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.

Overview

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

^[1]  Win   Draw   Loss

Scottish First Division

Airdrie v Dumbarton

10 August 1985 First Division	Airdrie	0–2	Dumbarton	Broomfield Park
			McCoy 8' Ashwood	Attendance: 1,805 Referee: A Ferguson

Dumbarton v Partick Thistle

17 August 1985 First Division	Dumbarton	1–2	Partick Thistle	Boghead Park
	McCoy 64'		Logan 12' Law	Attendance: 1,906 Referee: J McCluskey

Dumbarton v Alloa Athletic

24 August 1985 First Division	Dumbarton	4–0	Alloa Athletic	Boghead Park
	Bourke McCoy			Attendance: 900 Referee: R O'Donnell

Morton v Dumbarton

31 August 1985 First Division	Morton	1–2	Dumbarton	Cappielow Park
	Doak		McCoy MacIver	Attendance: 1,106

Dumbarton v Hamilton

7 September 1985 First Division	Dumbarton	2–2	Hamilton	Boghead Park
	Moore 4' McCoy		Clarke 17' Brogan 65'	Attendance: 1,490 Referee: H Alexander

Montrose v Dumbarton

14 September 1985 First Division	Montrose	0–3	Dumbarton	Links Park
			MacIver 26' McGowan Moore	Attendance: 700 Referee: W Crombie

Dumbarton v Falkirk

21 September 1985 First Division	Dumbarton	2–0	Falkirk	Boghead Park
	Craig Bourke			Attendance: 1,400 Referee: D Syme

Ayr United v Dumbarton

28 September 1985 First Division	Ayr United	0–1	Dumbarton	Somerset Park
			Moore 1'	Attendance: 1,502 Referee: G Evans

Dumbarton v East Fife

5 October 1985 First Division	Dumbarton	2–1	East Fife	Boghead Park
	McNeil MacIver		Porter 34'	Attendance: 1,800 Referee: G Cumming

Dumbarton v Kilmarnock

19 October 1985 First Division	Dumbarton	1–0	Kilmarnock	Boghead Park
	McCoy			Attendance: 1,500 Referee: J Duncan

Brechin City v Dumbarton

26 October 1985 First Division	Brechin City	3–1	Dumbarton	Glebe Park, Brechin
	Perry 35' (pen) Powell		McCoy	Attendance: 800 Referee: J Renton

Dumbarton v Forfar Athletic

2 November 1985 First Division	Dumbarton	1–1	Forfar Athletic	Boghead Park
	Bourke		Scott	Attendance: 1,200 Referee: R McLeish

Hamilton v Dumbarton

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

Dumbarton v Montrose

16 November 1985 First Division	Dumbarton	2–2	Montrose	Boghead Park
	McCoy MacIver		Wright 23' Allan 35'	Attendance: 1,150 Referee: J McGillvray

East Fife v Dumbarton

7 December 1985 First Division	East Fife	1–0	Dumbarton	Bayview Park, Methil
	Murray 16'			Attendance: 724 Referee: T Muirhead

Dumbarton v Clyde

14 December 1985 First Division	Dumbarton	1–1	Clyde	Boghead Park
	MacIver 43'		Ahern	Attendance: 1,000 Referee: D McVicar

Kilmarnock v Dumbarton

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

Dumbarton v Morton

1 January 1986 First Division	Dumbarton	1–2	Morton	Boghead Park
	Docherty (pen)		Turner O'Hara	Attendance: 1,800

Dumbarton v Brechin City

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

Forfar Athletic v Dumbarton

1 February 1986 First Division	Forfar Athletic	4–0	Dumbarton	Station Park, Forfar
	Clarke 24' Brewster Scott			Attendance: 666 Referee: K Hope

Alloa Athletic v Dumbarton

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

Dumbarton v Ayr United

19 February 1986 First Division	Dumbarton	1–1	Ayr United	Boghead Park
	Coyle,O 82' (pen)		Sludden 35'	Attendance: 500 Referee: D Syme

Dumbarton v East Fife

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

Dumbarton v Ayr United

5 March 1986 First Division	Dumbarton	2–0	Ayr United	Boghead Park
	McCoy Coyle,T 89'			Attendance: 720

Partick Thistle v Dumbarton

8 March 1986 First Division	Partick Thistle	1–2	Dumbarton	Firhill Park
	Smith 6'		Craig 27' Coyle,O 64'	Attendance: 1,848

Dumbarton v Airdrie

12 March 1986 First Division	Dumbarton	3–0	Airdrie	Boghead Park
	Coyle,T 12' Coyle,O (pen)			Attendance: 1,016

Partick Thistle v Dumbarton

19 March 1986 First Division	Partick Thistle	2–2	Dumbarton	Firhill Park
	Watson 65', 74'		Colye,O 18' McGowan,P 26'	Attendance: 1,713

Morton v Dumbarton

25 March 1986 First Division	Morton	1–0	Dumbarton	Cappielow Park
	Robertson 22'			Attendance: 800

Dumbarton v Falkirk

29 March 1986 First Division	Dumbarton	2–1	Falkirk	Boghead Park
	McCoy 38' Coyle,T 65'		Martin 12'	Attendance: 1,410 Referee: D McVicar

Brechin City v Dumbarton

5 April 1986 First Division	Brechin City	1–1	Dumbarton	Glebe Park, Brechin
	Perry		McCoy 28'	Attendance: 523 Referee: J Duncan

Dumbarton v Forfar Athletic

9 April 1986 First Division	Dumbarton	0–2	Forfar Athletic	Boghead Park
			McKillop 17' Farningham 62'	Attendance: 690

Airdrie v Dumbarton

12 April 1986 First Division	Airdrie	2–1	Dumbarton	Broomfield Park
	Flood 44' Fairlie 85'		Craig 43'	Attendance: 1,000 Referee: I Cathcart

Alloa Athletic v Dumbarton

15 April 1986 First Division	Alloa Athletic	1–3	Dumbarton	Recreation Park, Alloa
	Smith		Coyle,T Craig	Attendance: 400

Kilmarnock v Dumbarton

19 April 1986 First Division	Kilmarnock	3–0	Dumbarton	Rugby Park
	Bryson 20' Clarke McGuire			Attendance: 2,500 Referee: D Hope

Dumbarton v Hamilton

26 April 1986 First Division	Dumbarton	1–4	Hamilton	Boghead Park
	MacIver 23'		Phillips 13' Brogan 33', 40' Clarke 89'	Attendance: 1,500

Skol Cup

Stirling Albion v Dumbarton

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

Queen's Park v Dumbarton

25 January 1986 Cup round 3	Queen's Park	1–0	Dumbarton	Hampden Park
	Caven 65'			Attendance: 1,733 Referee: I Cathcart

Stirlingshire Cup

Dumbarton v Stirling Albion

9 March 1986 Final	Dumbarton	2–1	Stirling Albion	Boghead Park
	Kay Coyle,O		Moore

Pre-season matches

Clydebank v Dumbarton

1 August 1985 Friendly	Clydebank	3–0	Dumbarton	Kilbowie Park
	Larnach Moore McGhie

Dumbarton v St Mirren

6 August 1985 Friendly	Dumbarton	1–1	St Mirren	Boghead Park
	Ashwood		Clark

League table

Player statistics

Squad

^[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

^[4]

Players in Player From Date Eric Schaedler Hibernian 6 Jul 1985 Jackie Rafferty Shamrock BC 12 Jul 1985 Gerry McCoy Falkirk 13 Jul 1985 Hugh Stevenson Clackmannan 20 Jul 1985 Ken Thomson Campsie Black Watch 20 Jul 1985 Mark Williams East Fife 5 Oct 1985 Paul Taylor Mansfield Town 24 Oct 1985 Danny Docherty Morton 26 Oct 1985 Mark Shanks Ayr United 9 Nov 1985

Players out Player To Date David McCaig East Fife 23 Jul 1985 Stuart Robertson Falkirk 7 Aug 1985 Kenny Ashwood Ayr United 7 Sep 1985 Joe Coyle Morton 26 Oct 1985 Jim Simpson Morton 26 Oct 1985 Mark Williams Bognor Regis Town

Reserve team

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

• 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

• 1985–86 in Scottish football

References

External links

• Ken Thomson (Dumbarton Football Club Historical Archive)
• Mark Williams (Dumbarton Football Club Historical Archive)
• Scottish Football Historical Archive