1983–84 Dumbarton F.C. season

Season 1983–84 was the 100th football season in which Dumbarton competed at a Scottish national level, entering the Scottish Football League for the 78th time, the Scottish Cup for the 89th time and the Scottish League Cup for the 37th time.

Dumbarton
1983–1984 season
ManagerBilly Lamont/ Davie Wilson
StadiumBoghead Park, Dumbarton
Scottish League Division 12nd
Scottish CupFourth Round
Scottish League CupFirst Round
Top goalscorerLeague: Joe Coyle (14)
All: Joe Coyle (15)
Highest home attendance3,000
Lowest home attendance400
Average home league attendance1,200

Overview

At the ninth time of asking, and in what was the club's 100th year of competitive football, Dumbarton managed to achieve that elusive promotion and a place in next season's Premier Division, although it was not to prove to be all 'plain sailing'. Indeed, after 6 games, with 3 wins it was looking like another average 'middle of the table' campaign. However an unbeaten run of 12 games was to follow changing the club's fortunes and Dumbarton were suddenly right up there with the 'front runners' - and then disaster struck! Billy Lamont resigned his managerial post to take up the reins at fellow Division 1 club Falkirk. Credit to Dumbarton that they had a new manager in Davie Wilson in place within two weeks, and the club guaranteed promotion with 2 games to play, although they were unable to catch champions Morton, who finished 3 points ahead.

In the Scottish Cup, after a fine win over Raith Rovers, Dumbarton lost to Division 1 'champions in waiting', Morton in the fourth round.

The League Cup format was again reorganised, with a first round being played before sectional games were introduced. However the first tie against Premier Division Hibernian was to prove too much of a hurdle to get over.

Locally, in the Stirlingshire Cup, Dumbarton released their grip on the trophy with a loss in the first round to Alloa.

Results & fixtures

[1]   Win   Draw   Loss

Scottish First Division
20 August 1983 First DivisionDumbarton2–0ClydebankBoghead Park
Coyle,T  35' Attendance: 1,789
Referee: A McMonigle
3 September 1983 First DivisionAyr United1–2DumbartonSomerset Park
McNaughton Bourke  1'
Coyle,J  33' (pen)		 Attendance: 1,015
Referee: W McLeish
10 September 1983 First DivisionDumbarton0–1Partick ThistleBoghead Park
Doyle  44' Attendance: 2,000
Referee: M Delaney
14 September 1983 First DivisionDumbarton1–2Brechin CityBoghead Park
McGowan,P Fleming
Eadie 		Attendance: 450
17 September 1983 First DivisionMeadowbank Thistle0–2DumbartonMeadowbank Stadium
Bourke
Coyle,J 		Attendance: 450
24 September 1983 First DivisionFalkirk4–1DumbartonBrockville Park
Grant  16'
Irvine  44'
Houston 		Coyle,J Attendance: 1,200
Referee: B McGinlay
28 September 1983 First DivisionDumbarton2–0HamiltonBoghead Park
Coyle,J  46' (pen)
Ashwood  77'		 Attendance: 400
1 October 1983 First DivisionDumbarton2–1Raith RoversBoghead Park
McNeil  11'
Ashwood  52'		 Kerr  4' Attendance: 550
Referee: A McGunnigle
8 October 1983 First DivisionMorton2–2DumbartonCappielow Park
Robertson  3'
Clinging  7'		 Bourke  29', 33' Attendance: 1,500
Referee: A Huett
15 October 1983 First DivisionDumbarton1–0ClydeBoghead Park
Ashwood  32' Attendance: 500
Referee: J Renton
22 October 1983 First DivisionKilmarnock2–2DumbartonRugby Park
McDicken
Bryson 		Ashwood
McNeil 		Attendance: 1,500
Referee: H Williamson
29 October 1983 First DivisionDumbarton1–1Alloa AthleticBoghead Park
Ashwood Purdie  44' Attendance: 700
Referee: W Crombie
5 November 1983 First DivisionAirdrie1–1DumbartonBroomfield Park
Sinclair Bourke  1' Attendance: 1,100
Referee: D Downie
12 November 1983 First DivisionBrechin City2–3DumbartonGlebe Park, Brechin
Elvin  14'
Hyslop 		Coyle,J  26' (pen)
Coyle,T  33'		 Attendance: 700
Referee: D Galloway
19 November 1983 First DivisionDumbarton0–0Meadowbank ThistleBoghead Park
Attendance: 600
Referee: B Robertson
26 November 1983 First DivisionDumbarton1–1MortonBoghead Park
Ashwood Robertson  5' Attendance: 1,500
Referee: H Young
3 December 1983 First DivisionRaith Rovers1–3DumbartonStarks Park
Smith Ashwood  32'
Bourke
Coyle,J 		Attendance: 750
10 December 1983 First DivisionDumbarton3–0FalkirkBoghead Park
McGowan,M
Coyle,J 		Attendance: 1,500
17 December 1983 First DivisionHamilton4–1DumbartonDouglas Park
Forsyth
Hutchenson  (pen)
McNaught
Kean 		Ashwood Attendance: 940
26 December 1983 First DivisionPartick Thistle1–0DumbartonFirhill Park
Buckley Attendance: 3,821
31 December 1983 First DivisionDumbarton2–1Ayr UnitedBoghead Park
Bourke  40'
Montgomerie 		Connor Attendance: 1,250
Referee: R Cathcart
2 January 1984 First DivisionClydebank0–2DumbartonKilbowie Park
Coyle,J  (pen)
Robertson 		Attendance: 1,040
7 January 1984 First DivisionDumbarton4–3KilmarnockBoghead Park
Coyle,T  21'
Ashwood  26'
Bourke  28'
Coyle,J 		McClurg  32', 46'
McGivern 		Attendance: 1,000
Referee: D Syme
4 February 1984 First DivisionDumbarton4–2AirdrieBoghead Park
Robertson
Crawley
Coyle,J
 (OG)		 Flood  30'
Yule  33'		 Attendance: 1,000
Referee: W Crombie
11 February 1984 First DivisionHamilton3–3DumbartonDouglas Park
Phillips
Forsyth  40'		 Bourke  2'
McNeil  47'
Robertson 		Attendance: 1,015
Referee: T Muirhead
21 February 1984 First DivisionAlloa Athletic1–0DumbartonRecreation Park, Alloa
Paterson  18' Attendance: 459
25 February 1984 First DivisionDumbarton3–1Raith RoversBoghead Park
Bourke  8'
Craig  42'		 Marshall  15' Attendance: 750
Referee: G Smith
29 February 1984 First DivisionClyde0–0DumbartonShawfield Stadium
Attendance: 970
3 March 1984 First DivisionDumbarton2–0FalkirkBoghead Park
Ashwood  57'
Coyle,J  59'		 Attendance: 1,050
Referee: B Robertson
10 March 1984 First DivisionKilmarnock0–0DumbartonRugby Park
Attendance: 1,140
Referee: D Yeats
17 March 1984 First DivisionDumbarton3–0Meadowbank ThistleBoghead Park
Bourke  16', 33'
Robertson  35'		 Attendance: 1,200
Referee: K Hope
24 March 1984 First DivisionPartick Thistle0–0DumbartonFirhill Park
Attendance: 4,156
Referee: H Alexander
31 March 1984 First DivisionDumbarton2–0Alloa AthleticBoghead Park
Ashwood  13'
McCaig 		Attendance: 1,000
Referee: A Ferguson
7 April 1984 First DivisionDumbarton2–1ClydebankBoghead Park
McCaig  8'
Coyle,T 		Given  40' (pen) Attendance: 978
Referee: T Muirhead
14 April 1984 First DivisionMorton2–0DumbartonCappielow Park
Rooney  25'
Doak 		Attendance: 3,850
Referee: J Duncan
21 April 1984 First DivisionBrechin City0–3DumbartonGlebe Park, Brechin
Coyle,T  34'
Coyle,J
McCaig 		Attendance: 700
Referee: A Waddell
28 April 1984 First DivisionDumbarton2–2ClydeBoghead Park
Craig
Coyle,T 		Docherty  30'
Deans 		Attendance: 2,900
Referee: L Thow
5 May 1984 First DivisionAirdrie1–4DumbartonBroomfield Park
Fairlie  10' Craig  15'
Walsh  17'
Ashwood 		Attendance: 2,000
Referee: D Galloway
12 May 1984 First DivisionDumbarton0–3Ayr UnitedBoghead Park
Connor  39', 45'
McNally 		Attendance: 3,000
Referee: D Downie

Scottish League Cup
Main article: 1983–84 Scottish League Cup
24 August 1983 League Cup R1(1)Hibernian5–0DumbartonEaster Road
Irvine
Clougherty  (OG)
Thomson 		Attendance: 2,193
27 August 1983 League Cup R1(2)Dumbarton1–2
(1–7 agg.)		HibernianBoghead Park
McGrogan Irvine  9'
Conroy 		Attendance: 760
Referee: B Robertson

Scottish Cup
Main article: 1983–84 Scottish Cup
6 February 1984 Cup R3Raith Rovers1–4DumbartonStarks Park
Smith Ashwood
Bourke
Coyle,J 		Attendance: 1,950
18 February 1984 Cup R4Morton2–1DumbartonCappielow Park
Pettigrew  43' Craig  41' Attendance: 3,383
Referee: L Thow

Stirlingshire Cup
10 August 1983 First RoundAlloa Athletic3–2DumbartonRecreation Park, Alloa
Paterson
Cole
Thompson 		McCaig
McGrogan

Pre-season matches
8 August 1983 FriendlyDumbarton1–3Hartlepool UnitedBoghead Park
17 August 1983 FriendlyDumbarton1–0Celtic XIBoghead Park
McGowan,P

League table
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion or relegation
1 Morton (C, P) 39 21 12 6 75 46 +29 54 Promotion to Premier Division
2 Dumbarton (P) 39 20 11 8 66 44 +22 51
3 Partick Thistle 39 19 8 12 67 50 +17 46
4 Clydebank 39 16 13 10 62 50 +12 45
5 Brechin City 39 14 14 11 56 58 −2 42
Source: RSSSF and statto[2]
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champion; (P) Promoted.

Player statistics

Squad
No. Pos Nat Player TotalFirst DivisionScottish CupLeague Cup
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
GK Tom Carson 4003701020
GK Jim Stewart 30201000
DF Martin McGowan 3513411000
DF Ray Montgomerie 4313912020
MF Albert Burnett 1408+401010
MF Joe Carson 50500000
MF Mark Clougherty 4103802010
MF Tommy Coyle 43738+172020
MF Albert Craig 30521+540+2120
MF Jim Hughes 200+10000+10
MF Dave McCaig 32310+1930+101+10
MF Donald McNeil 36331+132020
MF Stuart Robertson 28423+342000
MF David Stevenson 501+200020
FW Kenny Ashwood 331531132200
FW John Bourke 38143413211+10
FW Joe Coyle 411539142100
FW Gerry Crawley 29119+612020
FW Pat McGowan 23114+710020
FW Joe McGrogan 912+600011
FW Allan Moore 502+20000+10
FW Martin Walsh 211+110000

[3]

Transfers

Amongst those players joining and leaving the club were the following:[4]

Reserve team

Dumbarton competed in the Scottish Reserve League First Division (West), which was split into winter and spring series.

In the first series, of 12 fixtures, 6 were won and 3 drawn - and Dumbarton finished 5th of 13. In the second series, 4 games were won and 2 drawn of 10 ties - but the league was never completed.

Trivia
  • Between the league game against Raith Rovers on 25 February and the league game against Clydebank on 7 April, Tom Carson did not concede a single goal - a record of 655 minutes.
  • The League match against Hamilton on 11 February marked Pat McGowan's 100th appearance for Dumbarton in all national competitions - the 88th Dumbarton player to reach this milestone.
  • The League match against Raith Rovers on 25 February marked Donald McNeil's 200th appearance for Dumbarton in all national competitions - the 17th Dumbarton player to break the 'double century'.
gollark: You can find meaning in any code with effort.
gollark: No, just yellow/red.
gollark: Now I just need yellow, red and some other one for my evil plan.
gollark: Finally, swapped my white zyu for... a pink zyu.
gollark: Fish can catch a gold lunar herald... during the indigo times.

See also

References
  1. McAllister, Jim (2002). The Sons of the Rock - The Official History of Dumbarton Football Club. Dumbarton: J&J Robertson Printers.
  2. "Scottish Division One 1983-1984 Season Summary". statto.com. Archived from the original on 19 December 2014. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
  3. McAllister, Jim (2002). The Sons of the Rock - The Official History of Dumbarton Football Club. Dumbarton: J&J Robertson Printers.
  4. Litster, John. Record of Post-War Scottish League Players. Norwich: PM Publications.
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