1978–79 Dumbarton F.C. season
Dumbarton 1978–1979 football season
| 1978–1979 season | |
|---|---|
| Manager | Davie Wilson |
| Stadium | Boghead Park, Dumbarton |
| Scottish League Division 1 | 7th |
| Scottish Cup | Fifth Round |
| Scottish League Cup | First Round |
| Top goalscorer | League: Raymond Blair (9) All: Raymond Blair (10) |
| Highest home attendance | 3,000 |
| Lowest home attendance | 300 |
| Average home league attendance | 1,405 |
Season 1978–79 was the 95th football season in which Dumbarton competed at a Scottish national level, entering the Scottish Football League for the 73rd time, the Scottish Cup for the 84th time and the Scottish League Cup for the 32nd time.
Overview
For the fourth year in a row, Dumbarton played league football in Division 1, and after the previous season's performances, confidence was high. However, as it took 7 games to register the first league win early hopes were dashed and a disappointing 7th-place finish was achieved.
In the Scottish Cup, for a second year running it was Partick Thistle that were the fifth round opponents and as in the previous year Dumbarton were to lose out.
In the League Cup, in the straight knock-out format, Dumbarton were to draw Premier Division St Mirren in the first round, and were to fall to a two-goal defeat at Love Street after a home no-scoring draw.
Locally, in the Stirlingshire Cup, Dumbarton were once again defeated by local rivals Clydebank, this time in the final.
Finally, Laurie Williams was given a testimonial for his 10 years of service to the club, and he captained Dumbarton against a Scottish League Select - the result being a 1-1 draw with Williams himself scoring the equalising penalty for Dumbarton.
Results & fixtures
Win Draw Loss
Scottish First Division
Arbroath v Dumbarton
| 12 August 1978 Scottish Division 1 | Arbroath | 1-1 | Dumbarton | Gayfield Park |
Mylles  46' | Blair 23' | Attendance: 1,156 Referee: A Waddell |
Dumbarton v Stirling Albion
| 19 August 1978 Scottish Division 1 | Dumbarton | 0-1 | Stirling Albion | Boghead Park |
| Armstrong 89' | Attendance: 1,500 Referee: A Ferguson |
Clydebank v Dumbarton
| 26 August 1978 Scottish Division 1 | Clydebank | 1-1 | Dumbarton | Kilbowie Park |
| Miller 50' | Brown 14' | Attendance: 2,000 Referee: P Robinson |
Kilmarnock v Dumbarton
| 6 September 1978 Scottish Division 1 | Kilmarnock | 0-0 | Dumbarton | Rugby Park |
| Attendance: 2,500 Referee: D Syme |
Dumbarton v Airdrie
| 9 September 1978 Scottish Division 1 | Dumbarton | 1-1 | Airdrie | Boghead Park |
| McNeil 48' | McCann 68' | Attendance: 2,000 Referee: K Stewart |
Clyde v Dumbarton
| 13 September 1978 Scottish Division 1 | Clyde | 1-0 | Dumbarton | Shawfield Stadium |
| Ahern 32' (pen) | Attendance: 1,200 Referee: D Ramsay |
Ayr United v Dumbarton
| 16 September 1978 Scottish Division 1 | Ayr United | 2-5 | Dumbarton | Somerset Park |
| McLelland 44' Phillips 48' | MacLeod,M 50' Whiteford,D 51', 65', 76'Muir 71' | Attendance: 2,146 Referee: J Walsh |
Dumbarton v Hamilton
| 23 September 1978 Scottish Division 1 | Dumbarton | 2-0 | Hamilton | Boghead Park |
| Whiteford,D 43' Fyfe 75' | Attendance: 1,000 Referee: J Renton |
Dumbarton v Dundee
| 27 September 1978 Scottish Division 1 | Dumbarton | 0-0 | Dundee | Boghead Park |
| Attendance: 1,700 |
Dumbarton v Montrose
| 30 September 1978 Scottish Division 1 | Dumbarton | 4-1 | Montrose | Boghead Park |
| Fyfe 3' McCluskey 7' (pen)Gallacher 11'McNeil 24' | Georgeson 35' | Attendance: 2,000 |
Raith Rovers v Dumbarton
| 7 October 1978 Scottish Division 1 | Raith Rovers | 0-0 | Dumbarton | Starks Park |
| Attendance: 2,720 Referee: E Pringle |
Dumbarton v St Johnstone
| 14 October 1978 Scottish Division 1 | Dumbarton | 2-0 | St Johnstone | Boghead Park |
| Whiteford,D 61' McLean 69' | Attendance: 1,500 |
St Johnstone v Dumbarton
| 21 October 1978 Scottish Division 1 | St Johnstone | 0-2 | Dumbarton | Palmerston Park |
| McCluskey (pen) Blair | Attendance: 1,000 Referee: K Hope |
Stirling Albion v Dumbarton
| 28 October 1978 Scottish Division 1 | Stirling Albion | 1-1 | Dumbarton | Annfield Stadium |
| Browning 79' (pen) | Fyfe 9' | Attendance: 1,400 Referee: T Kellock |
Dumbarton v Clydebank
| 4 November 1978 Scottish Division 1 | Dumbarton | 1-2 | Clydebank | Boghead Park |
| McLean 78' | Given 15' Miller 28' | Attendance: 5,000 Referee: D Murdoch |
Airdrie v Dumbarton
| 11 November 1978 Scottish Division 1 | Airdrie | 3-6 | Dumbarton | Broomfield Park |
| Goldthorp 44' Clark 64' (pen), 72' | Muir 4' McCluskey 12' (pen)Coyle,J 39'Blair 65', 71', 85' | Attendance: 1,500 |
Dumbarton v Ayr United
| 18 November 1978 Scottish Division 1 | Dumbarton | 2-0 | Ayr United | Boghead Park |
| Fyfe 67' B;air 79' | Attendance: 2,500 Referee: C White |
Hamilton v Dumbarton
| 25 November 1978 Scottish Division 1 | Hamilton | 5-0 | Dumbarton | Douglas Park |
| Graham 27' Clark 29', 49'Wright 57'Glavin 73' | Attendance: 1,500 Referee: A Harris |
Dumbarton v Raith Rovers
| 9 December 1978 Scottish Division 1 | Dumbarton | 1-3 | Raith Rovers | Boghead Park |
| Houston 71' (OG) | Harrow 19' Pettie 33'McDonagh 58' | Attendance: 800 Referee: T Muirhead |
St Johnstone v Dumbarton
| 16 December 1978 Scottish Division 1 | St Johnstone | 2-2 | Dumbarton | Muirton Park |
| Brannagan 51' Thomas 69' | Sharp 10' Blair 50' | Attendance: 1,537 Referee: M Delaney |
Arbroath v Dumbarton
| 3 March 1979 Scottish Division 1 | Arbroath | 1-1 | Dumbarton | Gayfield Park |
| Yule 64' | Blair 74' | Attendance: 663 Referee: W Knowles |
Dumbarton v Kilmarnock
| 13 March 1979 Scottish Division 1 | Dumbarton | 0-3 | Kilmarnock | Boghead Park |
| Cairney 23' Bourke 29'Maxwell 49' (pen) | Attendance: 2,000 |
Dumbarton v Clyde
| 17 March 1979 Scottish Division 1 | Dumbarton | 3-0 | Clyde | Boghead Park |
| McNeil 21' MacLeod,A 34'Blair 83' | Attendance: 1,000 |
St Johnstone v Dumbarton
| 20 March 1979 Scottish Division 1 | St Johnstone | 2-2 | Dumbarton | Muirton Park |
| Ward Lawson | Whiteford,J (pen) Sinclair | Attendance: 1,360 |
Dundee v Dumbarton
| 24 March 1979 Scottish Division 1 | Dundee | 2-0 | Dumbarton | Dens Park |
| Shirra 37' Pirie 82' (pen) | Attendance: 5,547 Referee: R Cuthill |
Dumbarton v Raith Rovers
| 28 March 1979 Scottish Division 1 | Dumbarton | 3-0 | Raith Rovers | Boghead Park |
| Whiteford,J 2', 56', 81' | Attendance: 500 Referee: E Pringle |
Dumbarton v Arbroath
| 31 March 1979 Scottish Division 1 | Dumbarton | 0-1 | Arbroath | Boghead Park |
| Mylles 27' | Attendance: 450 Referee: D Syme |
Dumbarton v Clyde
| 4 April 1979 Scottish Division 1 | Dumbarton | 0-0 | Clyde | Boghead Park |
| Attendance: 700 |
Dumbarton v Dundee
| 7 April 1979 Scottish Division 1 | Dumbarton | 3-2 | Dundee | Boghead Park |
| Gallacher,B 6', 61' Brown 44' | Pirie 1' Redford 77' | Attendance: 1,500 Referee: D Downie |
Montrose v Dumbarton
| 4 April 1979 Scottish Division 1 | Montrose | 2-1 | Dumbarton | Links Park |
| Robb 55', 72' | Gallacher,B 2' | Attendance: 800 Referee: A Waddell |
Dumbarton v Hamilton
| 16 April 1979 Scottish Division 1 | Dumbarton | 3-0 | Hamilton | Boghead Park |
| Fyfe 15', 88' Brown 15' | Attendance: 1,700 |
Ayr United v Dumbarton
| 18 April 1979 Scottish Division 1 | Ayr United | 1-0 | Dumbarton | Somerset Park |
| McLaughlin 9' (pen) | Attendance: 2,000 Referee: D Syme |
Queen of the South v Dumbarton
| 21 April 1979 Scottish Division 1 | Queen of the South | 1-3 | Dumbarton | Palmerston Park |
| Coughlin 65' | Whiteford,D 26' Fyfe 27'Gallacher,B 48' | Attendance: 400 Referee: M Delaney |
Clydebank v Dumbarton
| 25 April 1979 Scottish Division 1 | Clydebank | 3-1 | Dumbarton | Kilbowie Park |
| McDougall 9' McCormick 26' (pen), 36' | Sinclair 5' | Attendance: 2,000 Referee: I Foote |
Dumbarton v Kilmarnock
| 28 April 1979 Scottish Division 1 | Dumbarton | 1-3 | Kilmarnock | Boghead Park |
| Findlay 80' | Cairney 14' Gibson 51'Bourke 78' | Attendance: 3,000 Referee: A Ferguson |
Dumbarton v Airdrie
| 2 May 1979 Scottish Division 1 | Dumbarton | 0-1 | Airdrie | Boghead Park |
| McKeown 70' | Attendance: 500 |
Dumbarton v Queen of the South
| 5 May 1979 Scottish Division 1 | Dumbarton | 4-1 | Queen of the South | Boghead Park |
| Gallacher,B 21', 83' Brown 26'Coyle,J 70' | Coughlin 49' | Attendance: 300 |
Dumbarton v Stirling Albion
| 7 May 1979 Scottish Division 1 | Dumbarton | 0-2 | Stirling Albion | Boghead Park |
| McPhie Armstrong | Attendance: 400 |
Montrose v Dumbarton
| 9 May 1979 Scottish Division 1 | Montrose | 0-2 | Dumbarton | Links Park |
| Gallacher,B 19' Whiteford,D 83' | Attendance: 400 Referee: E Pringle |
Scottish Cup
Dumbarton v Alloa Athletic
| 19 February 1979 Scottish Cup round 3 | Dumbarton | 1–0 | Alloa Athletic | Boghead Park |
| Gallacher,B 89' | Attendance: 1,000 Referee: D Murdoch |
Dumbarton v Clydebank
| 24 February 1979 Scottish Cup round 3 | Dumbarton | 3–1 | Clydebank | Boghead Park |
| Sharp 2', 78' Blair 81' | McDougall 32' | Attendance: 3,000 Referee: J Renton |
Dumbarton v Partick Thistle
| 10 March 1979 Scottish Cup round 3 | Dumbarton | 0–1 | Partick Thistle | Boghead Park |
| Anderson 83' | Attendance: 6,300 Referee: G Smith |
Scottish League Cup
Dumbarton v St Mirren
| 16 August 1978 Scottish League Cup round 1(1) | Dumbarton | 0–0 | St Mirren | Boghead Park |
| Attendance: 4,000 Referee: K Hope |
St Mirren v Dumbarton
| 16 August 1978 Scottish League Cup round 1(2) | St Mirren | 2–0 (2–0 agg.) | Dumbarton | Love Street (stadium) |
| Bone 8', 43' | Attendance: 5,000 Referee: K Hope |
Stirlingshire Cup
Falkirk v Dumbarton
| 11 February 1979 Semi Final | Falkirk | 0–1 | Dumbarton | Brockville Park |
| Coyle,T 25' |
Clydebank v Dumbarton
| 11 May 1979 Final | Clydebank | 1–0 | Dumbarton | Kilbowie Park |
|
Pre-season/Other Matches
Clachnacuddin v Dumbarton
| 29 July 1978 Friendly | Clachnacuddin | 0-3 | Dumbarton | Grant Street Park |
| Gallacher,B 48' Fyfe 64'Govan 84' | Attendance: 500 |
Nairn County v Dumbarton
| 31 July 1978 Friendly | Nairn County | 1-3 | Dumbarton | Nairn |
| McIntosh 86' | Blair 22', 40' Gallacher,B 27' |
Ross County v Dumbarton
| 1 August 1978 Friendly | Ross County | 2-7 | Dumbarton | Victoria Park, Dingwall |
| Creaney Macdonald | Whiteford,D Brown MacLeod,M Fyfe Gallacher,B |
Dumbarton v Scottish League XI
| 23 October 1978 Testimonial | Dumbarton | 1-1[1] (3–5 p) | Scottish League XI | Boghead Park |
| Williams (pen) | Glavin (pen) | Attendance: 4,000 |
Airdrie v Dumbarton
| 19 January 1979 Friendly | Airdrie | 2-2 | Dumbarton | Inverclyde |
| Fyfe Gallacher,B | Attendance: CD |
League table
| Pos | Team
| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Hamilton Academical | 39 | 17 | 9 | 13 | 63 | 61 | +2 | 43 |
| 6 | Airdrieonians | 39 | 16 | 8 | 15 | 72 | 61 | +11 | 40 |
| 7 | Dumbarton | 39 | 14 | 11 | 14 | 58 | 50 | +8 | 39 |
| 8 | Stirling Albion | 39 | 13 | 9 | 17 | 43 | 55 | −12 | 35 |
| 9 | Clyde | 39 | 13 | 8 | 18 | 54 | 65 | −11 | 34 |
Source: RSSSF and statto[2]
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Player statistics
Squad
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | First Division | Scottish Cup | League Cup | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||
| GK |  SCO | Donald Hunter | 18 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| GK | SCO | Laurie Williams | 26 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| DF | SCO | Rob Campbell | 12 | 0 | 11+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| DF | SCO | Willie Russell | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| MF | SCO | Iain Anderson | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| MF | SCO | Tommy Coyle | 13 | 0 | 7+6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| MF | SCO | Pat McCluskey | 43 | 3 | 38 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| MF | SCO | John Gallacher | 44 | 0 | 39 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| MF | SCO | Hugh McLean | 18 | 2 | 15+2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | |
| MF | SCO | Ally MacLeod | 33 | 1 | 28+4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| MF | SCO | Donald McNeil | 27 | 3 | 22 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| MF | SCO | Jim Muir | 11 | 2 | 9+2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| MF | SCO | Joe Rowan | 3 | 0 | 0+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| MF | SCO | Graeme Sinclair | 32 | 2 | 27+1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| MF | SCO | Derek Whiteford | 32 | 7 | 21+7 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| FW | SCO | Raymond Blair | 31 | 10 | 26 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
| FW | SCO | Ally Brown | 35 | 4 | 25+5 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| FW | SCO | Joe Coyle | 33 | 2 | 25+4 | 2 | 2+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| FW | SCO | Gerry Findlay | 11 | 1 | 8+3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| FW | SCO | Graham Fyfe | 36 | 7 | 26+7 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| FW | SCO | Brian Gallacher | 37 | 9 | 32 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
| FW | SCO | Dave Govan | 2 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| FW | SCO | Murdo MacLeod | 17 | 1 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| FW | SCO | Graeme Sharp | 8 | 3 | 4+2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| FW | SCO | Jocky Whiteford | 16 | 4 | 13+3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
International Caps
Murdo MacLeod was selected to play for the Scottish Under 21 team in a friendly match against USA on 17 September 1978 played at Pittodrie Park (won by Scotland 3-1 and in which he scored one of the goals) and in a qualifying match for the European Under 21 Championships against Norway on 24 October 1978 played at Easter Road Stadium (won by Scotland 5-1).
Transfers
Players in
| Players out
|
Reserve team
Dumbarton competed in the Scottish Reserve League First Division (West).
In the Scottish Second XI Cup, Dumbarton lost to Morton in the first round, and in the Reserve League Cup, Dumbarton lost to Partick Thistle, on aggregate, in the first round.
Trivia
- The League match against Clyde on 13 September marked Murdo MacLeod's 100th appearance for Dumbarton in all national competitions - the 76th Dumbarton player to reach this milestone.
- The League match against Montrose on 30 September marked Donald McNeil's 100th appearance for Dumbarton in all national competitions - the 77th Dumbarton player to reach this milestone.
- The League match against Raith Rovers on 9 December marked Graeme Sinclair's 100th appearance for Dumbarton in all national competitions - the 78th Dumbarton player to reach this milestone.
- The fee of £100,000 received for Murdo MacLeod's transfer to Celtic at the end of October broke the record set by Ian Wallace's departure two seasons earlier.
See also
References
- ^ Testimonal for Laurie Williams.
- ^ "Scottish Division One 1978-1979 Season Summary". statto.com. Archived from the original on 18 December 2014. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
- ^ McAllister, Jim (2002). The Sons of the Rock - The Official History of Dumbarton Football Club. Dumbarton: J&J Robertson Printers.
- ^ Litster, John. Record of Post-War Scottish League Players. Norwich: PM Publications.
External links
- Willie Russell (Dumbarton Football Club Historical Archive)
- Iain Anderson (Dumbarton Football Club Historical Archive)
- Joe Rowan (Dumbarton Football Club Historical Archive)
- Gerry Findlay (Dumbarton Football Club Historical Archive)
- Dave Govan (Dumbarton Football Club Historical Archive)
- Scottish Football Historical Archive
