Morton Thistle will celebrate playing in their 41st full season of the DDAFL this year. Four of our current clubs have been in membership for 40 years or more. This is the first in a series of brief histories of the clubs that have reached the 40 year landmark.
The first 25 years of Morton Thistle’s history was captured in an excellent pamphlet written by Iain Renwicks and Jack Durie. Much of the information in this brief history has been taken from this excellent document.
Formation and the First Year
After one or two seasons as a highly successful summer team playing in the local league and cup competitions the chairman John Renwicks and manager Norman Marchbank decided to launch ‘Morton Thistle A.F.C.” into the DDAFL. Owing to the large list of applications to join the league for the 1967/68 season the league was re-shaped into two divisions. The new teams along with the lowest placed teams from the previous season formed the new second division.
“Big Norman” as he was affectionately known had the task signing players for the season ahead. Once this was done, training sessions were the order of the day and by the start of the season the team was ready to go.
The season started with the team playing section games in the League cup. The club’s first game was played at the Holm Park, Troqueer against the mighty Lincluden Swifts who were league champions and who had reached the semi-final of the West of Scotland cup the previous season. A tough task for any team and so it proved to be with the team on the end of a 9-2 thumping. Jim Boyes has the distinction of scoring the club’s very first competitive game. The club’s first home game and first victory was a high scoring match against Upper Annandale. The final score of 5-4 to the Thornhill club showed that the club were going to be no pushovers.
After the league cup the challenge of the second division awaited. The club certainly took this seriously and the title and promotion to division one was achieved with an unbeaten record of 16 wins and 2 draws from the 18 league matches.
Reasonable success was achieved in cup ties with the scalp of Green Colts being claimed in the Scottish Amateur Cup before a narrow 5-4 loss to Lincluden Swifts in the next round. On the local front the Queen of the South cup is the top trophy on offer and after battling their way to the final Morton once again faced the fearsome Lincluden Swifts. Three bus loads of supporters made their way to Palmerston Park on Monday 21st April 1968 to cheer Morton to a famous victory over their much more fancied opposition. Goals by Ian Rae and Jim Boyes were enough to secure an improbable 2-1 victory.
The team that night were; I.Millar, T.McGowan, A.Dempster, J.Durie, W.Brownrigg, A.Selby, J.Kirkpatrick, D.Halliday, I.Rae, A. McMeechin, J.Boyes and W.Dempster. The trainer that night was G.Johnstone.
Club Colours
Morton’s very first strip was in the Scottish national team colours of navy blue shirts with white collar and cuffs, white shorts and navy socks with white tops. This strip was first used against Nithsdale AFC on the 23rd November 1968 in a league match played at Penpont as Thornhill was unavailable. Prior to this Morton had used the red and white vertical striped strip from the used by the former summer league team. Over the years the club have had many new strips but returned to the original navy and white for the 25th anniversary season.
Landmarks
Jim McDickens scored goal number 1000 for the club when he notched the fourt goal in a 4-1 Queen of the South cup second round victory over Youngs Painters at Thornhill on the 17th February 1977.
The first ever team which represented the club at the Holm Park for Mortons first ever competitive match were; Jack Durie, I.Miller, A.Patterson, A.Dempster, W.Brownrigg, W.Dempster, I.Rae, J.Boyes, J.Kirjpatrick, A.McMeechin, G.Johnstone, Sub that day was D.Halliday.
Mike Pringle holds the record for most goals scored in one season when he netted a total of 61 times in season 1971/72.
Morton reached the 6th round proper of the Scottish Amateur cup in 1971/72 and the 6th round proper of the West of Scotland cup in the 2008/09 season.
The record victory was 15-0 against Uniroyal in a league cup tie at Thornhill 21st August 1971.
Jack Durie holds the club record for appearances. He played in goal over 600 times, although Billy Gracie must be getting close to this total as he has been accociated with the club for over 20 years.
Present secretary Stuart Moscrop was awarded the League’s Personality of the Year trophy at the end of the 2005/06 season. Stuart has been a member of the Morton Thistle committee for over 20 years.
The club became the 5th team in league history to reach 800 games when they played their last game of the 2007/08 season.
Player of the Year and Top Goalscorer Awards
Player of the Year Top Goalscorer
1968-69 Tom MCGowan Alex McMeechin
1969-70 Douglas Halliday Alex McMeechin
1970-71 Ian Miller Michael Pringle
1971-72 William Brownrigg Michael Pringle
1972-73 Allistair “Bud” Dempster Michael Pringle
1973-74 Gabrial Lavery William “Scrapper McGauchie”
1974-75 David Murdoch Alex McMeechin
1975-76 Alistair “Bud” Dempster David Goldie
1976-77 Jack Durie Jim McDickens
1977-78 Ross White Dennis White
1978-79 David Goldie Trevor Black
1979-80 Alistair “Bud” Dempster David Goldie
1980-81 Trevor Black Trevor Black
1981-82 Jim Renwick Trevor Black
1982-83 Alistair “Bud” Dempster Greg Ross
1983-84 Douglas Campbell Trevor Black
1984-85 John Candlish Trevor Black
1985-86 Walter Marchbank Billy Wallace
1986-87 Ian Patterson Trevor Black
1987-88 Graeme McKie James Woods
1988-89 Andrew Candlish Kevin Shields
1989-90 John Candlish James Woods
1990-91 John Candlish Martin McKinlay
1991-92 David McCron Martin McKinlay
All Time Record 1968-1980
Competition P W D L F A
League 214 102 51 61 480 351
League Cup 64 27 15 22 194 112
Local Cups 182 106 20 56 446 320
Scottish 28 13 5 10 62 63
West 23 8 3 12 45 64
Friendlies 35 26 4 5 124 47
Totals 546 282 98 166 1351 957
The club have now reached 800 league games and based on the above figures it can be approximated that Morton have played over 1600 games in their 40+ year history.
Teams over the Years
British Legion Cup Final Team 1972-73
M.Patterson, W.Brownrigg, D.Halliday, I.Miller, J.Durie, A.Selby, A.Dempster, J.Kirkpatrick, G.Lavery, A.McMeekin, R.Smith, M.Pringle and W.McGauchie.
Bill Brown Cup Final Team 1971-72?
Patterson, Miller, Dempster, Brownrigg, McGowan, Selby, McMeekin, Halliday, Pringle, Kirk and McGauchie. Sub – Dewar
Mid 1970s Line-up
J.Durie, J.Ross, R.Patterson, S.Smith, A.Dempster, D.Murdoch, T.Black, G.Lavery, R.Mcgarva, J.Henderson, A.Ferguson, R.Waddel, J.McDickens, D.White and D.Goldie.
Queen of the South Cup Final
Durie, Paterson, Murdoch, Kirkpatrick, Dempster, R.White, Black, Doolan, D.White, McDickens, Goldie, subs Lavery and Anderson
1978 Side vs Heathhall Hearts at Thornhill
Lavery, Goldie, Patterson, Durie, Dempster, Doolan, McDickens, Kirkpatrick, Murdoch, White, Black, Johnstone and McMeekin(Mgr).
March 1980
I.Crosbie, R.Kearney, J.Gibson, A.Dempster, J.Durie, R.Sheilds, D.Robson, P.Bramseipe, D.Moffat (trainer), A.Nash(Manager), R.Carmichael, G.Cairney, N.Halliday, D.Murdoch, S.Stones, A.Burt, T.Johnstone and K.Durie.
Double Trophy winning team 1982-83
P.Roy(manager), G.Mcnaught, R.Shelds, C.Walker, A.Dempster, M.Pringle, P.Bramseipe, D.Murdoch, W.McCally, J.Murdoch, J.Renwick, D.Robson, G.Ross, G.Smith, T.Black and J.McGuire.
1985 Team
R.Sheilds, J.Harkness, J.Murdoch, G.McKie, B.McQuat, D.campbell, I.Brown, J.Candlish, W.Wallace, T.Black, I.Wilson, W.Marchbank and R.Peacock.
1987 Team
D.Smith, G.Ferguson, G.Adamson, R.Shields, M.Coltart, H.McMeekin, K.Durie, G.McKie, C.Belshaw, M.Haistings, I.Patterson, J.woods, D.McCron, W.Gracie, A.candlish, J.Candlish, I.Wilson and J.Nicholson.
November 1989
J.Woods, D.Smith, M.McKinlay, M.Coltart, A.Williamson, S.Bowie, I.Wilson, T.Adair, M.Patterson, M.Haistings, K.Routledge, D.Patterson, J.Thomson, W.Gracie, M.Ayers, J.candlish and E.McMillan
1992-93 25th Anniversary Team
T.Munro, J.Woods, S.Bowie, J.Urquart, J.Harkness, M.Ayers, M.Johnston, J.Candlish, M.McKinlay, S.Radley, R.Peacock, D.McCron.
1992 Bill Bell memorial Cup Winners
M.Ayers, C.Bowie, A.Campbell, T.Adair, G.Patterson, S.Bowie, M.Johnston, K.Durie, J.Candlish, D.McCron, J.Woods, M.McKinlay, R.Peacock and W.Gracie.