1977–78 Dumbarton F.C. season

Season 1977–78 was the 94th football season in which Dumbarton competed at a Scottish national level, entering the Scottish Football League for the 72nd time, the Scottish Cup for the 83rd time, and the Scottish League Cup for the 31st time.

Dumbarton played league football in Division 1 for the third year running. Davie Wilson's first season as manager began well, and while always up with the leading pack, it was to be the case that too many draws rather than wins would prevent a serious challenge on the title. Nevertheless, a 4th-place finish was a creditable result.

In the Scottish Cup, Hearts were once again the opponents, but it was Dumbarton who were to progress this time after a drawn game. In the quarter-final, however Partick Thistle were to prove too good on the day.

In the League Cup, qualifying groups were dispensed with and replaced with straight knock-out ties on a home-and-away basis. It was however to prove a bit of an embarrassment when in the first round, a 4–1 home win against Hamilton was followed by a 6–0 away drubbing.

Locally, in the Stirlingshire Cup, Dumbarton were defeated by local rivals Clydebank in the semi-final.

  Win   Draw   Loss

Dumbarton v Hearts

13 August 1977 Scottish Division 1	Dumbarton	2-2	Hearts	Boghead Park
	Bourke 16', 72'		Smith 43' Gibson 85'	Attendance: 7,000 Referee: A McGunnigle

Arbroath v Dumbarton

20 August 1977 Scottish Division 1	Arbroath	2-2	Dumbarton	Gayfield Park
	Yule 8' Carson 70'		Bourke 62' Muir 86'	Attendance: 1,200

Dumbarton v Queen of the South

27 August 1977 Scottish Division 1	Dumbarton	2-0	Queen of the South	Boghead Park
	Whiteford, J 9' Brown 17'			Attendance: 2,000

Dumbarton v Airdrie

14 September 1977 Scottish Division 1	Dumbarton	2-1	Airdrie	Boghead Park
	McNeil 54' Whiteford, J 83' (pen.)		McCann 86'

Dundee v Dumbarton

17 September 1977 Scottish Division 1	Dundee	2-1	Dumbarton	Dens Park
	Sinclair 47', 65'		Whitedord, D 74'	Attendance: 4,725 Referee: W Reid

Dumbarton v Montrose

24 September 1977 Scottish Division 1	Dumbarton	4-0	Montrose	Boghead Park
	Whiteford, D 47', 78' Whiteford, J 48' (pen.) Fyfe 61'

East Fife v Dumbarton

28 September 1977 Scottish Division 1	East Fife	3-1	Dumbarton	Bayview Park, Methil
	McCluskey 25' (OG) Young Hegarty 82'		Whitedord, D 52'	Attendance: 879

Dumbarton v St Johnstone

1 October 1977 Scottish Division 1	Dumbarton	5-1	St Johnstone	Boghead Park
	Whiteford, J 3' Brown 7' Fyfe 15', 47' Whiteford, D 49'		O'Connor 50'	Attendance: 1,500 Referee: J Renton

Kilmarnock v Dumbarton

8 October 1977 Scottish Division 1	Kilmarnock	2-2	Dumbarton	Rugby Park
	McCulloch 5' Stein 50'		Whitedord, J 57' Whitedord, D 77'	Attendance: 3,000 Referee: C White

Dumbarton v Hamilton

15 October 1977 Scottish Division 1	Dumbarton	1-0	Hamilton	Boghead Park
	Whiteford, D 76'			Attendance: 2,500 Referee: K Stewart

Stirling Albion v Dumbarton

19 October 1977 Scottish Division 1	Stirling Albion	2-3	Dumbarton	Annfield Stadium
	McPhee 12', 62'		Whitedord, J 39', 70' Brown 75'	Attendance: 1,000 Referee: R Cuthill

Hearts v Dumbarton

2 October 1977 Scottish Division 1	Hearts	2-1	Dumbarton	Tynecastle Stadium
	Gibson 28' Tierney 61'		Gallacher 65'	Attendance: 9,200 Referee: A McFaul

Dumbarton v Arbroath

29 October 1977 Scottish Division 1	Dumbarton	1-0	Arbroath	Boghead Park
	Gallacher 89'			Attendance: 1,500 Referee: T Muirhead

Queen of the South v Dumbarton

5 November 1977 Scottish Division 1	Queen of the South	1-0	Dumbarton	Palmerston Park
	Hood 48'			Attendance: 1,500 Referee: W Mullen

Dumbarton v Morton

12 November 1977 Scottish Division 1	Dumbarton	1-1	Morton	Boghead Park
	Gallacher 81'		Ritchie 8'	Attendance: 5,000 Referee: H Alexander

Montrose v Dumbarton

26 November 1977 Scottish Division 1	Montrose	2-2	Dumbarton	Links Park
	Markland 38' Robb 48'		Whiteford, J 30' Muir 84'	Attendance: 950 Referee: M Delaney

St Johnstone v Dumbarton

3 December 1977 Scottish Division 1	St Johnstone	0-2	Dumbarton	Muirton Park
			Whiteford, J 54' Whiteford, D 77'	Attendance: 1,600 Referee: J Renton

Dumbarton v Kilmarnock

10 December 1977 Scottish Division 1	Dumbarton	2-2	Kilmarnock	Boghead Park
	Fyfe 35' Whiteford, J 78' (pen.)		McDowell 40' Maxwell 70'	Attendance: 2,500

Hamilton v Dumbarton

17 December 1977 Scottish Division 1	Hamilton	3-3	Dumbarton	Douglas Park
	McGrogan 40', 44' McDowell 55'		Whiteford, J 24', 63' Whiteford, D 64'	Attendance: 2,500 Referee: D Ramsay

Alloa Athletic v Dumbarton

24 December 1977 Scottish Division 1	Alloa Athletic	2-3	Dumbarton	Recreation Park, Alloa
	Wilson 3' Miller 13' (pen.)		Gallacher 8' Whiteford, J 27' Whiteford, D 77'	Attendance: 2,000

Dumbarton v Queen of the South

31 December 1977 Scottish Division 1	Dumbarton	1-1	Queen of the South	Boghead Park
	Muir

Dumbarton v Morton

2 January 1978 Scottish Division 1	Dumbarton	1-4	Morton	Boghead Park
	Whiteford, J 89'		Goldthorpe 21' Ritchie 64', 82' Brown 80'	Attendance: 5,000

Arbroath v Dumbarton

7 January 1978 Scottish Division 1	Arbroath	1-1	Dumbarton	Gayfield Park
	Cargill 86'		Whiteford, J 30' (pen.)	Attendance: 1,100 Referee: A Ferguson

Dumbarton v St Johnstone

4 February 1978 Scottish Division 1	Dumbarton	2-1	St Johnstone	Boghead Park
	Whiteford, D 6' Whiteford, J 25' (pen.)		Pelosi 62'	Attendance: 1,500 Referee: H Alexander

Kilmarnock v Dumbarton

11 February 1978 Scottish Division 1	Kilmarnock	0-1	Dumbarton	Rugby Park
			Whiteford, D 23'	Attendance: 5,000 Referee: T Kellock

Dumbarton v Hamilton

25 February 1978 Scottish Division 1	Dumbarton	1-1	Hamilton	Boghead Park
	Whiteford, D 81'		McGrogan 63'	Attendance: 2,000 Referee: A McFall

Hearts v Dumbarton

4 March 1978 Scottish Division 1	Hearts	1-1	Dumbarton	Tynecastle Stadium
	Fraser 74'		Gallacher 61'	Attendance: 8,000 Referee: K Hope

Stirling Albion v Dumbarton

18 March 1978 Scottish Division 1	Stirling Albion	2-2	Dumbarton	Annfield Stadium
	Muir 41' (OG), 42' (OG)		Brown 3', 62'	Referee: J Renton

Dumbarton v East Fife

21 March 1978 Scottish Division 1	Dumbarton	3-0	East Fife	Boghead Park
	McNeil 6' Gallacher 20', 60'			Attendance: 3,000 Referee: T Kellock

Dumbarton v Stirling Albion

25 March 1978 Scottish Division 1	Dumbarton	2-2	Stirling Albion	Boghead Park
	Muir 81' Steedman 83' (OG)		Browning 1', 87'	Attendance: 2,000 Referee: J Gordon

Airdrie v Dumbarton

4 April 1978 Scottish Division 1	Airdrie	0-2	Dumbarton	Broomfield Park
			Muir 35' Gallacher 82'	Attendance: 2,000 Referee: R Cuthill

Alloa Athletic v Dumbarton

8 April 1978 Scottish Division 1	Alloa Athletic	3-0	Dumbarton	Recreation Park, Alloa
	Irvine 52' (pen.) Morrison 63' Wallace 89'			Attendance: 1,000 Referee: K Stewart

Dumbarton v Dundee

12 April 1978 Scottish Division 1	Dumbarton	2-1	Dundee	Boghead Park
	MacLeod, M 35' Gallacher 75'		Redford 34'	Referee: D Ramsay

Dumbarton v Montrose

19 April 1978 Scottish Division 1	Dumbarton	2-2	Montrose	Boghead Park
	Brown 70' McCluskey 77'		Walker 72' Brown 83'	Attendance: 1,500

Dumbarton v Airdrie

22 April 1978 Scottish Division 1	Dumbarton	2-1	Airdrie	Boghead Park
	Whiteford, D 42' Govan 47'		McGuire 43'	Attendance: 1,000 Referee: D Syme

Dumbarton v Alloa Athletic

29 April 1978 Scottish Division 1	Dumbarton	2-0	Alloa Athletic	Boghead Park
	Whiteford, D 37' Blair 89'			Attendance: 1,000 Referee: M Delaney

Alloa Athletic v Dumbarton

29 January 1978 Scottish Cup round 3	Alloa Athletic	2–2	Dumbarton	Recreation Park, Alloa
	Carberry 30' Morrison 40'		Whitedord, J 39' MacLeod, M 43'	Attendance: 1,450 Referee: K Hope

Dumbarton v Alloa Athletic

6 February 1978 Scottish Cup round 3R	Dumbarton	2–1	Alloa Athletic	Boghead Park
	MacLeod, M 55' Fyfe 77'		McCann 86'	Attendance: 1,750 Referee: K Hope

Dumbarton v Hearts

18 February 1978 Scottish Cup round 4	Dumbarton	1–1	Hearts	Boghead Park
	Whiteford, D 14'		Bannon 60'	Attendance: 6,677 Referee: B McGinlay

Hearts v Dumbarton

27 February 1978 Scottish Cup round 4R	Hearts	0–1	Dumbarton	Tynecastle Stadium
			Gallacher 38'	Attendance: 14,000 Referee: B McGinlay

Partick Thistle v Dumbarton

11 March 1978 Scottish Cup round 5	Partick Thistle	2–1	Dumbarton	Firhill Stadium
	Somner 43', 79'		Fyfe 62' (pen.)	Attendance: 4,500 Referee: I Foote

Dumbarton v Hamilton

31 August 1977 Scottish League Cup round 1(1)	Dumbarton	4–1	Hamilton	Boghead Park
	McCluskey 68' Muir 85' Whiteford, J 86' Bourke 89'		Frew 62'	Attendance: 1,000

Hamilton v Dumbarton

3 September 1977 Scottish League Cup round 1(2)	Hamilton	6–0 (7–4 agg.)	Dumbarton	Douglas Park
	Fairley 14' McCluskey 20' (OG) Graham 49' McGrogan 64' McManus 76', 84'		Frew 62'	Attendance: 1,000

Dumbarton v East Stirling

5 October 1977 1st round	Dumbarton	4–1	East Stirling	Boghead Park
	Whiteford, J 19' Fyfe 29' Muir 59' Renwick 72' (OG)		Campbell 13'	Attendance: 800

Clydebank v Dumbarton

20 April 1978 Semi-final	Clydebank	4–1	Dumbarton	Kilbowie Park
			Whiteford, D

Lossiemouth v Dumbarton

5 August 1977 Friendly	Lossiemouth	1–1	Dumbarton	Grant Park, Lossiemouth

Nairn County v Dumbarton

6 August 1977 Friendly	Nairn County	0–3	Dumbarton	Nairn
			Gallacher 14' MacLeod, A 70', 72'

St Mirren v Dumbarton

6 September 1977 Friendly	St Mirren	1–1	Dumbarton	Love Street (stadium)
			Blair

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		First Division		Scottish Cup		League Cup
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
	GK	SCO	Jim Cruickshank	6	0	3	0	1	0	2	0
	GK	SCO	Laurie Williams	40	0	36	0	4	0	0	0
	DF	SCO	Don Watt	15	0	9+3	0	1	0	2	0
	MF	SCO	Pat McCluskey	34	2	28	1	4	0	2	1
	MF	SCO	Columb McKinley	13	0	12+1	0	0	0	0	0
	MF	SCO	Ally MacLeod	20	0	11+7	0	1+1	0	0	0
	MF	SCO	Donald McNeil	38	2	30+1	2	5	0	2	0
	MF	SCO	Martin Mowat	5	0	5	0	0	0	0	0
	MF	SCO	Jim Muir	37	6	29+1	5	5	0	2	1
	MF	SCO	Graeme Sinclair	40	0	36	0	4	0	0	0
	MF	SCO	Derek Whiteford	46	16	39	15	5	1	2	0
	FW	SCO	Raymond Blair	23	2	8+11	2	2+2	0	0	0
	FW	SCO	John Bourke	5	4	3	3	0	0	2	1
	FW	SCO	Ally Brown	46	6	38+1	6	5	0	2	0
	FW	SCO	Joe Coyle	4	0	2+1	0	0	0	0+1	0
	FW	SCO	Graham Fyfe	34	7	29	5	5	2	0	0
	FW	SCO	Brian Gallacher	42	10	34+1	9	5	1	2	0
	FW	SCO	Dave Govan	2	1	1+1	1	0	0	0	0
	FW	SCO	Drew Harvey	4	0	0+4	0	0	0	0	0
	FW	SCO	Murdo MacLeod	46	3	39	1	5	2	2	0
	FW	SCO	Jocky Whiteford	32	17	27	15	3	1	2	1

^[2]

Murdo MacLeod and Graeme Sinclair were selected to play for the Scottish League in a match against an Italian League XI in Verona, which resulted in a 1–1 draw.

In addition Ally MacLeod was part of the Scottish Youth (under 19) side which competed in the UEFA Youth Championships. He played in all seven matches, against Denmark (1-0 and 2–0), West Germany (1-0), Portugal (1-0), Italy (0-0), Yugoslavia (2-2) and Poland (1-3) - Scotland finished in 4th place.

Players in Player From Date Derek Whiteford Airdrie 28 May 1977 Jim Cruickshank Hearts 25 Jul 1977 Brian Gallacher Radnor Park Juv 8 Aug 1977 David Govan Paisley YMCA 8 Aug 1977 Pat McCluskey Celtic 12 Aug 1977 Graham Fyfe Hibernian 14 Sep 1977

Players out Player To Date Brian Brown Falkirk 13 Jun 1977 Jim Donaldson Blantyre Vics 6 Jul 1977 Johnny Graham Rutherglen Glencairn 28 Jul 1977 Ian McGregor Stenhousemuir 23 Aug 1977 Billy Steele Cowdenbeath 27 Aug 1977 John Bourke Dundee United 15 Sep 1977 Tommy Mulraine Amateur football Jim Cruickshank Retired

^[3]

Dumbarton competed in the Scottish Reserve League First Division and finished 8th of 11.

In the Scottish Second XI Cup, Dumbarton lost to Ayr United in the first round, and in the Reserve League Cup, Dumbarton lost to Rangers, on aggregate, in the first round.

• The League match against Arbroath on 20 August marked Jim Muir's 100th appearance for Dumbarton in all national competitions - the 74th Dumbarton player to reach this milestone.
• The League match against Airdrie on 14 September marked Ally Brown's 100th appearance for Dumbarton in all national competitions - the 75th Dumbarton player to reach this milestone.
• The League match against Hamilton on 25 February marked Laurie Williams's 300th appearance for Dumbarton in all national competitions - the 5th Dumbarton player to achieve this accolade.

• 1977–78 in Scottish football

• Martin Mowatt (Dumbarton Football Club Historical Archive)
• Dave Govan (Dumbarton Football Club Historical Archive)
• Scottish Football Historical Archive