Season 1979–80 was the 96th football season in which Dumbarton competed at a Scottish national level, entering the Scottish Football League for the 74th time, the Scottish Cup for the 85th time and the Scottish League Cup for the 33rd time.
| 1979–1980 season | |
|---|---|
| Manager | Davie Wilson |
| Stadium | Boghead Park, Dumbarton |
| Scottish League Division 1 | 4th |
| Scottish Cup | Third Round |
| Scottish League Cup | First Round |
| Top goalscorer | League: Graeme Sharp (15) All: Graeme Sharp (15) |
| Highest home attendance | 4,500 |
| Lowest home attendance | 500 |
| Average home league attendance | 1,560 |
Overview edit
For the fifth year running, Dumbarton played league football in Division 1, and after a promising start to the campaign, there was a real feeling that promotion could be achieved, particularly with the club topping the division at Christmas. However, a run of 7 games where only one win was registered, damped spirits, and following a 1-4 defeat to Arbroath, manager Davie Wilson was sacked. Nevertheless, with John Cushley as caretaker manager, 3 wins in the last 3 matches were sufficient to secure 4th place.
In the Scottish Cup, Dumbarton lost out to fellow Division 1 opponents Ayr United.
Similarly in the League Cup, Dumbarton were to fall at the first hurdle to St Johnstone.
Locally, in the Stirlingshire Cup, Dumbarton had to give second-best to local rivals Clydebank in the semi-final in a penalty shoot out after a drawn match.
Note that at the start of the season, Dumbarton embarked on a tour of Ireland which took in 3 matches, all of which were won.
Results & fixtures edit
Win Draw Loss
Scottish First Division edit
| 11 August 1979 Scottish Division 1 | Ayr United | 1-2 | Dumbarton | Somerset Park |
McLaughlin  |
Sharp 7', 23' |
Attendance: 2,647 Referee: K Stewart |
| 18 August 1979 Scottish Division 1 | Dumbarton | 3-2 | Hamilton | Boghead Park |
| Gallacher,B 21' Sharp 33'Blair |
Deeney Graham |
Attendance: 1,000 Referee: D Murdoch |
| 25 August 1979 Scottish Division 1 | Clydebank | 2-1 | Dumbarton | Kilbowie Park |
| Sweeney 36' Miller |
Whiteford,D |
Attendance: 2,000 Referee: A McFaul |
| 1 September 1979 Scottish Division 1 | Dumbarton | 4-1 | Berwick Rangers | Boghead Park |
| Gallacher,B 5' Blair 14'Sharp 39' |
Tait |
Attendance: 1,000 Referee: L Thow |
| 5 September 1979 Scottish Division 1 | Clyde | 0-2 | Dumbarton | Shawfield Stadium |
| Brogan 15' (OG) Gallacher,B 77' |
Attendance: 1,000 |
| 8 September 1979 Scottish Division 1 | Dumbarton | 1-2 | Stirling Albion | Boghead Park |
| Gallacher,B |
Armstrong (pen) Kennedy,A |
Attendance: 1,200 Referee: F McKenzie |
| 15 September 1979 Scottish Division 1 | Airdrie | 1-0 | Dumbarton | Broomfield Park |
| McClymont 18' |
Attendance: 2,000 Referee: E Pringle |
| 19 September 1979 Scottish Division 1 | Dunfermline Athletic | 1-3 | Dumbarton | East End Park |
| Leonard 23' |
Sharp 23', 85' Whiteford,D 68' |
Attendance: 2,456 |
| 22 September 1979 Scottish Division 1 | Dumbarton | 1-0 | Arbroath | Boghead Park |
| Coyle,J 12' |
Attendance: 900 Referee: B McGinlay |
| 29 September 1979 Scottish Division 1 | Motherwell | 3-0 | Dumbarton | Fir Park |
| irvine 28' Clinging 33'McLaughlin 67' |
Attendance: 3,501 Referee: E Pringle |
| 6 October 1979 Scottish Division 1 | Dumbarton | 1-1 | Hearts | Boghead Park |
| Sinclair 35' (OG) |
McCluskey |
Attendance: 3,500 Referee: F McKenzie |
| 13 October 1979 Scottish Division 1 | Dumbarton | 4-2 | Raith Rovers | Boghead Park |
| McCluskey 6' Blair |
Wallace 52' Ford |
Attendance: 2,000 Referee: T Muirhead |
| 20 October 1979 Scottish Division 1 | St Johnstone | 2-4 | Dumbarton | Muirton Park |
| Brannigan 39' Lawson |
Gallacher,B 8' Sharp 15'Blair 35'Coyle,J |
Attendance: 2,056 Referee: L Thow |
| 27 October 1979 Scottish Division 1 | Hamilton | 1-0 | Dumbarton | Douglas Park |
| McCulloch |
Attendance: 3,000 Referee: R Cuthill |
| 3 November 1979 Scottish Division 1 | Dumbarton | 1-0 | Clydebank | Boghead Park |
| Sharp |
Attendance: 1,200 Referee: J Timmons |
| 10 November 1979 Scottish Division 1 | Stirling Albion | 2-3 | Dumbarton | Annfield Stadium |
| Irvine 3' Kennedy 34' |
McCluskey 36' (pen) Sharp |
Attendance: 1,000 Referee: I Foote |
| 17 November 1979 Scottish Division 1 | Airdrie | 0-0 | Dumbarton | Broomfield Park |
| Attendance: 3,500 Referee: A Harris |
| 24 November 1979 Scottish Division 1 | Dumbarton | 2-1 | Dunfermline Athletic | Boghead Park |
| Gallacher,B 45' Sharp 57' |
O'Brien 50' |
Attendance: 1,200 |
| 1 December 1979 Scottish Division 1 | Dumbarton | 1-1 | Motherwell | Boghead Park |
| Gallacher,B 43' (pen) |
McLaughlin 52' (pen) |
Attendance: 2,000 Referee: H Alexander |
| 8 December 1979 Scottish Division 1 | Hearts | 1-0 | Dumbarton | Tynecastle Stadium |
| O'Sullivan |
Attendance: 5,600 Referee: A Ferguson |
| 15 December 1979 Scottish Division 1 | Raith Rovers | 0-1 | Dumbarton | Starks Park |
| Sharp 45' |
Attendance: 1,100 Referee: G Smith |
| 29 December 1979 Scottish Division 1 | Dumbarton | 4-0 | Hamilton | Boghead Park |
| McNeil 7' Blair 57'Sharp Coyle,J |
Attendance: 2,500 Referee: T Muirhead |
| 5 January 1980 Scottish Division 1 | Dumbarton | 0-1 | Stirling Albion | Boghead Park |
| Beaton |
Attendance: 2,500 Referee: A Ferguson |
| 12 January 1980 Scottish Division 1 | Dumbarton | 0-0 | Stirling Albion | Boghead Park |
| Attendance: 2,500 Referee: K Stewart |
| 2 February 1980 Scottish Division 1 | Berwick Rangers | 0-2 | Dumbarton | Shielfield Park |
| Sharp 15' |
Attendance: 962 Referee: W McLeish |
| 9 February 1980 Scottish Division 1 | Dumbarton | 1-1 | Hearts | Boghead Park |
| McGrain |
Robinson 48' |
Attendance: 4,500 Referee: J Renton |
| 16 February 1980 Scottish Division 1 | Dumbarton | 0-1 | St Johnstone | Boghead Park |
| Brogan |
Attendance: 1,500 Referee: A Waddell |
| 23 February 1980 Scottish Division 1 | Raith Rovers | 4-0 | Dumbarton | Starks Park |
| Ballantyne 10' (pen) Harrow 33'Carroll 41' |
Attendance: 1,899 Referee: A Waddell |
| 1 March 1980 Scottish Division 1 | Dumbarton | 0-3 | Ayr United | Boghead Park |
| Morris McSherry |
Attendance: 2,000 Referee: R Cuthill |
| 8 March 1980 Scottish Division 1 | Dumbarton | 3-1 | Clyde | Boghead Park |
| McNeil 3' Coyle,J |
McCabe pen' |
Attendance: 1,000 Referee: D Syme |
| 12 March 1980 Scottish Division 1 | Dunfermline Athletic | 0-2 | Dumbarton | East End Park |
| Gallacher,B 52', 57' |
Attendance: 2,319 |
| 15 March 1980 Scottish Division 1 | Berwick Rangers | 3-0 | Dumbarton | Shielfield Park |
| Smith 18' (pen) McDowell 29'Cross |
Attendance: 922 Referee: M Delaney |
| 25 March 1980 Scottish Division 1 | Dumbarton | 2-3 | Arbroath | Boghead Park |
| McCluskey (pen) Sharp |
Wells Harley Yule |
Attendance: 500 |
| 29 March 1980 Scottish Division 1 | Ayr United | 1-0 | Dumbarton | Somerset Park |
| Connor (pen) |
Attendance: 1,912 Referee: T Kellock |
| 2 April 1980 Scottish Division 1 | Clydebank | 2-2 | Dumbarton | Kilbowie Park |
| Fallon Sweening |
McNeil Blair |
Attendance: 1,170 |
| 5 April 1980 Scottish Division 1 | Arnroath | 4-1 | Dumbarton | Gayfield Park |
| Harley 2' Wilson 41' Durno |
Gallacher,B |
Attendance: 750 Referee: A McGunnigle |
| 12 April 1980 Scottish Division 1 | Dumbarton | 1-0 | Motherwell | Boghead Park |
| Rankin 20' |
Attendance: 800 Referee: T Muirhead |
| 19 April 1980 Scottish Division 1 | Dumbarton | 5-2 | St Johnstone | Boghead Park |
| McCluskey (pen) McGrain Martin Brown Gallacher,B |
Brannigan Muir |
Attendance: 500 Referee: P Robertson |
| 26 April 1980 Scottish Division 1 | Clyde | 1-2 | Dumbarton | Shawfield Stadium |
| Kean 23' |
Blair |
Attendance: 1,500 Referee: C White |
Scottish Cup edit
| 26 January 1980 Scottish Cup round 3 | Dumbarton | 1–2 | Ayr United | Boghead Park |
| Gallacher,B |
Connor (pen) Armour |
Attendance: 2,480 |
Scottish League Cup edit
| 15 August 1979 Scottish League Cup round 1(1) | Dumbarton | 1–1 | Johnstone | Boghead Park |
| Goldthorp |
Brown 67' |
Attendance: 1,200 |
| 22 August 1979 Scottish League Cup round 1(2) | St Johnstone | 3–2 (4–3 agg.) | Dumbarton | Muirton Park |
| Brogan Lawson Goldthorp |
Whitreford,D Blair |
Attendance: 2,634 |
Stirlingshire Cup edit
| 30 October 1979 First Round | Dumbarton | 2–0 | Alloa Athletic | Boghead Park |
| Gallacher,J (OG) |
| 26 November 1979 Semi Final | Dumbarton | 0–0 (Clydebank on penalties) | Clydebank | Boghead Park |
| Attendance: 400 |
Pre-season and other matches edit
| 31 July 1979 Friendly |  Coleraine | 2-3 | Dumbarton | The Showgrounds (Coleraine) |
| |
Gallacher,B Blair Sinclair |
| 2 August 1979 Friendly | Finn Harps | 0-1 | Dumbarton | Finn Park |
| Sharp |
| 5 August 1979 Friendly |  Sligo Rovers | 0-5 | Dumbarton | The Showgrounds, Sligo Town |
| Gallacher,B Blair Sharp |
League table edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Airdrieonians (P) | 39 | 21 | 9 | 9 | 78 | 47 | +31 | 51 | Promotion to the Premier Division |
| 3 | Ayr United | 39 | 16 | 12 | 11 | 64 | 51 | +13 | 44 | |
| 4 | Dumbarton | 39 | 19 | 6 | 14 | 59 | 51 | +8 | 44 | |
| 5 | Raith Rovers | 39 | 14 | 15 | 10 | 54 | 46 | +8 | 43 | |
| 6 | Motherwell | 39 | 16 | 11 | 12 | 59 | 48 | +11 | 43 |
Player statistics edit
Squad edit
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | First Division | Scottish Cup | League Cup | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||
| GK |  SCO
|
Tom Carson | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| GK | SCO
|
Donald Hunter | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| GK | SCO
|
Laurie Williams | 33 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| DF | SCO
|
Rob Campbell | 9 | 0 | 8+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| DF | SCO
|
Joe O'Donnell | 2 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| MF | SCO
|
Tommy Coyle | 22 | 0 | 7+13 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| MF | SCO
|
John Gallacher | 41 | 0 | 38 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| MF | SCO
|
Jim Martin | 5 | 1 | 1+4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| MF | SCO
|
Pat McCluskey | 38 | 8 | 36 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| MF | SCO
|
Ally MacLeod | 36 | 0 | 32+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| MF | SCO
|
Donald McNeil | 25 | 4 | 24+1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| MF | SCO
|
Joe Rowan | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| MF | SCO
|
Graeme Sinclair | 42 | 0 | 39 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| MF | SCO
|
Derek Whiteford | 13 | 3 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | |
| FW | SCO
|
Raymond Blair | 36 | 9 | 30+3 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | |
| FW | SCO
|
Ally Brown | 38 | 2 | 32+3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | |
| FW | SCO
|
Joe Coyle | 41 | 4 | 37+1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| FW | SCO
|
Gerry Findlay | 11 | 0 | 1+10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| FW | SCO
|
Brian Gallacher | 42 | 13 | 39 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
| FW | SCO
|
Joe Kennedy | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| FW | SCO
|
Tommy McGrain | 24 | 2 | 20+4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| FW | SCO
|
Mike Rankin | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| FW | SCO
|
Graeme Sharp | 36 | 15 | 33 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
International Cap edit
Graeme Sinclair was selected to play for the Scottish League team in a friendly match against the League of Ireland on 17 March 1980 played in Dublin (won by the Irish 2-1).
Transfers edit
Players in edit
|
Players out edit
|
Reserve team edit
Dumbarton competed in the Scottish Reserve League First Division (West).
In the Scottish Second XI Cup, Dumbarton lost to Dundee United in the third round, and in the Reserve League Cup, Dumbarton lost to Ayr United, on aggregate, in the first round.
Trivia edit
- The League match against Motherwell on 29 September marked Ally Brown's 200th appearance for Dumbarton in all national competitions - the 14th Dumbarton player to break the 'double century'.
- The League match against Hearts on 6 October marked Pat McCluskey's 100th appearance for Dumbarton in all national competitions - the 79th Dumbarton player to reach this milestone.
- The League match against Hamilton on 27 October marked Raymond Blair's 100th appearance for Dumbarton in all national competitions - the 80th Dumbarton player to reach this milestone.
- The League match against Motherwell on 1 December marked Brian Gallacher's 100th appearance for Dumbarton in all national competitions - the 81st Dumbarton player to reach this milestone.
- The fee received of £125,000 for Graeme Sharp's transfer to Everton at the end of the season broke the record set by Murdo MacLeod's departure the previous season.
- Manager Davie Wilson resigned on 4 April and Sean Fallon took over as caretaker until the end of the season - at which time he was confirmed as the manager for the next season.
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "Scottish Division One 1979-1980 Season Summary". statto.com. Archived from the original on 18 December 2014. Retrieved 10 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 edit
- Jim Martin (Dumbarton Football Club Historical Archive)
- Joe Rowan (Dumbarton Football Club Historical Archive)[permanent dead link]
- Gerry Findlay (Dumbarton Football Club Historical Archive) Archived 1 April 2017 at the Wayback Machine
- Joe Kennedy (Dumbarton Football Club Historical Archive)
- Scottish Football Historical Archive