1987–88 Dumbarton F.C. season

Dumbarton

1987–1988 season
Manager	Mark Clougherty
Stadium	Boghead Park, Dumbarton
Scottish League Division 1	12th
Scottish Cup	Third Round
Scottish League Cup	Third Round
Top goalscorer	League: Owen Coyle (14) All: Owen Coyle (14)
Highest home attendance	1,283
Lowest home attendance	700
Average home league attendance	850
← 1986–87 1988–89 →

Season 1987–88 was the 111th football season in which Dumbarton competed at a Scottish national level, entering the Scottish Football League for the 81st time, the Scottish Cup for the 93rd time and the Scottish League Cup for the 41st time.

Overview

Following two promotion challenging seasons, Dumbarton inexplicably sank to the bottom of the First Division and were relegated to the third tier of Scottish league football. With the loss of Sir Hugh Fraser, finances at the club were tight, and with this in mind it was decided to appoint Mark Clougherty as player/manager. However results were generally poor and the board sacked Clougherty in January. In his place Bertie Auld was appointed and despite a spirited draw against Hibernian in the Cup, a winless run of 12 games would ensure the club's drop into bottom place in the league - a place they would occupy even though Dumbarton were unbeaten in their last four games.

In the Scottish Cup, another third round exit was Dumbarton's fate, although this would be after a draw against Premier Division opponents Hibernian.

In the League Cup, for the second year in a row Celtic were Dumbarton's third round opponents and it would be the Premier Division side that would ease through to the next round.

Locally, however Dumbarton regained the Stirlingshire Cup, with a final victory over Stirling Albion.

Results

Win

Draw

Loss

All results are written with Dumbarton's score first.

Scottish League

Main article: 1987–88 Scottish Football League

Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Scorers	Attendance
8 August 1987	Clyde	A	0-5		1,000
11 August 1987	Meadowbank Thistle	H	2-3	Martin;MacIver	740
15 August 1987	Kilmarnock	H	1-3	Martin	800
22 August 1987	Airdrie	A	1-0	Coyle,O	1,200
29 August 1987	Clydebank	H	1-1	Rooney,B	1,200
5 September 1987	Hamilton	A	1-2	Houston	1,765
12 September 1987	Forfar Athletic	H	1-1	Rooney,J	700
15 September 1987	Partick Thistle	A	2-1	Rooney,J;Coyle,O	1,140
19 September 1987	East Fife	A	2-1	McGowan;Kay	619
26 September 1987	Queen of the South	H	2-2	Coyle,O;Houston	700
29 September 1987	Raith Rovers	A	1-4	Houston	1,730
3 October 1987	Clyde	H	1-1	McCahill	1,200
7 October 1987	Meadowbank Thistle	A	0-0		650
10 October 1987	Airdrie	H	0-0		1,200
17 October 1987	Forfar Athletic	A	2-0	Coyle,O;McCoy	671
20 October 1987	Partick Thistle	H	4-2	Coyle,O(2);MacIver;McCoy	800
24 October 1987	Kilmarnock	A	0-1		1,571
27 October 1987	Raith Rovers	H	1-3	Coyle,O	700
31 October 1987	Hamilton	H	2-1	Coyle,O;McCoy	900
7 November 1987	Clydebank	A	1-3	McGowan	1,431
14 November 1987	East Fife	H	1-1	MacIver	600
21 November 1987	Queen of the South	A	0-2		1,100
28 November 1987	Clyde	A	4-3	Docherty(2);Coyle,O;MacIver	800
5 December 1987	Meadowbank Thistle	H	0-1		500
12 December 1987	Forfar Athletic	H	0-1		507
19 December 1987	Partick Thistle	A	3-1	McNeil;Docherty;Coyle,O	1,407
26 December 1987	Hamilton	A	0-2		1,250
2 January 1988	Clydebank	H	1-3	OG	1,200
9 January 1988	East Fife	A	4-3	McCoy(2);Coyle.O;McGowan	615
16 January 1988	Queen of the South	H	0-2		800
23 January 1988	Kilmarnock	H	1-0	Rooney,J	950
6 February 1988	Airdrie	A	1-1	McCoy	1,150
13 February 1988	Raith Rovers	A	1-1	OG	1,802
27 February 1988	Clyde	H	0-1		750
5 March 1988	Forfar Athletic	A	0-4		397
19 March 1988	Hamilton	H	1-1	McCoy	1,283
22 March 1988	Partick Thistle	H	1-2	Coyle,O	925
26 March 1988	Clydebank	A	0-1		1,088
2 April 1988	Airdrie	H	0-1		800
9 April 1988	Kilmarnock	A	1-3	McCoy	2,205
16 April 1988	Queen of the South	A	0-0		1,100
23 April 1988	East Fife	H	0-0		700
30 April 1988	Meadowbank Thistle	A	4-2	McCabe;Coyle,O;McGowan,P;Docherty	600
7 May 1988	Raith Rovers	H	3-0	Rooney,J;Coyle,O;Docherty	800

Scottish Cup

Main article: 1987–88 Scottish Cup

Date	Rd	Opponent	Venue	Result	Scorers	Attendance
30 January 1988	3	Hibernian	H	0-0		7,000
2 February 1988	3R	Hibernian	A	0-3		8,000

Scottish League Cup

Main article: 1987–88 Scottish League Cup

Date	Rd	Opponent	Venue	Result	Scorers	Attendance
19 August 1987	2	Ayr United	A	1-0	McNeil	2,428
26 August 1987	3	Celtic	H	1-5	Martin	9,429

Stirlingshire Cup

Date	Rd	Opponent	Venue	Result	Scorers	Attendance
13 October 1987	1	Stenhousemuir	A	3-3*	unknown
26 April 1988	SF	Alloa Athletic	H	2-0	unknown
10 May 1988	F	Stirling Albion	A	2-1	McCahill;Docherty

* - won on penalties

Other Matches

Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Scorers	Attendance
3 August 1987	Southampton	H	1-1	McNeil
5 August 1987	Celtic	H	1-2	Coyle,O

Appearances

Dumbarton used 28 players for the 48 League, Scottish Cup and Scottish League Cup matches, as detailed below. Peter Houston, Steve McCahill and Jim Rooney were best by appearing in all but two of these matches.

Player	Position	Appearances	Goals
Gordon Arthur	GK	44
Jimmy Bell	FW	0(1)
Billy Blackie	FW	4
Willie Cairns	DF	18
Joe Carson	MF	2(1)
Mark Clougherty	MF	4
Owen Coyle	MF	42(3)	14
Tommy Coyle	MF	0(1)
Craig Cranmer	DF	20(2)
Jim Creaney	MF	2(2)
Robert Docherty	MF	21(2)	6
Gerry Doyle	DF	4(2)
Stevie Gow	DF	1(3)
Peter Houston	FW	41(5)	3
Alan Kay	MF	18(3)	1
Stuart MacIver	FW	13(13)	4
Dave Martin	MF	46	3
Gerry McCabe	MF	5(1)	1
Steve McCahill	MF	45(1)	2
Gerry McCoy	FW	32	8
Pat McGowan	FW	41(4)	4
Dougie McGuire	FW	3
Donald McNeil	MF	26	2
Jim McNeill	MF	6(10)
Ray Montgomerie	DF	35
Benny Rooney	FW	5(10)	1
Jim Rooney	MF	46	4
Hugh Stevenson	GK	4

Reserve Team

Dumbarton competed in the Scottish Reserve League (West), winning 11 and drawing 11 of 33 games.

See also

• 1987–88 in Scottish football

External links

• Scottish Football Historical Archive