My Favourite Pars Matches

“79 years supporting the Mighty DAFC”, by JR.

Watching kick-off at East End! By August 1946, I`m deemed able enough to grace the old stand. Whence a life sentence watching the Pars!

So that`s me for 79 years.

Perhaps there is no one alive who can corroborate my three memories. 😉

1. From my Scrap Book - League Cup Semi-final - a diving header from Gerry Mayes to knock out Hibs (Smith Johnstone Reilly Turnbull and Ormond and all). So I still have my ticket (5 shillings/25NP - October 1949) for the Club`s first National Final, my first visit to Hampden, a crowd of 40,000 (still the highest ever between two Fife teams) and the disappointment of losing 3-0 to EAST FIFE! At the time they were 4th in the `A` division, we were 4th in the `B`.

But George Johnstone, our goalie`s father, had died shortly before the match, and Bobby Kirk was lying on the ground, clearly fouled and injured, just before their first goal. I still have photos and pen portraits of the whole team, and a card signed by all the players.

On the Sportsman`s Dinner circuit I used to extract some humour by referring to our unique, ace left-winger that day, one Stirton Smith. Imagine my surprise one time when a young lad called out, `Aye, he stays above my granny in Dalkeith!` We had a pleasant chat when I met Stirton a good few years ago outside a local Primary School. He was working as a Lollipop Man.

2. Also from the Scrap Book - 1951 - League Cup Quarter-final - 1st Leg: Dunfermline 1 Rangers 0. The first time I ever saw Rangers and I still have my handwritten details. I noted that we had ` a fine match`. This was the first all-ticket match at East End, a then record crowd of 20,000. We lost the return leg 3-1 before 44,000, also a record for us at the time. Clarkson missed a penalty, Mayes had a goal disallowed and Rangers’ winner was controversial (even Rangers fans thought dubious). What`s new? My notes tell me the score should have been 2-2!

3. 1964-65: I spent a year in Sweden teaching the natives English as a foreign language, missing our most successful season ever. Winners Fife Cup, QF in League Cup, 3rd round Fairs Cup, Runners-up Scottish Cup and 3rd in the League - closest we`ve been to winning top division.

A bonus was that I was able to be in Gothenburg when the Pars visited in October 1964. They were playing Orgryte in the Fairs Cup, 1st round, having won 4-2 at home. We played out a comfortable 0-0 draw on the night. I was well received all round. I knew John Lunn from our days representing Dunfermline Primary Schools Select and had known Bert Paton more recently from our sprint training sessions with Jock Thomson (Kenny`s Dad) who later worked with the Club. I shared a room with Jerry Kerr (Manager of Dundee United before Jim McLean), who was on a spying mission which heralded yet another Scandinavian invasion of Scotland.

He signed winger Orjan Persson from Orgryte and he went on to play for Rangers, plus 48 Caps for Sweden.

The Athletic players expected me to `show them around`. Fortunately I knew the Swedish for Nightclub. If you`re interested it`s `Nightclub`. At a certain point I was called over by an anguished, frustrated George Peebles, "Can you help? I don`t know what she`s saying." When I intervened, she replied, "Jag ar ledsen men jag talar inte Engelska." Says I,"George, she`s sorry but she doesn`t speak any English." Undeterred, George tries again,but I shall draw the veil over the rest of the story!