Tayport had returned from Europe in April 1985, unbeaten in matches against Italian, French and Belgian opponents and not surprisingly were looking forward to season 1985-86 some three months later.
Things didn’t go to plan, however, the season starting with four successive league defeats and the minute from the monthly committee meeting in September recorded that team manager Peter Cuthill had resigned. The minute added that Peter’s assistant ‘Rab Downie is to carry on as interim team boss whilst efforts are made to find a successor’. Rab would remain in place for the season and along with Dundee FC legend Hugh ‘Shug’ Robertson as coach and Drew Herd as trainer, would see the club reach the semi final 11 games later.
Back in September however, any thoughts of successfully navigating such previously uncharted waters couldn’t have been further from club members’ minds. The same committee meeting heard that the Summer Gala Weekend had shown a loss to the club of approximately £1,000! And there was to be a further blow, when talisman striker Willie ‘Molly’ Brown – 30 goals the previous season – was transferred to St Johnstone on the eve of the Scottish Amateur Cup 1st round tie away to then Midlands AFA league leaders Lawside FP at Drumgeith Park, Dundee on Saturday 5th October.
Progression to the next round was a significant challenge, never mind thinking about reaching the semi final of the national trophy with an entry of 775 clubs. After all, as well as having already beaten Tayport in the league at the end of August, Lawside FP were one of the League’s top sides and furthermore, in the long history of the competition, only three Midlands AFA clubs had previously ever reached the penultimate stage, with only one, NCR, ever reaching the final and that was 20 years earlier.
Tayport FC’s Scottish Amateur Cup run to semi final 1985/86
Saturday 5th October 1985
1st round Away v Lawside FP at Drumgeith Park. Weather – windy
Score 2-2 (0-0) Scorer Bruce Burnett (2)
Angus Charity; Neil Downie, Derek Cruden, Doug Paterson, Alan Paterson; Jim Bissett, John Walsh, Alan Gray; Kenny Cameron, Bruce Burnett, Graeme Cox. Subs. Ian Howe (Alan Gray), Neil Robertson.
Saturday 12th October 1985
1st round replay Home v Lawside FP at Canniepairt. Weather – lovely
Score 2-2 (aet) 90m 1-1 Scorers – Graeme Cox, Ian Howe
Angus Charity; Ronnie Stewart, Alan Gray, Neil Downie, Alan Paterson; Jim Bissett, John Walsh, Kenny Cameron; Graeme Cox, Ian Howe, Bruce Burnett. Subs. Stuart Davie (Burnett), R Hill (Bissett)
Saturday 19th October 1985
1st round second replay v Lawside FP at Caird Park, Dundee. Weather – breezy
Score 4-1 (3-0) Scorers – Colin Duncan (2), Bruce Burnett (2)
Angus Charity; Ronnie Stewart, Derek Cruden, Neil Downie, Alan Paterson; Jim Bissett, John Walsh, Kenny Cameron; Graeme Cox, Colin Duncan, Bruce Burnett. Subs. Rab Hanlon (Cox), Stuart Davie (Burnett)
Saturday 2nd November 1985
2nd round Away v Stoneywood SC at Aberdeen. Weather – a blizzard
Score 3-0 (1-0) Scorers – Burnett (2), own goal
Angus Charity; Ronnie Stewart, Alan Gray, Neil Downie, Alan Paterson; John Walsh. Jimmy Bissett, Doug Paterson; Kenny Cameron, Ian Howe, Bruce Burnett Subs. Stuart Davie (Cameron), Graeme Cox (Howe)
Saturday 7th December 1985
3rd round Home v Edinburgh Albion
Score 2-0 (0-0) Scorers – Cameron, Burnett.
Angus Charity; Ronnie Stewart, Alan Gray, Neil Downie, Alan Paterson; Jimmy Bissett, Doug Paterson, Stuart Davie; Kenny Cameron, Ian Howe, Bruce Burnett, Subs. Graeme Cox (Howe), John Walsh (Davie)
Saturday 11th January 1986
4th round Home v Croda Star. Weather – damp, windy
Score 0-0
Angus Charity; Kirk Jack, Alan Gray, Neil Downie, Alan Paterson; Kenny Cameron, Doug Paterson, Jimmy Bissett; John Walsh, Graeme Cox, Bruce Burnett. Subs: Ronnie Stewart (Jack), Ian Howe (Burnett)
Saturday 18th January 1986
4th round replay Away v Croda Star at Newtongrange. Weather – damp
Score 8-0 (3-0) Scorers – Burnett (6), Own Goal, Cameron
Angus Charity; Ronnie Stewart, Alan Gray, Neil Downie, Alan Paterson; Doug Paterson, Jimmy Bissett, John Walsh; Graeme Cox, Bruce Burnett, Kenny Cameron. Subs: Ian Howe (Walsh), Kirk Jack (Gray)
Saturday 25th January 1986
5th round Away v Milton AFC at Bannockburn. Weather – hard pitch but sunny
Score 3-0 (1-0) Scorers – Burnett (2), Cameron
Angus Charity; Ronnie Stewart, Alan Gray, Kirk Jack, Alan Paterson; Doug Paterson, Jimmy Bissett, Ian Ness; Graeme Cox, Bruce Burnett, Kenny Cameron. Subs- Davie Blair, John Fernie.
Saturday 22nd March 1986
6th round Home v Liberton Cropley. Weather – windy
Score 2-1 (1-0) Scorers – Cox, Burnett
Angus Charity; Ronnie Stewart, Alan Gray, Kirk Jack, Alan Paterson; Jimmy Bissett, Neil Downie, John Walsh; Graeme Cox, Bruce Burnett, Kenny Cameron. Subs – John Fernie (Walsh), Mike Smith (Burnett)
Saturday 29th March 1986
7th round Away v Riverside Athletic at Charlotte Street, Dundee. Weather – windy
Score 2-1 (2-1) Scorers – Smith, Gray
Angus Charity, Ronnie Stewart, Alan Gray, Kirk Jack, Alan Paterson; Jimmy Bissett, Neil Downie, Mike Smith; Graeme Cox, Kenny Cameron, Doug Paterson. Subs – John Walsh (Smith), Ian Howe.
Saturday 5th April 1986
8th round Away v Leith Wanderers at Leith Links, Edinburgh. Weather – windy
Score 3-2 (2-1) Scorers – Stewart, Bissett, Burnett
Angus Charity; Ronnie Stewart, Alan Gray, Kirk Jack, Alan Paterson; Neil Downie, Mike Smith, Doug Paterson, Jimmy Bissett; Graeme Cox, Bruce Burnett. Subs – John Walsh (Paterson), John Fernie.
Saturday 26th April 1986
Semi Final v Barr & Stroud FC (Glasgow) at Dens Park, Dundee. Weather – fine
Score 1-3 (1-0) Scorer – own goal
Angus Charity, Ronnie Stewart, Alan Gray, Kirk Jack, Neil Downie; Doug Paterson, Jimmy Bissett, Mike Smith; Graeme Cox, Bruce Burnett, Kenny Cameron. Subs John Walsh (Gray), Alan Paterson (Burnett)
Attendance 1,226
Cup Appearances (max 12)
Angus Charity, Alan ‘Soccy’ Paterson, Jim Bissett, John Walsh, Graeme Cox,
Neil Downie, Alan Gray, Kenny Cameron, Bruce Burnett, Ronnie Stewart
9 Doug Paterson
7 Kirk Jack
6 Ian Howe
4 Mike Smith, Stuart Davie
3 John Fernie
2 Derek Cruden
1 Colin Duncan, Ian Ness, Rab Hanlon, Davie Blair, Neil Robertson, R. Hill
Scorers
17 Bruce Burnett
3 Cameron, own goals
2 Graeme Cox, Colin Duncan
1 Ian Howe, Mike Smith, Alan Gray, Ronnie Stewart, Jim Bissett
Trivia
*Colin Duncan only ever played one game for Tayport – the 1st round second replay v Lawside FP in which he scored two goals
*Perhaps quite appropriate that semi final should be at Dens Park given that the sons of two Dundee FC legends of the 1960s, Bobby Cox and Kenny Cameron, should be in the Tayport team.
*There was a further Dundee connection in that another of Dundee’s 1961/62 championship side, Hugh Robertson, was Tayport’s coach that season
*Tayport led the semi final at half time but an injury to Alan Gray, who had previously missed only one of Tayport’s cup-ties, saw the key defender substituted at the break
* Eight of the 13 players in the semi-final line-up were in team which lost the first four games of the season back in August
* Willie ‘Molly’ Brown who was transferred to St Johnstone on the eve of the first of Tayport’s ties, netted four goals on his debut for Saints v Albion Rovers, the same afternoon as Tayport were playing their first round tie v Lawside FP
Back (l-r) Rab Downie (manager), Davie Blair, Kirk Jack, Angus Charity, Douglas Paterson, Alan Gray, Michael Smith. Front – Alan Paterson, John Fernie, Graeme Cox, Bruce Burnett, Jim Bissett, John Walsh, Neil Downie.
Back – Robert Downie (manager), Ronnie Stewart, Neil Downie, Alan Paterson, Angus Charity, Douglas Paterson, Alan Gray, Michael Smith, Kirk Jack, Drew Herd (Physio), Hugh Robertson (coach)
Front – Ian Howe, John Fernie, Graeme Cox, Bruce Burnett, Jim Bissett, John Walsh, Kenny Cameron, Ian Ness.
at Bannockburn 25/1/86
Match Review
Tayport FC 1985/86
It was quite a season. Tayport 1st XI played 26 league games and 24 cup ties and in the month of May Tayport played 13 games in 28 days
Played 26 league games, won 12, drew 3 and lost 11. Goals for 48 against 52
Reached semi-final of North of Tay Cup and were runners up in Gray Trophy. Lost in 2nd round of Bremner Cup.
Midlands (1st XI) Team of Season appearances (all games)
Angus Charity (42)
Ronnie Stewart (39) Alan Gray (38) Neil Downie (47) Alan Paterson (34)
Graeme Cox (45) Doug Paterson (42) Jimmy Bissett (46) John Walsh (41)
Bruce Burnett (43) Kenny Cameron (39)
Subs – John Fernie (30) Kirk Jack (29)
Midlands (1st XI) Top Scorers
45 Bruce Burnett
12 Kenny Cameron
7 Graeme Cox
6 Ian Howe, Jimmy Bissett
The club’s Fife XI played 37 competitive matches and the Alliance XI played 28, a season’s total for the club of 115 competitive games. With 3,000 socks, 1500 pairs of shorts and 1,500 shirts needing to be washed, it was a big laundry bill that season!
Tayport F.C. Archive 