Midlands AFA Double Winning Season 1978/79

As the 1970s drew to a close Tayport FC was emerging as a force in the local amateur game and continued to make its mark in season 1978/79 by winning both the Bremner and the Alliance Cups.

In those days when games were coming thick and fast towards the end of a season, it was fairly common for the Alliance squad to be boosted with players from the first team. Not so with Tayport on this occasion, with no player turning out for both sides.

The Alliance Cup Final success, a 3-2 win over Invergowrie, the club’s third in this competition, was particularly noteworthy in that their Monday evening success was their 4th match in 9 days.

BREMNER CUP

The Midlands (1stXI) team had experienced a tough season, playing 46 competitive games, 26 league fixtures and 20 cup-ties, with their last chance of glory coming down to their 46th and final game and they delivered, beating Timex AFC 3-0 in the Bremner Cup final at Strathmartine Hospital Grounds.

That season the team had played 6 Scottish Amateur Cup-ties, 7 Fife Amateur Cup-ties, 3 Gray Trophy ties and the final was their 4th in the Bremner. There had been trips to Thornton, Guardbridge, Paisley, Balgonie and Ballingry during the season.

Scottish Amateur Cup

The Scottish Amateur Cup campaign was notable in several ways. In the 2nd Round (Tayport received a bye in the 1st round), we were drawn against Kinlochbervie. Fortunately it was a home draw. Kinlochbervie, a fishing village in North West Sutherland, is remote. Indeed it is so remote that the Oxford English Dictionary lists it as a definition for the word! It was a 450 mile round trip for the visitors who were on the wrong end of one of Tayport’s biggest Scottish Cup scorelines, 11-1, with 8 different players finding the net. Word had it that the ’Bervie boys stayed pre-match overnight in Dundee and, whether connected or not, some went missing and they were unable to field their full strength line-up.

Appearances and Goals

34 players were used in the 1st XI that season but only one, Ronnie Fleming, played in all 46 games. 9 players made only a single appearance or a single substitute appearance.

The eleven making most appearances were:

Ronnie Fleming 46

Peter Wilson 43

Ian Howe 41

Ken Smith 41

Gordon Hughes 40

Alan Hart 39

Doug Paterson 39

Ian Lyall 38

Stuart Davie 33

Doug Henderson 33

Leslie ‘Micky’ Hall 30

Top Marksmen were:

Ian Howe 25 goals

Gordon Hughes 19

Peter Wilson 16

Kenny Smith 12

ALLIANCE TEAM

The Alliance XI played 30 competitive games that season.

Appearances

As always was the case with the reserves, a large number of players pulled on a jersey during the season, 57 this season, 25 of whom played in only 3 games or less.

Frank Feechan and Rab Hanlon played most games, 27, with Hanlon (16), George Ritchie (13) and Stuart Davie (10) the top scorers.

The eleven players making most appearances were

Frank Feechan 27

Rab Hanlon 27

Sandy Hamilton 25

Gary Cockburn 24

Derek White 23

Jimmy McCafferty 16

Lindsay Ancell 15

Ian Brown 15

George Ritchie 14

Roddy McCafferty 13

Doug Henderson 11

The last named was a busy man, 33 games for 1st XI and 11 games for 2nd XI

CUP RUNS

Bremner Cup

1st round bye

2nd round Arbroath HSFP 2-4 Tayport

3rd round Tayport 3-2 Kingsway Tech College

Semi final Tayport 2-0 Harris FP

Final Tayport 3-0 Timex AFC

Bremner Cup Winners_cropped

Bremner Cup Winners 1978/79: Insets (t-b) Kenny Smith, Ronnie Fleming. Back (l-r) Stuart Davie, Ian Dobie, Ian Lyall, Doug Peterson, Gordon Emslie, Doug Henderson. Front – Micky Hall, Ian Howe, Peter Wilson, Alan Paterson, Gordon Hughes.

Alliance Cup

1st round Tayport 5-0 Newport

2nd round Tayport 4-2 6th BB ex-members

3rd round Tayport 2-1 Kingsway Tech College 1 (aet)

Semi-final Monifieth 2-3 Tayport

Final Tayport 3-2 Invergowrie (at Claypotts)

Alliance Cup winners_cropped

Alliance Cup Winners 1979: Insets (t-b) Derek White, Sandy Hamilton, Cammy Milroy. Back (l-r) Matthew Lawson, Jimmy McCafferty, Frank Feechan, Rab Hanlon, Willie Lawson. Front – Rab Downie, Roddy McCafferty, Gary Cockburn, Bobby Wilson, Neil Downie.