1896–97 Dumbarton F.C. season
| 1896–97 season | |
|---|---|
| Stadium | Boghead Park, Dumbarton |
| Scottish League Division Two | 10th |
| Scottish Cup | Runners Up |
| Top goalscorer | League: John Fraser/ Robert Hendry/ Henry Malloy (3) All: Robert Hendry (9) |
Season 1896–97 was the 24th Scottish football season in which Dumbarton competed at national level, entering the Scottish Football League for the seventh time, and the Scottish Cup for the 24th time.
Overview
The return to amateur status had its consequences for Dumbarton's league performance, finishing 10th (and bottom) of the Second Division with just 6 points, and at the end of the season the club were voted out of the Scottish League.[1]
Despite the disastrous league performance, Dumbarton reached the final of the Scottish Cup before losing out to Rangers - which makes the decision to exclude the club from the Scottish League somewhat surprising.
Locally, Dumbarton lost in the final of the Dumbartonshire Cup to Vale of Leven.
During the season 3 'other' matches were played, of which 1 was won, 1 drawn and 1 lost, scoring 7 goals and conceding 8.
Results
| Win |
| Draw |
| Loss |
All results are written with Dumbarton's score first.
Scottish League
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 August 1896 | Partick Thistle | H | 2-2 | Malloy;unknown | 2,000 |
| 22 August 1896 | Port Glasgow | A | 2-3 | Malloy;McIlhany | |
| 29 August 1896 | Morton | H | 0-3 | ||
| 5 September 1896 | Kilmarnock | A | 1-5 | unknown | |
| 12 September 1896 | Renton | A | 0-4 | ||
| 26 September 1896 | Leith Athletic | H | 1-2 | Malloy | |
| 3 October 1896 | Airdrie | A | 2-3 | Saunderson;Adamson | |
| 17 October 1896 | Morton | A | 1-3 | Fraser | |
| 24 October 1896 | Leith Athletic | A | 1-7 | Hendry | |
| 7 November 1896 | Renton | H | 1-3 | Boyle | |
| 14 November 1896 | Partick Thistle | A | 1-6 | Fraser | 1,500 |
| 28 November 1896 | Linthouse | A | 2-2 | Saunderson;Hendry | |
| 5 December 1896 | Airdrie | H | 1-3 | Hendry | |
| 6 March 1897 | Linthouse | H | 4-5 | Miller;Mackie;Speedie;Thomson,W | |
| 10 April 1897 | Kilmarnock | H | 0-6 | ||
| 17 April 1897 | Motherwell | A | 1-5 | Fraser | |
| 8 May 1897 | Port Glasgow | H | 4-1 | unknown | |
| 15 May 1897 | Motherwell | H | 3-1 | Morrice;Mackie;Reid |
Scottish Cup
| Date | Rd | Opponent | Venue | Result | Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 January 1897 | R1 | Raith Rovers | H | 2-1 | Mair(2) | |
| 6 February 1897 | R2 | Leith Athletic | H | 4-4 | Mackie;Gracie;Hendry;Thomson,W | |
| 13 February 1897 | R2r | Leith Athletic | A | 3-3 | Hendry(3) | 6,000 |
| 20 February 1897 | R2r | Leith Athletic | A | 3-2 | Mackie;Speedie;Fraser | 4,000 |
| 27 February 1897 | R3 | St Bernard's | H | 2-0 | Thomson,D;Hendry | 6,000 |
| 13 March 1897 | SF | Kilmarnock | H | 4-3 | Thomson,D;Mackie;Hendry;Thomson,W | 5,000 |
| 20 March 1897 | F | Rangers | A | 1-5 | Thomson,W | 15,000 |
Dumbartonshire Cup
| Date | Rd | Opponent | Venue | Result | Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 April 1897 | SF | Newtown Thistle | A | 4-3 | unknown | |
| 24 April 1897 | F | Vale of Leven | A | 2-3 | Speedie;unknown | 3,000 |
Other Matches
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 October 1896 | Queen's Park | A | 1-6 | unknown | 1,000 |
| 21 November 1896 | Vale of Leven | A | 1-1 | unknown | |
| 1 May 1897 | Vale of Leven | H | 5-1 | Speedie;unknown(4) |
Appearances
Club
Dumbarton used 34 players during the season in 25 Scottish League and Cup matches, as detailed below. This was 5 more players than the previous season, and a new record for the club since the beginning of the Scottish League. Only John Docherty played in all of these matches.[2]
| Player | Position[3] | Appearances | Goals[4] |
|---|---|---|---|
 Adamson
|
FW | 2 | 1 |
| Bell
|
FW | 1 | |
| William Boyle
|
FW | 3 | 1 |
| Hugh Craig
|
FW | 5 | |
| John Docherty
|
GK | 25 | |
| Duncan
|
HB | 1 | |
| Forrester
|
HB | 2 | |
| John Fraser
|
FW | 17 | 4 |
| John Gillan
|
HB | 23 | |
| James Gracie
|
FW | 7 | 1 |
| Robert Hendry
|
HB | 23 | 9 |
| Hodge
|
FW | 1 | |
| Leitch Keir
|
HB | 1 | |
| Lewis Mackie
|
FW | 11 | 5 |
| Hugh Mair
|
FW | 2 | 2 |
| Henry Malloy
|
FW | 10 | 3 |
| Andrew Mauchlen
|
BK | 9 | |
| McBirnie
|
BK | 3 | |
| James McGregor
|
BK | 1 | |
| Hugh McIlhany
|
FW | 5 | 1 |
| John McNicol
|
BK | 1 | |
| Alex Miller
|
HB | 7 | 1 |
| Henry Mitchell
|
HB | 5 | |
| Morrice
|
HB | 9 | 1 |
| Thomas Reid
|
FW | 6 | 1 |
| John Rodger
|
BK | 12 | |
| Albert Sanderson
|
FW | 23 | 2 |
| John Seaton
|
FW | 3 | |
| Samuel Skinner
|
BK | 4 | |
| Willie Speedie
|
FW | 8 | 2 |
| Daniel Thomson
|
BK | 19 | 2 |
| William Thomson
|
FW | 19 | 4 |
| Watson
|
FW | 4 | |
| Hugh F Weir
|
FW | 3 |
County
A Dumbartonshire representative match was played against a Rangers XI on 26 April 1897 in which Docherty; Mauchan; Hendry and Fraser were all selected to play - the match was won by Rangers 2-1.
Reserve Team
Dumbarton lost in the second round of the Scottish Second XI Cup to Rangers.
Scottish Second XI Cup
| Date | Rd | Opponent | Venue | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ? September 1896 | R1 | St Mirren | A | ? |
| 3 October 1896 | R2 | Rangers | H | 0-4 |
See also
References
- ^ Smailes, Gordon (1995). The Breedon Book of Scottish Football Records. Derby: Breedon Books. ISBN 1-85983-020-X.
- ^ McAllister, Jim (2002). The Sons of the Rock - The Official History of Dumbarton Football Club. Dumbarton: J&J Robertson Printers.
- ^ The usual formation would be 2-3-5 (two backs, three half backs and five forwards).
- ^ Due to the limited reporting of Division Two football at the time, the scorers of 6 of the 27 goals scored in Scottish League matches are unknown.