1985–86 Dumbarton F.C. season

Season 1985–86 was the 102nd football season in which Dumbarton competed at a Scottish national level, entering the Scottish Football League for the 80th time, the Scottish Cup for the 91st time and the Scottish League Cup for the 39th time.

Dumbarton
1985–1986 season
ManagerDavie Wilson/ Alex Wright (caretaker)
StadiumBoghead Park, Dumbarton
Scottish League Division 16th
Scottish CupThird Round
Scottish League CupSecond Round
Top goalscorerLeague: Gerry McCoy (13)
All: Gerry McCoy (14)
Highest home attendance1,960
Lowest home attendance400
Average home league attendance1,170

Overview

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Dumbarton returned to the First Division as favourites for the title, and in mid October the team was sitting atop the league. However results took an inexplicable nosedive with 2 wins in 11 games, accounting for Davie Wilson's resignation at the beginning of February. Alex Wright took over as caretaker manager until the end of the season, and an initial run of only 2 defeats in 11 matches placed the club well clear in 2nd place with only 6 games remaining. However, 4 nervy defeats in those closing fixtures dropped Dumbarton to 6th place, 13 points behind champions Hamilton but only 2 points shy of 2nd placed Falkirk, and one of four clubs just missing out on a promotion spot.

In the Scottish Cup, Dumbarton lost embarrassingly to Second Division Queen's Park in the third round.

The League Cup was no better with another disappointing exit in the second round to Second Division Stirling Albion.

Locally, however, in the Stirlingshire Cup, there was something to smile about with the trophy returning to Boghead after a final win over Clydebank.

Finally, despite losing Premier Division status, Dumbarton were invited to participate in the annual televised indoor Tennent's Sixes tournament, as both Rangers and Celtic had declined to enter. After winning three of four qualifying matches, 1-0 vs St Mirren, 0-0 (4-3 on penalties) vs Dundee and 4-0 vs Manchester City and a 0-3 defeat to Hearts, Dumbarton suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat in the semi-final to the eventual tournament winners Aberdeen.

Results & fixtures

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[1]  Win   Draw   Loss

Scottish First Division

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10 August 1985 First Division Airdrie 0–2 Dumbarton Broomfield Park
McCoy   8'
Ashwood  
Attendance: 1,805
Referee: A Ferguson
17 August 1985 First Division Dumbarton 1–2 Partick Thistle Boghead Park
McCoy   64' Logan   12'
Law  
Attendance: 1,906
Referee: J McCluskey
24 August 1985 First Division Dumbarton 4–0 Alloa Athletic Boghead Park
Bourke   
McCoy   
Attendance: 900
Referee: R O'Donnell
31 August 1985 First Division Morton 1–2 Dumbarton Cappielow Park
Doak   McCoy  
MacIver  
Attendance: 1,106
7 September 1985 First Division Dumbarton 2–2 Hamilton Boghead Park
Moore   4'
McCoy  
Clarke   17'
Brogan   65'
Attendance: 1,490
Referee: H Alexander
14 September 1985 First Division Montrose 0–3 Dumbarton Links Park
MacIver   26'
McGowan  
Moore  
Attendance: 700
Referee: W Crombie
21 September 1985 First Division Dumbarton 2–0 Falkirk Boghead Park
Craig  
Bourke  
Attendance: 1,400
Referee: D Syme
28 September 1985 First Division Ayr United 0–1 Dumbarton Somerset Park
Moore   1' Attendance: 1,502
Referee: G Evans
5 October 1985 First Division Dumbarton 2–1 East Fife Boghead Park
McNeil  
MacIver  
Porter   34' Attendance: 1,800
Referee: G Cumming
12 October 1985 First Division Clyde 0–0 Dumbarton Shawfield Stadium
Attendance: 1,334
Referee: D Hope
19 October 1985 First Division Dumbarton 1–0 Kilmarnock Boghead Park
McCoy   Attendance: 1,500
Referee: J Duncan
26 October 1985 First Division Brechin City 3–1 Dumbarton Glebe Park, Brechin
Perry   35' (pen) 
Powell  
McCoy   Attendance: 800
Referee: J Renton
2 November 1985 First Division Dumbarton 1–1 Forfar Athletic Boghead Park
Bourke   Scott   Attendance: 1,200
Referee: R McLeish
9 November 1985 First Division Hamilton 6–1 Dumbarton Douglas Park
Clarke   3' 
Mitchell   28'
Watters   38'  
McCoy   26' Attendance: 1,544
Referee: A Waddell
16 November 1985 First Division Dumbarton 2–2 Montrose Boghead Park
McCoy  
MacIver  
Wright   23'
Allan   35'
Attendance: 1,150
Referee: J McGillvray
23 November 1985 First Division Falkirk 0–0 Dumbarton Brockville Park
Attendance: 2,300
Referee: C Sinclair
7 December 1985 First Division East Fife 1–0 Dumbarton Bayview Park, Methil
Murray   16' Attendance: 724
Referee: T Muirhead
14 December 1985 First Division Dumbarton 1–1 Clyde Boghead Park
MacIver   43' Ahern   Attendance: 1,000
Referee: D McVicar
21 December 1985 First Division Kilmarnock 1–4 Dumbarton Rugby Park
Bryson   15' Bourke   6' 
Coyle,T   9'
Craig   83'
Attendance: 2,042
Referee: M Delaney
1 January 1986 First Division Dumbarton 1–2 Morton Boghead Park
Docherty   (pen) Turner  
O'Hara  
Attendance: 1,800
18 January 1986 First Division Dumbarton 4–1 Brechin City Boghead Park
MacIver   23', 47'
Docherty   61' (pen)
McCahill  
Eadie   60' Attendance: 600
Referee: D Yeats
1 February 1986 First Division Forfar Athletic 4–0 Dumbarton Station Park, Forfar
Clarke   24' 
Brewster  
Scott  
Attendance: 666
Referee: K Hope
4 February 1986 First Division Alloa Athletic 2–4 Dumbarton Recreation Park, Alloa
Murray   25'
Thomson   73'
MacIver   9', 64'
Bourke   19', 24'
Attendance: 520
19 February 1986 First Division Dumbarton 1–1 Ayr United Boghead Park
Coyle,O   82' (pen) Sludden   35' Attendance: 500
Referee: D Syme
1 March 1986 First Division Dumbarton 2–3 East Fife Boghead Park
Moore   17'
Craig   89'
McCafferty   1'
Kirk   9'
Murray   85'
Attendance: 800
Referee: A Ferguson
5 March 1986 First Division Dumbarton 2–0 Ayr United Boghead Park
McCoy  
Coyle,T   89'
Attendance: 720
8 March 1986 First Division Partick Thistle 1–2 Dumbarton Firhill Park
Smith   6' Craig   27'
Coyle,O   64'
Attendance: 1,848
12 March 1986 First Division Dumbarton 3–0 Airdrie Boghead Park
Coyle,T   12'
Coyle,O    (pen)
Attendance: 1,016
15 March 1986 First Division Dumbarton 0–0 Clyde Boghead Park
Attendance: 800
Referee: G Sinclair
19 March 1986 First Division Partick Thistle 2–2 Dumbarton Firhill Park
Watson   65', 74' Colye,O   18'
McGowan,P   26'
Attendance: 1,713
25 March 1986 First Division Morton 1–0 Dumbarton Cappielow Park
Robertson   22' Attendance: 800
29 March 1986 First Division Dumbarton 2–1 Falkirk Boghead Park
McCoy   38'
Coyle,T   65'
Martin   12' Attendance: 1,410
Referee: D McVicar
5 April 1986 First Division Brechin City 1–1 Dumbarton Glebe Park, Brechin
Perry   McCoy   28' Attendance: 523
Referee: J Duncan
9 April 1986 First Division Dumbarton 0–2 Forfar Athletic Boghead Park
McKillop   17'
Farningham   62'
Attendance: 690
12 April 1986 First Division Airdrie 2–1 Dumbarton Broomfield Park
Flood   44'
Fairlie   85'
Craig   43' Attendance: 1,000
Referee: I Cathcart
15 April 1986 First Division Alloa Athletic 1–3 Dumbarton Recreation Park, Alloa
Smith   Coyle,T   
Craig  
Attendance: 400
19 April 1986 First Division Kilmarnock 3–0 Dumbarton Rugby Park
Bryson   20'
Clarke  
McGuire  
Attendance: 2,500
Referee: D Hope
26 April 1986 First Division Dumbarton 1–4 Hamilton Boghead Park
MacIver   23' Phillips   13'
Brogan   33', 40'
Clarke   89'
Attendance: 1,500
3 May 1986 First Division Montrose 0–0 Dumbarton Links Park
Attendance: 500
Referee: R Valentine

Skol Cup

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21 August 1985 League Cup round 2 Stirling Albion 1–1 (a.e.t.)
(4-2 p)
Dumbarton Annfield Stadium
Hoggan   McCoy   Attendance: 980

Scottish Cup

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25 January 1986 Cup round 3 Queen's Park 1–0 Dumbarton Hampden Park
Caven   65' Attendance: 1,733
Referee: I Cathcart
4 December 1985 Semi-final Dumbarton 0–0
(5-4 p)
Falkirk Boghead Park
9 March 1986 Final Dumbarton 2–1 Stirling Albion Boghead Park
Kay  
Coyle,O  
Moore  

Pre-season matches

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1 August 1985 Friendly Clydebank 3–0 Dumbarton Kilbowie Park
Larnach  
Moore  
McGhie  
6 August 1985 Friendly Dumbarton 1–1 St Mirren Boghead Park
Ashwood   Clark  

League table

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
4 Forfar Athletic 39 17 10 12 51 43 +8 44
5 East Fife 39 14 15 10 54 46 +8 43
6 Dumbarton 39 16 11 12 59 52 +7 43
7 Morton 39 14 11 14 57 63 −6 39
8 Partick Thistle 39 10 16 13 53 64 −11 36
Source: RSSSF and statto[2]
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.

Player statistics

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Squad

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[3]
No. Pos Nat Player Total First Division League Cup Scottish Cup
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
GK   SCO Gordon Arthur 40 0 38+0 0 1+0 0 1+0 0
GK   SCO Hugh Stevenson 1 0 1+0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0
DF   SCO Martin McGowan 20 0 19+0 0 0+0 0 1+0 0
DF   SCO Ray Montgomerie 26 0 22+2 0 1+0 0 1+0 0
DF   SCO Eric Schaedler 15 0 14+0 0 1+0 0 0+0 0
DF   SCO Mark Shanks 5 0 3+2 0 0+0 0 0+0 0
MF   SCO Mark Clougherty 38 0 37+0 0 0+0 0 1+0 0
MF   SCO Owen Coyle 16 5 11+5 5 0+0 0 0+0 0
MF   SCO Tommy Coyle 31 6 24+5 6 1+0 0 1+0 0
MF   SCO Albert Craig 34 6 29+3 6 1+0 0 1+0 0
MF   SCO Harry Curran 6 0 5+1 0 0+0 0 0+0 0
MF   SCO Danny Docherty 19 2 15+3 2 0+0 0 1+0 0
MF   SCO Alan Kay 22 0 19+2 0 1+0 0 0+0 0
MF   SCO Steve McCahill 21 1 19+0 1 1+0 0 1+0 0
MF   SCO Donald McNeil 17 1 16+0 1 1+0 0 0+0 0
MF   SCO Jackie Rafferty 6 0 6+0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0
MF   SCO Jim Simpson 7 0 3+4 0 0+0 0 0+0 0
MF   SCO Ken Thomson 5 0 4+1 0 0+0 0 0+0 0
FW   SCO Kenny Ashwood 2 1 2+0 1 0+0 0 0+0 0
FW   SCO John Bourke 28 8 25+2 8 0+0 0 1+0 0
FW   SCO Joe Coyle 2 0 2+0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0
FW   SCO Gerry Crawley 21 0 20+0 0 0+1 0 0+0 0
FW   SCO Stuart MacIver 31 10 13+16 10 0+1 0 1+0 0
FW   SCO Gerry McCoy 34 14 29+3 13 1+0 1 0+1 0
FW   SCO Pat McGowan 31 2 25+4 2 1+0 0 1+0 0
FW   SCO Allan Moore 34 4 26+7 4 1+0 0 0+0 0
FW   SCO Paul Taylor 2 0 1+1 0 0+0 0 0+0 0
FW   SCO Mark Williams 2 0 1+1 0 0+0 0 0+0 0

Transfers

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[4]

Reserve team

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Dumbarton competed in the Scottish Reserve League (West), winning 10 and drawing 5 of 18 matches finishing runners up to Airdrie.

In the Reserve League Cup Dumbarton lost in the second round to Celtic.

Trivia

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  • The League match against Partick Thistle on 17 August marked Ray Montgomerie's 100th appearance for Dumbarton in all national competitions - the 91st Dumbarton player to reach this milestone.
  • The League match against Clyde on 15 March marked Mark Clougherty's 200th appearance for Dumbarton in all national competitions - the 19th Dumbarton player to break the 'double century'.
  • Early in the season there was a tragic death in the playing staff - that of popular defender Eric Schaedler. Eric had been signed up in the close season and had become a firm favourite with the Dumbarton fans.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Scottish Football League Review 1986-87. The Scottish Football League. 1987.
  2. ^ "Scottish Division One 1985-1986 Season Summary". statto.com. Archived from the original on 20 December 2014. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
  3. ^ Scottish Football League Review 1986-87. The Scottish Football League. 1987.
  4. ^ Litster, John. Record of Post-War Scottish League Players. Norwich: PM Publications.
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