with it an added bonus - being a participant in the annual televised indoor Tennent's Sixes tournament. Unfortunately Dumbarton did not progress beyond the group stages.

Results & fixtures

  Win   Draw   Loss

Scottish Premier Division

Main article: 1984–85 Scottish Football League

Morton v Dumbarton

11 August 1984 Scottish Premier	Morton	2-1	Dumbarton	Cappielow Park
	McNeill pen'		Robertson	Attendance: 2,500 Referee: A Ferguson

Dumbarton v Rangers

18 August 1984 Scottish Premier	Dumbarton	1-2	Rangers	Boghead Park
	Craig 16'		McCoist 81' Redford 83'	Attendance: 10,000 Referee: R Cuthill

Dumbarton v Dundee

25 August 1984 Scottish Premier	Dumbarton	2-1	Dundee	Boghead Park
	Coyle,J 2', 35'		Stephen 42'	Referee: C Sinclair

Hearts v Dumbarton

1 September 1984 Scottish Premier	Hearts	1-0	Dumbarton	Tynecastle Stadium
	Park 39'			Attendance: 6,914 Referee: A Roy

Dumbarton v Celtic

8 September 1984 Scottish Premier	Dumbarton	1-1	Celtic	Boghead Park
	Coyle,J 77' (pen)		McGarvey 33'	Attendance: 8,416 Referee: I Cathcart

Hibernian v Dumbarton

15 September 1984 Scottish Premier	Hibernian	2-3	Dumbarton	Easter Road
	Thomson 15' Kane 88'		Coyle,J 28' (pen), 32' Coyle,T 39'	Attendance: 3,642 Referee: D McVicar

Dumbarton v Aberdeen

22 September 1984 Scottish Premier	Dumbarton	0-2	Aberdeen	Boghead Park
			Miller 77' Falconer 85'	Attendance: 4,000 Referee: T Muirhead

Dumbarton v St Mirren

29 September 1984 Scottish Premier	Dumbarton	0-1	St Mirren	Boghead Park
			McAvennie 21'	Attendance: 2,520 Referee: D Galloway

Dundee United v Dumbarton

6 October 1984 Scottish Premier	Dundee United	1-0	Dumbarton	Tannadice Park
	Coyne			Attendance: 5,852 Referee: W Crombie

Dumbarton v Morton

13 October 1984 Scottish Premier	Dumbarton	3-1	Morton	Boghead Park
	Dunlop 25' (OG) Coyle,J 26' (pen) Kay		Dunlop	Attendance: 2,000 Referee: B Robertson

Rangers v Dumbarton

20 October 1984 Scottish Premier	Rangers	0-0	Dumbarton	Ibrox Park
				Attendance: 16,521 Referee: J Renton

Dundee v Dumbarton

27 October 1984 Scottish Premier	Dundee	1-1	Dumbarton	Dens Park
	Smith 93'		Ashwood 9'	Referee: L Thow

Dumbarton v Hearts

3 November 1984 Scottish Premier	Dumbarton	0-1	Hearts	Boghead Park
			Bone 85'	Attendance: 2,706 Referee: E Brolis

Celtic v Dumbarton

10 November 1984 Scottish Premier	Celtic	2-0	Dumbarton	Celtic Park
	McGarvey 36' Johnston 55'			Attendance: 13,701 Referee: A Hewitt

Dumbarton v Hibernian

17 November 1984 Scottish Premier	Dumbarton	2-2	Hibernian	Boghead Park
	Craig 2' McGowan 14'		Durie 46', 47'	Attendance: 2,003 Referee: C Sinclair

Aberdeen v Dumbarton

24 November 1984 Scottish Premier	Aberdeen	1-0	Dumbarton	Pittodrie Park
	McDougall 1'			Attendance: 13,200 Referee: D Galloway

St Mirren v Dumbarton

1 December 1984 Scottish Premier	St Mirren	0-0	Dumbarton	Love Street (stadium)
				Attendance: 2,450 Referee: H Young

Dumbarton v Dundee United

8 December 1984 Scottish Premier	Dumbarton	2-2	Dundee United	Boghead Park
	Bourke 41' Crawley 44'		Dodds 14' Bannon (pen)	Attendance: 1,524 Referee: W Crombie

Morton v Dumbarton

15 December 1984 Scottish Premier	Morton	2-4	Dumbarton	Cappielow Park
	Sullivan 4', 46'		Bourke 5' Coyle,T 51' Simpson	Attendance: 2,000 Referee: W Crombie

Dumbarton v Rangers

29 December 1984 Scottish Premier	Dumbarton	2-4	Rangers	Boghead Park
	Simpson Coyle,J (pen)		Ferguson,I McMinn Mitchell Cooper	Attendance: 7.800 Referee: G Smith

Dumbarton v Dundee

1 January 1985 Scottish Premier	Dumbarton	1-0	Dundee	Boghead Park
	Craig

Hearts v Dumbarton

5 January 1985 Scottish Premier	Hearts	5-1	Dumbarton	Tynecastle Stadium
	Black Bone Clark		McNeill	Attendance: 7,571

Hibernian v Dumbarton

19 January 1985 Scottish Premier	Hibernian	3-1	Dumbarton	Easter Road
	Sneddon Rice Durie		Kay	Attendance: 7,421

Dumbarton v Aberdeen

2 February 1985 Scottish Premier	Dumbarton	0-2	Aberdeen	Boghead Park
			Stark Black	Attendance: 3,500 Referee: A Huett

Dumbarton v St Mirren

9 February 1985 Scottish Premier	Dumbarton	1-1	St Mirren	Boghead Park
	Kay		McAvennie	Attendance: 1,684 Referee: D Syme

Dundee United v Dumbarton

23 February 1985 Scottish Premier	Dundee United	4-0	Dumbarton	Tannadice Park
	Milne 17' Reilly 25' Gough Sturrock			Attendance: 5,693 Referee: W Knowles

Rangers v Dumbarton

2 March 1985 Scottish Premier	Rangers	3-1	Dumbarton	Ibrox Park
	Ferguson 16' McCoist 27', 46'		Coyle,T 67'	Attendance: 8,424 Referee: D Downie

Dumbarton v Morton

16 March 1985 Scottish Premier	Dumbarton	1-0	Morton	Boghead Park
	Simpson			Attendance: 900 Referee: J Duncan

Dumbarton v Hearts

23 March 1985 Scottish Premier	Dumbarton	1-3	Hearts	Boghead Park
	Bourke 78'		Kidd 24' Clark 39', 82'	Attendance: 2,207 Referee: T Muirhead

Dumbarton v Celtic

3 April 1985 Scottish Premier	Dumbarton	0-2	Celtic	Boghead Park
			Johnston 34' McClair 44'	Attendance: 7,000 Referee: D Hope

Dumbarton v Hibernian

6 April 1985 Scottish Premier	Dumbarton	0-2	Hibernian	Boghead Park
			Irvine 25' Rice 32'	Attendance: 5,064 Referee: B Robertson

Dundee v Dumbarton

13 April 1985 Scottish Premier	Dundee	1-0	Dumbarton	Dens Park
	Rafferty 62'			Attendance: 3,386 Referee: B Crombie

Aberdeen v Dumbarton

20 April 1985 Scottish Premier	Aberdeen	4-0	Dumbarton	Pittodrie Park
	McLeish 24' Angus 35' Kay 49' (OG) Stark 65'			Attendance: 12,500 Referee: J Renton

Dumbarton v Dundee United

27 April 1985 Scottish Premier	Dumbarton	0-2	Dundee United	Boghead Park
			Coyne 3' Sturrock	Attendance: 818 Referee: K Hope

St Mirren v Dumbarton

4 May 1985 Scottish Premier	St Mirren	1-0	Dumbarton	Love Street (stadium)
	Godfrey 8'			Attendance: 2,646 Referee: W McLeish

Celtic v Dumbarton

11 May 1985 Scottish Premier	Celtic	2-0	Dumbarton	Celtic Park
	McClair 74' McStay 84'			Attendance: 6,514 Referee: L Thow

Scottish Cup

Main article: 1984–85 Scottish Cup

Motherwell v Dumbarton

30 January 1985 Scottish Cup round 3	Motherwell	4–0	Dumbarton	Fir Park
				Attendance: 2,852

Scottish League Cup

Main article: 1984–85 Scottish League Cup

Dumbarton v Dundee United

29 August 1984 Scottish League Cup round 2	Dumbarton	0–4	Dundee United	Boghead Park
			Dodds 28', 64' Milne 75', 79'	Attendance: 2,500 Referee: H Young

Stirlingshire Cup

Falkirk v Dumbarton

23 October 1984 First Round	Falkirk	1–1 (4-5 on penalties)	Dumbarton	Brockville Park
	Craig		Houston

East Stirling v Dumbarton

8 May 1985 Semi-final

East Stirling

0–0 (3-2 on penalties)

Dumbarton

Firs Park

Pre-season and other matches

Dumbarton v Watford

4 August 1984 Friendly	Dumbarton	2–1	Watford	Boghead Park
	Craig 16' Bourke 55'		Johnston 30'	Attendance: 4,000 Referee: D Hope

Kilmarnock v Dumbarton

16 February 1985 Friendly	Kilmarnock	3–5	Dumbarton	Rugby Park

League table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
6	Dundee	36	15	7	14	48	50	−2	37
7	Heart of Midlothian	36	13	5	18	47	64	−17	31
8	Hibernian	36	10	7	19	38	61	−23	27
9	Dumbarton (R)	36	6	7	23	29	64	−35	19	Relegation to the 1985–86 Scottish First Division
10	Morton (R)	36	5	2	29	29	100	−71	12

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

Player statistics

Squad

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		Premier Division		League Cup		Scottish Cup
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
	GK	SCO	Gordon Arthur	38	0	35+0	0	2+0	0	1+0	0
	GK	SCO	Dougie McNab	1	0	1+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
	DF	SCO	Rob Campbell	1	0	0+1	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
	DF	SCO	Martin McGowan	30	0	28+0	0	2+0	0	0+0	0
	DF	SCO	Ray Montgomerie	6	0	6+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
	MF	SCO	Mark Clougherty	31	0	28+0	0	2+0	0	1+0	0
	MF	SCO	Tommy Coyle	39	3	34+2	3	2+0	0	1+0	0
	MF	SCO	Albert Craig	38	4	35+0	4	2+0	0	1+0	0
	MF	SCO	Harry Curran	2	0	0+2	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
	MF	SCO	Alan Kay	39	3	36+0	3	2+0	0	1+0	0
	MF	SCO	Steve McCahill	28	0	26+0	0	0+1	0	1+0	0
	MF	SCO	Dave McCaig	3	0	0+3	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
	MF	SCO	Donald McNeil	30	1	24+3	1	2+0	0	1+0	0
	MF	SCO	Stuart Robertson	25	1	21+2	1	1+0	0	1+0	0
	MF	SCO	Jim Simpson	28	3	15+10	3	0+2	0	1+0	0
	MF	SCO	Graeme Sinclair	5	0	5+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
	FW	SCO	Kenny Ashwood	28	1	19+6	1	2+0	0	0+1	0
	FW	SCO	John Bourke	29	4	24+2	4	2+0	0	1+0	0
	FW	SCO	Joe Coyle	38	9	28+7	7	2+0	0	1+0	2
	FW	SCO	Gerry Crawley	22	1	16+5	1	1+0	0	0+0	0
	FW	SCO	Stuart MacIver	3	0	1+2	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
	FW	SCO	Pat McGowan	15	1	13+1	1	0+0	0	0+1	0
	FW	SCO	Allan Moore	4	0	1+3	0	0+0	0	0+0	0

Transfers

Players in

Player	From	Date
Steve McCahill	Glennifer Thistle	14 Jun 1984
Jim Simpson	Kilmarnock	1 Jul 1984
Harry Curran	Eastercraigs	20 Jul 1984
Rob Campbell	Cowdenbeath	21 Jul 1984
Stuart MacIver	Duntocher BC	4 Aug 1984
Alan Kay	Partick Thistle	11 Aug 1984
Gordon Arthur	Stirling Albion	25 Aug 1984
Dougie McNab	Hamilton (loan)	1 Sep 1984
Graeme Sinclair	Celtic (loan)	22 Feb 1985

Players out

Player	To	Date
Albert Burnett	Falkirk	3 Aug 1984
Tom Carson	Dundee	8 Aug 1984
Joe Carson	Partick Thistle	11 Aug 1984
Dougie McNab	Meadowbank Thistle	1 Sep 1984
Jim Hughes	Ardrossan Winton Rovers	3 Apr 1985
Joe McGrogan	Vale of Leven
Martin Walsh	Campsie Black Watch
Rob Campbell
Colin McKenzie

Reserve team

Dumbarton competed in the Scottish Premier Reserve League, winning 4 and drawing 5 of 36 matches finishing 10th of 10.

In the Reserve League Cup Dumbarton lost in the second round to Aberdeen and in the Second XI Cup lost out to Motherwell in the first round.

Trivia

• The League Cup match against Queen of the South on 22 August marked Martin McGowan's 100th appearance for Dumbarton in all national competitions - the 89th Dumbarton player to reach this milestone.
• The League Cup match against Queen of the South on 22 August also marked John Bourke's 200th appearance for Dumbarton in all national competitions - the 18th Dumbarton player to break the 'double century'.
• The League match against Aberdeen on 22 September marked Joe Coyle's 200th appearance for Dumbarton in all national competitions - the 19th Dumbarton player to break the 'double century'.
• The League match against Rangers on 20 October marked Albert Craig's 100th appearance for Dumbarton in all national competitions - the 90th Dumbarton player to reach this milestone.

See also

• 1984–85 in Scottish football

External links

• Scottish Football Historical Archive