Wednesday 6th May 2020
WE invited our supporters to share their recollections of Boghead Park, which we left 20 years ago today – and you’ve come up with loads.
Even two decades after our departure, our old stadium remains a special place for our supporters, reflected in Facebook and Twitter posts since yesterday evening.
Our supporters and social media followers were invited to share their 1) first, 2) last and 3) favourite games played at Boghead.
Below, in no particular order, are the contributions sent in by fans. Enjoy.
Andrew McCulloch
1) Can’t think exactly. But do remember Owen Coyle’s name going through the tannoy after scoring.
2) Last game at Boghead obviously.
3) Remember we thumped Cowden on a Bank Holiday Monday? Also the loss against Airdrie in a midweek cup tie in the early 90s? The game seemed to last forever. (We think these games were on April 5, 1999 – Easter Monday – and August 20, 1991 respectively)
Ross McClenaghan
I was too young to remember my first game, used to go all the time with my dad, brother, uncle and cousin.
Last game and favourite was East Fife 20 years ago. One boy left the ground with the Tennents advertising board and said he was going to start a pub.
David Kemp
1st – 3-0 defeat to Ayr United on May 12, 1984.
Last – East Fife on May 6, 2000.
Favourite – A 4-0 thumping of Steve Archibald’s East Fife on Boxing day 1994.
Fraser Currie
First – January 1988 Dumbarton 0 Hibs 0
Last – May 2000 Dumbarton 2 East Fife 1
Favourite – August 1997 Dumbarton 1 Aberdeen 5 (With a smiling emoji -we assume you’re an Aberdeen fan Fraser?)
I’ve got some Boghead turf in the back garden.
Gus Napier
Possibly my first game was sadly, I believe, Third Lanark’s last. I was eight and didn’t realise the significance.
Last game was the East Fife one.
Favourite? Well the Berwick Rangers promotion game (in 1972), or the Kilmarnock cup quarter final (in 1976).
Ian McConnel (responding to Gus)
Apart from when Rangers played there, I was at a few Sons games in the 70s with you. Funnily enough, the only one I remember was a Scottish Cup game v Raith Rovers.
Bill Adam
1st match, early 1960s v East Fife. We won, but don’t remember much about it. 1st floodlit match v Rangers in league cup, mid 60s. We lost, and big Roy carried off with leg break. Favourite game has to be championship win v Berwick in 1972.
Bill has also posted a photo of himself, his son and friends in the Boghead dugout on the last day on our Facebook page.
Ian Stormonth
My first game was in 1967, a 5-1 win over Clydebank and my last game was the East Fife game. There have been many memorable games in between, and some not so memorable! However, the game that stands out for me is a 5-2 win over Arbroath in the late 70s. A wet Saturday afternoon in January and 2-0 down after 17 minutes. An amazing comeback followed, with the highlight being Colin McAdam’s goal from a free kick on the right just inside our own half. The ball bounced three times before nestling in the top corner with the Arbroath goalie, Gordon Marshall, Senior, left stunned.
Cha MacGregor
I don’t remember my first game much, but it was midweek under the floodlights, my grandfather took me. Miller Street took my breath away, the crowd and the floodlights inside the ground. I remember a guy with bright red hair (Ian Wallace). We were at the low end far away corner.
I was a ballboy, and gave it up to be on the terraces in the Premier promotion year. I cut the grass with Dick Jackson and had kickabouts with Alex Wright on a Sunday morning. Leaving Boghead gutted me.
Brian Wright
First – Dumbarton v East Fife (appropriately) 1963-64 season
Last – Dumbarton v East Fife in 2000 with my two young sons aged 9 and 5.
Favourite – always a tricky one… for emotion 3-3 Celtic in League Cup 1976 and 2-1 Kilmarnock in Scottish Cup quarter finak a couple of months earlier. There were lots of high emotion games in the first half of the 70s against the top teams in the country.
Duggie MacKechnie
Can’t remember my first game, but games like the comeback against St Mirren, we scored three in about 12 minutes. And Martin Mooney going through one on one with Ally Maxwell of Dundee United to score the winner, in a 1-0 win. Lows of Paddy Flannery putting one against the post late on in the Scottish Cup against Motherwell. Again, lows of losing to Huntly. Even though they did deserve the win.
Cha MacGregor again, replying to Duggie
You could sense it. The first came from nowhere, the second totally rattled them and we sensed blood. We battered them after that and the third was celebrated like a win.
Brian Wright again, replying to Duggie
That St Mirren game, 3-0 down with about 10 minutes left. My mate decided he’d had enough and went home.
Martin Penny
Don’t remember my first but I got lifted over the turnstile by my dad. Last game was the East Fife game and met up with some mates in the Elephant and Castle before and after it. Favourite game was the night we got promoted in 1972, great crowd and atmosphere.
Andrew Brown
God knows my first at Boghead, think my first Dumbarton game was at the old Kilbowie Road and saw the great Davie Cooper play against Dumbarton, Last game was East Fife at Boghead, what a laugh, and tears as well. Best game hands down the ‘Battle of the Cup Holders’ as said in the match programme, against Manchester United, what a game! (Alex Wright’s testimonial in August 1991)
Jim Glover
Can’t remember first, last was East Fife( still got my wee bit of turf in the garden). Favourite – getting promotion to the Premier. Remember running onto the pitch and a policeman congratulating us for getting promoted!
Robert Holland
One of my earliest recollections was testimonial for the legend Lawrie Williams, last game was fantastic at Boghead. Final day of the season in 1984 celebrating promotion to the Premier Division, even though we got beaten.
Richard Thackrey
1-1 v Celtic Premier League (nothing like false expectation). Walked across common surrounded by green and white and got into Boghead eventually, and 90 per cent Celtic fans with the odd black and gold here and there, and that was me hooked. Promotion game v Arbroath 1991/92 a highlight and seen a fair few gubbings – think 5-1 v Berwick Rangers one of the worst but won’t dwell on that!
Ross Gerard
I remember ‘acquiring’ an Allied Distillers sponsorship sign from the stadium after the final whistle when people where grabbing turf etc. Carried it on my back all the way home.
Kind of impressive considering I was only 10 years old!
James Orr
First game was v Stranraer, I was only small bust must have been 1968, 1969 or 1970. Never have looked it up. Last game was the East Fife game.
James McCullough Sr
Still got a turf of grass from that pitch.
Stephen Watt
First ever game was August 1988 in the World Championship vs West Bromwich Albion. We won 2-1 – and England international Carlton Palmer scored WBA’s consolation.
Last vs East Fife.
Favourites: 1-0 vs Dundee United in 1995…the Alex Wright testimonial (0-5 vs Manchester Utd) in 1991….1-1 draw in cup vs Motherwell in 1998…4-2 vs St Mirren in 1992.
Jamie Bonner
I only ever went to one game at Boghead. Around Christmas or New Year I seem to recall. Free tickets you guys either gave to St Joseph’s Primary in Helensburgh or one of the local football teams.
We were giving the sub keeper for the visitors it tight to
the point he came out and threatened us after the 4th Dumbarton goal in a 4-0 win. His attempts to be intimidating made us laugh even harder.
We were only about 10 years old at the most. Ironically the opposition? East Fife.
(Game in question was on Boxing Day 1994)
Daren Borzynski
Remember the last goal well. East Fife keeper was their player of the season and they only need a draw to secure promotion. He mishit a bye kick to Joe Robertson for Joe to go on and score the last goal. All the other photographers had put their cameras down expecting the ball to go up the park, I was was studying photography at college and took a photo of the kick… maybe I jinxed him!
Paul McDonald
I can’t quite recall the result or the opposition for the first game I went to but have an early memory of being more interested in the pigeons perching above under the shelter where we stood. I recall saying to my dad to check the pigeon to which I got an angry response to watch the match.
The first game where I recall being at was a 0-0 home tie against Meadowbank Thistle in 1983. I remember the stadium announcer stating that it was Meadowbank Thistle’s first visit to the Stadium and my dad and his pals laughing at the reference to Boghead being referred as a stadium.
It was the same season I witnessed one of my favourite matches which was a 4-3 home win v Kilmarnock. I just remember being mesmerised by some of the football that day and I became hooked.
Another game which sticks in my mind was a 5-2 home win against Stranraer in 1989 we scored four goals in an eight-minute spell in the first half and were absolutely brilliant in that spell. Some amazing goals. One from Charlie Gibson and a splendid double from Stuart MacIver stick in my mind.
The last game at Boghead is another great memory. I had chipped in with friends to sponsor the match. The 1st time I had done such a thing. We were seated in the stand but I wanted to witness the atmosphere out in the terrace. At half time I returned to the stand for some refreshments. I was a bit late getting back out for the second half and rejoined my dad and friends to take in the rest of the game. We were one down at half time and the thought of losing the last game was a sore one. Thirty minutes or so in Joe Robertson equalised. I turned round to my friends and said we need to go for a winner now to which they replied we’re 2-1 up. I had missed an early second half equaliser and nobody had thought to mention it. There I was for a good part of the half dreading being beat when we were actually level.
Dougie Gillespie
I can’t remember my 1st or last games, but they were all brilliant, even the bad ones! I still miss Boghead dearly. Favourite game? The 2-2 draw with Clyde in ’84 that saw us promoted to the Premier.
Kenneth Lynn
1st game was the last one of the season against Dundee in 73-74. Jamestown Primary got free tickets. The Sons had to win to get into the Texaco Cup the following season and did so, 2-0. Then they changed the rules and we didn’t qualify.
My last game was the final game against East Fife.
My favourite games were during the cup run in 1976 against Patrick and Kilmarnock. Big crowds and of course we won both on our way to Hampden.
Scott Johnston
1st. 1977 I think, Ian Wallace was playing , then saw them a few days later midweek at Thistle.
2. I remember a midweek game v Rangers , 10,000 standing, went with some Rangers schoolmates , 1981?
3. East Fife , Boghead as above.
Brian Anderson
Eight years old, sitting up on the wall wearing a top hat that my mum had sewn gold ribbons round. 9,000 people in the old ground and my first sight of TVat a match. Sons went on to beat Berwick Rangers 4-2 that night and take the 2nd Division title on goals over Arbroath.
This wasn’t the first one I remember but it’s the one of many highlights of that old ground for me. I was there 20 years ago as we bid farewell to the home and went lodging, the ‘new’ ground is fine but it won’t ever replace Boghead Park.
Alexgman (Twitter username)
First game was a 5-5 thriller against East Fife in 1975, what a game and what an introduction to Boghead. Can’t remember my last game but vividly remember the visits of Hearts in particular.