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Sons' sorrow


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Was actually meant as more of a compliment, especially to the older generations of the Sons support. I'd be very surprised if there's actually that many Dumbarton supporters who prefer the current way they have to watch their team's home games over Boghead.

Count me in the minority then. The pitchside views at Boghead were not as good as what's offered at the current place.

No amount of nostalgia disguises the fact that Boghead was a hole that we were well shot of in the end.

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I'm 55 and have supported Sons since 1970. I much prefer the current ground - no contest at all.

1970 was my introduction to DFC and Boghead. Kids tv in the morning, freezin' and pished wet through, being told by the Polis to not have my legs over the wall, watching us gettin' humped by the likes of Arbroath in the afternoon and then home for a big bowl of home made soup.

Even at my current age, I prefer standing to watch a game.

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First entered the hallowed ground of boghead in august 1954. It was always a dump but the important thing was it was our dump. The senile amongst us still remember the invasion of the half time results boy who at around 4.30 would Bring in the Saturday green edition of the evening citizen which would have half time results in its stop press.

At half time a young lad would walk round the pitch selling trays full of macaroon bars. It was probably Colin hosie but I can't remember.

Another highlight was the appearance of the half time sheet which was carried around the ground by half a dozen men. Ostensibly the money thrown onto the sheet was for charity but at the end of the game certain players would leave with their pockets bulging with change.

Great days but you would need your head examined to go back to them.

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First game around winter 1962.. Still remember it feeling like huge game although I have no clue who the opposition was. I loved Boghead. 'Get yer macaroon bars' still as clear as a bell. The pies were always crap. Why would you need your head examined to go back to them. The ground had character

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1970 was my introduction to DFC and Boghead. Kids tv in the morning, freezin' and pished wet through, being told by the Polis to not have my legs over the wall, watching us gettin' humped by the likes of Arbroath in the afternoon and then home for a big bowl of home made soup.

Even at my current age, I prefer standing to watch a game.

I once had the ball hit off my legs while they were dangling over the wall at Boghead. The Polis were doing you a favour, trust me.

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I once had the ball hit off my legs while they were dangling over the wall at Boghead. The Polis were doing you a favour, trust me.

You'll remember the excitement of retrieving the ball from the terracing and handing it to one of our idols over the wall. Such happy memories of a shitehole !

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The memories were great but it really was a shitehole at the end. If we still played there today we'd be the laughing stock of this league and receive the same sort of pelters the Cowden fans receive on an almost weekly basis.

The club has come on leaps and bounds since we left Boghead behind, and that includes a attracting more fans to the games.

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Playing surface aside - it was always hellish - the rot set in for Boghead when a combo of ridiculous Strathclyde Region rules and Neil Rankine's financial dereliction let the place virtually go to waste.

It wasn't always so however, and the younger element who post here and only recall a dump, can sadly have no recollection of the spectacle and atmosphere of the early 1970's in particular. And there can be few senior ground anywhere which could boast mature trees within the perimeter fence.

Get yourself a copy of the 1986 edition of 'The Football Grounds Of Great Britain' by Simon Inglis and check out his comments

As for the Strathclyde Homes Bet Butler Community Wind Tunnel, well it's symbolic and functional and utterly uninspiring.

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It wasn't always so however, and the younger element who post here and only recall a dump, can sadly have no recollection of the spectacle and atmosphere of the early 1970's in particular. And there can be few senior ground anywhere which could boast mature trees within the perimeter fence.

Absolutely. My memories are from around 94 onwards.

I just remember it getting worse and worse with each passing year. I still absolutely loved the place but aye, that's purely based on nostalgia.

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I remember the last game of the final season,the ball came to me under the main stand, I grabbed it, then, two hands out, booted it back,but it never went back, it scudded right into the guy in front of me's back, total embarrassment, it worked second time

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That's the squad numbers announced in case anyone's missed it.

1. Mark Brown, 2. Scott Taggart, 3. Mark Docherty, 4. Andy Graham, 5. Gregor Buchanan, 6. Darren Miller, 7. Kevin Cawley, 8. Grant Gallagher, 9. Garry Fleming, 10. Jordan Kirkpatrick, 11. Gordon Smith, 13. Willie Gibson, 14. Darren Barr, 15. Donald McCallum, 19. Jamie Ewings, 20. Mikey Hopkins.

Nice to see us retire number 16 in honour of big Ching. Is Willie Gibson the first ever Sons' player to wear 13?

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That's the squad numbers announced in case anyone's missed it.

1. Mark Brown, 2. Scott Taggart, 3. Mark Docherty, 4. Andy Graham, 5. Gregor Buchanan, 6. Darren Miller, 7. Kevin Cawley, 8. Grant Gallagher, 9. Garry Fleming, 10. Jordan Kirkpatrick, 11. Gordon Smith, 13. Willie Gibson, 14. Darren Barr, 15. Donald McCallum, 19. Jamie Ewings, 20. Mikey Hopkins.

Nice to see us retire number 16 in honour of big Ching. Is Willie Gibson the first ever Sons' player to wear 13?

The main thing that comes to mind when looking at that list is that we need a few more players.

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My first game was away to Queen's Park at Hampden. We won 2-0 and it was (the great) Lawrie Williams' last game as a trialist - we signed him after that game.

I will always remember Boghead fondly as I grew up going there every second Saturday. I remember winning the golden goal when I was about 13 (you had to be 16) and Alex Wright saying because he knew us he would put me down as 16, the 5-2 Arbroath game when we were 2-1 down just after half time (was it 2-0?) anbd Colin McAdam scoring from his own half, the 4-1 relegation avoiding game against Dundee United in 1973, plus countless other memories.

The main problem with Boghead was the pitch - even after it was re-drained in the late 70s or early 80s it was still a quagmire after a light drizzle, so although I will always remember Boghead well, I agree with the others who have said that if we were still there it would be an embarassment or cost a fortune to keep maintained.

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Ah the halcyon days of boghead in the 50's and 60's. Hughie Gallagher, Leslie brown, govan and Jardine, Andy Crawford,Jim lynas etc etc. remember being lifted over at the gate whilst children without an adult would walk up and down the queue begging a lift. Thankfully kids in those days were smaller and lighter. Don't fancy trying to lift some of today's obese kids over the turnstile.remember at around 4.15 the back gate would be opened to let people out and there were always a dozen meanies hanging about to see the last thirty minutes for free.

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Playing surface aside - it was always hellish - the rot set in for Boghead when a combo of ridiculous Strathclyde Region rules and Neil Rankine's financial dereliction let the place virtually go to waste.

It wasn't always so however, and the younger element who post here and only recall a dump, can sadly have no recollection of the spectacle and atmosphere of the early 1970's in particular. And there can be few senior ground anywhere which could boast mature trees within the perimeter fence.

Get yourself a copy of the 1986 edition of 'The Football Grounds Of Great Britain' by Simon Inglis and check out his comments

As for the Strathclyde Homes Bet Butler Community Wind Tunnel, well it's symbolic and functional and utterly uninspiring.

I wonder if those of us of a certain age would have had the same happy memories of Boghead had it not been for the halcyon years of the 70s? Having already said I prefer the wind tunnel, I'd swap it in a minute for Boghead in a Scottish Cup quarter final with nearly 9,000 there and Jumbo Muir rising majestically to send Killie out of the cup. I'd swap it for circa 11,000 in two successive games at the end of 71-72 with promotion and a pitch invasion at the end of it. However in the realism of now, watching the game in reasonable comfort, with fitba' of a reasonable standard, toilets with a roof and proper drainage, food serveries with decent snacks and good service, decent adjacent parking and a supporters bar for a pre-match pint is functional indeed. I wonder Frank if we're at an age when inspiration is almost as distant a memory as the Bluebell Polka playing over the tannoy and Willie Muir announcing that the local MP had kindly donated the ball for that day's game?

Thinking back, what was the first Sunday match planned for Boghead? Who were the scheduled opposition? And which referee postponed the game half an hour before kick off with over 2,000 fans already inside the ground? A bonus if you can tell me who the ref's son was and which team he was playing for that day?

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