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Into the Fifties
By John Boyd
March 31 2002

Into The Fifties

 

STRANRAER had finished in eighth place in the South-West League and until December they appeared possible winners, then came a slump. Their financial situation appeared secure, the income for the season was £7000 and there was a guarantee fund of £15,000.

Dissatisfaction was expressed with the set-up at Stair Park, which ground was run by a Committee of Management of various sporting bodies and the town council, and Stranraer seriously considered going back to their old home at Westwood.   Money was pouring in from the weekly sweepstake and the Supporters' Club and being drained away by the local matches.

In the first season of the fifties Stranraer failed for the first time in four years to win their way into the Scottish Cup.

An unexpected defeat at Duns in the first round of the Qualifying Cup proved a blessing in disguise for the team escaped a plethora of fixtures at the season's end. In all, however, they finished in sixth place in 'C' League, winning 15 games in league and League Cup. Willie (Cubbie) Anderson was the country's highest scorer with 43. The club asked for exemption from the Qualifying Cup and this was granted. The loss on the reserve side amounted to £700 but a motion to disband it was defeated. The four 'C' League clubs were holding meetings with a view to advancement to 'B' League. Freddie Laing came from Luton and put on a display of such virtuosity against Motherwell that he was cheered off the field by the visiting team. He played the finest game ever seen by a player off the ball, dummying, swerving, jumping over the ball, all the tricks of the trade were there in profusion. Referee Tom Wharton remarked to him, "The last time I saw you, you were in evening dress and I must say you are better at the dancing than at the football." Freddie was one of the last of football's characters.

One of the finest games of season 1951-52 was that against Rangers 'A' when McCutcheon, in and out of the team-, scored two of the three goals against Niven to get a draw. He was later to worry Bobby Brown considerably. Albion Rovers, Falkirk and Celtic dropped out of the South-West section to compete in the North-East and East Stirling came in to make a 16-club league. Stranraer finished in fourth Place and won their section of the League Cup. Willie Anderson scored five goals at Palmerston.

In the Scottish, Stranraer held Albion Rovers to a 1-1 draw but lost at home in extra time by 4-3. There was a loss of £90 on the year. It was the club's best season to date.

In the following season the 'C' League had shrunk to 14 clubs, Dumbarton and Hamilton withdrawing, and the writing was on the wall. There was a prospect of Stranraer being promoted to 'B' League and this caused so much anxiety to Stranraer that the chairman of the club made an appeal to the public, pointing out that it cost £175 per week to run the team in the higher sphere. The retaining wage was £180 and gates were not sufficient to keep the club's finances in the black.

On the field, Jimmy Duncanson, one of the Rangers players who took part in the memorable cup tie, was performing very well for Stranraer. Tommy Stephenson was still among the goals. It was not a very auspicious season, however, for Stranraer finished midway in the league table and lost by 4-0 at home to Kilmarnock in the Scottish Cup. The team was: Hanson, Gibson and Smith; Aitken, Boyd and Knox; Maitland, Sheridan, MeLellan, Johnstone and McCutcheon.

Benefit matches were held for Dave Hanson and Willie Milliken.

A small covered enclosure was erected on the north side of the park and was later replaced by the present building. The club's finances were in parlous plight, the debit going above £300.

From a playing point of view results of 1953-54 were memorable for the team finished in third place, gaining 35 points from their 26 games and being only two behind champions Rangers with Partick Thistle in between. The finances improved, the debit being turned into a credit of £200, even though the income had shrunk to under £4000 compared to the £7000 of 1949-50. Stephenson, who, in a friendly game, had equalled his own record against St Cuthbert Wanderers, by scoring five in a friendly against Dunfermline, failed to net in the Scottish Cup and Dunfermline won 4-1. An Austrian touring team, Gak Graz, was entertained.

The following year there was a change in the Scottish Cup set-up and Stranraer was not engaged until the third round when they lost by 2-1 to Inverness Thistle. It was the first of several journeys to the Highlands. They had been there before in 1902 and were beaten 6-1 with Johnny Arnott leading.

A partial slump occurred in the following season, Stranraer slipping down to eighth place in the league; Hamilton, who had been replaced by Morton, dropped out, along with the Greenock club, leaving 13 teams.

An indication of the fight at the top is shown by the side Rangers fielded at Stair Park: Brown; Elliott and Cox; McKenzie, Stanners and Pryde; Rodgers, Grierson, Carmichael, McMillan and Waddell. Stranraer's side was: Henderson; Nugent and McLean; Gibson, Wilson and Knox; Tennant, Robertson, McIntyre, Duncanson and McCutcheon. Rangers won by the odd goal in seven. Yet Rangers were pipped by Partick Thistle.

The 'C' League side had to fill in with a few local cup ties and in one of these against Newton Stewart, McCutcheon claimed half of the 12 goals scored, two came from penalties. The new covered enclosure was formally opened. John McCutcheon had a benefit match against Motherwell.

Jimmy Duncanson, the suave, scintillating inside forward, regretfully was lost to the game. He decided to end his career with the club he had come to love so much. Like Tommy Stephenson, Willie Anderson, Drew Rankin, Frankie Walls, Peter Irons, Dan Rodgers and many others, he left cherished memories behind.

This season marked the end of an era. 'C' League was ended because some of the big guns were not anxious to fire in it any more. It had been the most outstanding and successful competition so far as Stranraer was concerned and it provided the best football seen in Stair Park either before or since.

Stranraer, along with other 'C' League Clubs, was included in the Scottish 'B' League in season 1955-56. Their career in this division, which was short-lived, was started by: Black; Gibson and Balunas; McKnight, Riddick and Gilroy; Tennant, Findlay, Nelson, McMaster and McCutcheon.

Hamilton Accies, managed by former Stranraer player, Jackie Cox, and with another former Stranraer stalwart in Ronnie Boyd, who had been transferred, came down seeking promotion points and were whipped by 4-2. There was an attendance of 2575 at the gate and this cleared expenses and gave the committee more. confidence in the financial aspects.

Stranraer's admission to 'B' League had not really been from the esteem in which the club was held, that was to come later. It was a thinly veiled attempt to teach the youngsters in football a lesson and send them back to what was regarded by many as their proper sphere. But in the event, Stranraer did quite well, finishing in 12th place in the league. The season was memorable too in that for the first time the team won a Scottish Cu - p tie, beating Ross County at Dingwall in what was the third round by 3-2. Though leading by 2-0 at one stage in the fourth round at Forfar, the team lost 5-2.

Willie Gibson made most appearances and McCutcheon scored most goals. The average attendance was 2000.

Wallace (Sol) King arrived on the scene in 1956 and was to gain everlasting fame with the club. Stranraer refused an invitation to take part in a new Alliance League for Second Division clubs. Ross County were again Scottish Cup victims, but this time at Stair Park and Jimmy Cron scored all three. In what was the fifth round Stranraer led Airdrie by a goal scored by Henderson for more than an hour, Airdrie's goals coming in the 82nd and 90th minutes. The cup team was the best knit the club had had: Hamilton: McGuire and Shaw; Gibson, Wilson and King; Small, Tennant, Cron, Henderson and McCutcheon.

Stranraer's 1956-57 team in the "B' Division (soon to become the Second Division). Star player at the time was John "Lolly" McCutcheon (front row, extreme right) who scored 329 goals for the club.

Bertie Knox captained the South of Scotland side which won the League Cup, formerly the Southern Counties Consolation Cup, one of seven trophies gained in the record 1927-28 season.

Prior to the start of the 1957-58 season John McCutcheon was presented with a statuette and £100 as a mark of the regard in which he was held by the club. He had scored a total of 317 goals. He was to score more but he sustained a broken arm at the beginning of the season. It was far from being an auspicious year. Stranraer suffered a 10-0 defeat at Shawfield and lost the same number of goals at Dumbarton. It was the worst of the nine seasons in the league, the team finishing second bottom, even although they won their last seven home games. On 11 occasions they lost by the odd goal, however. Fortunately, the abolition of entertainment tax helped keep the club solvent.

A Youth international was held at Stair Park.

Stranraer had a bad start to season 1958-59 in the league though the League Cup section was won, but they rallied a bit and ended up fourth from the bottom. The season was noteworthy in that Wallace King, even though he missed eight games through injury, scored 16 goals, a record for a defender. Ernie Yard, later to be transferred to Kilmarnock, Davie Logan, who was to achieve a measure of fame with a Scottish Cup goal, and Alex Blain, who went to Clyde, made fugitive appearances in the senior side. The team also gained their first-ever Scottish Cup victory over a league side, Berwick Rangers being the victims, and one Robin McKechnie was capped for Amateur Scotland against Wales and England. Hamish McMillan, former Raith Rovers star, was signed during the season and became a personality for dour tenacity. Locally, the Potts Cup was won.

The past two seasons had been noteworthy in that Stranraer failed to win away from home, having played in that time 43 games, but in 1959-60 they broke this awful sequence at Brechin after registering six goals at home against Albion Rovers. In November they won two successive away games. It was a long hard pull away from the bottom once more and Stranraer finished on the third lowest rung. There was a gleam on the horizon, however, for Davie Logan, with 28 goals, was leading the second string to victory in the South League championship, the Cree Lodge and Tweedie Cup and the Southern Counties in which Queen of the South Reserves were twice beaten by 2-0.

 

Chapter 7: Expulsion Threat

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