Memories of Glasgow amateur football teams from the 70s and 80s

HandsomeHead said:
Played a cup game against a team from Ferguslie Park back in the 80s when skinheads were still a thing and there was a squad of them along the touchline with dogs straining on the leash.

I was playing right wing and anytime I got close to them it was to be met with a barrage of threats, most of them involving knives.

Objects kept getting thrown onto the pitch and the ref had to keep stopping the game and threatening to abandon it and award it to us. Which didn’t go down well. I kept drifting more and more infield much to the consternation of our coach as the dogs kept barking and snarling at the side.

Despite it all we trounced them 10-3 or something (I got a couple) and after it there was a big rammy involving just about everyone before they put some bricks through the back of our mini van window as we drove off.

Happy days.
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Had a similar experience, playing in goals against the Ferguslie boys, guy behind my goal wants to chat away with me while the ball is up the other end of the park, I notice he has what he called "a dug" with him, I swear, this thing was the guardian of the underworld.

Him, "Keeper, what's the score?"

Me, "1-1"

Him, "Keeper"

Me, "what?"

Him, "see the next time the ball goes out for a bye kick, im setting the dug on ye!"

At least he warned me.

5 minutes later, boy of theirs has a pop at goal that soars high and wide, after a few seconds, ref shouts, "keeper, it's a goal kick!"

"Don't you worry about it. I know the fkn rules..."
 
Southside_shug said:
Used to watch AC Milanda and PO Phones at Nether Pollok during the spring , summer.

Also Strathclyde Police at their base in Lochinch in Pollok Park too.....dirty , dirty bastards!!!
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Played for Eastercraigs, Kilbowie Union & then PO Phones. Playing Strathclyde Police at their place. I put in a strong tackle & heard a shout from the sidelines "get that b******s car registration"
 
The Paludrine Club said:
Auchengill [Easterhouse] were a good setup. Always had strong teams.
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My old man played for them. Used to travel all the way through there twice a week on a bus and same for his games on a Saturday. Nowadays you struggle to get young guys / adults to leave their house for training and games on their doorstep. Times have changed massively!

I'm early 30s, my era of football players are the last generation that actually enjoy playing football. It's why Over 35s Football is starting to boom but the general amateur / youth game is struggling.
 
I can only recall going to Easterhouse once; from what I remember it was grass pitches, near a railway, I think.
 
Grigo Yossarian said:
One night we played them at Lochend School & there was a gang fight on the next park.

Funny as %^*&.

This guys chasing another with a big machete thing & as they realised they were going to run onto our park they changed angle so they wouldnae disrupt the game !

We were all buckled up laughing.
:D
They had their values, those boys.
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Once while laying at Pollock a woman with a wean in a pram insisted that she had every right to stroll straight across the pitch as it was her shortcut home and she had a very colourful vocabulary when we suggested that it would be safer for both her and her kid to walk round and stay off the pitch.:D

W.A.T.P.
 
Not the 70's and 80's but bunch of lads I grew up with in the 70's 80's formed a team Fordbank Star AFC in 1996. We played in the P&D League (sadly no longer a thing) We played our home games at Miller St in Johnstone across from Parducci's ices garage. I travelled through every Sat morning from Pollokshields played left back/outside left from age 31-34. We were affiliated into the bottom B league after vote in 97' and won it. Won the A league 98' and my final year we won the P&D Prem Champ 99'.

Great days out to all over the place for cup games and great memories of the time but most of those lads are in their late 40 -50's some older now. Quite a few of the lads, like I had, have moved away with families etc so I haven't been in contact with many of them in quite some time but I believe there are still a couple in and around the team and its still in existence playing in the Greater Glasgow Prem AFL.
 
Played with Possil YM from under 16 -under 21......coaches were jimmy dinnie (bobbys brother ) , Jimmy Pyatt , and Brian somebody.....had some great times playing at closeburn , huntershill , cowlairs, etc....we played in the dunbartonshire league so just about every away game was on grass so we were versatile :) .
We played against clydebank strollers, tower hearts, kilbowie union ,duntocher (animals )....had some good rivalries.....Famous ? players I remember were John Mcdonald of the Rangers who I think played for either strollers or kilbowie at the time.........and Jim Duffy who played with us for a season.......as always there were better players than them around but for one reason or other didnt make it........great memories .
 
KirkieRanger said:
Once while laying at Pollock a woman with a wean in a pram insisted that she had every right to stroll straight across the pitch as it was her shortcut home and she had a very colourful vocabulary when we suggested that it would be safer for both her and her kid to walk round and stay off the pitch.:D

W.A.T.P.
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Had to laugh out loud Kirkie.

The only thing Glasgow men are scared of - Glasgow women !!!
 
Not sure of amateurs or juniors now - maybe juniors - but I remember watching a game with Dennistoun Waverley at the ground down the bottom of Appin Road against Shettleston

It turned into an enormous battle on the pitch after a Shettleston player stood on the hands of the Waverley goalkeeper when he was on the ground

It ended up with one player chasing another with the corner flag pole (an old fence post) way out the ground & down the bank of the railway line

I'm pretty sure the game didn't restart & there was an Evening Citizen report saying both clubs had forfeited the game & were duducted further points - but it was a while ago & my memory may not be 100% accurate with these details
 
Southside_shug said:
One of my best friends growing up played for Morton and was a decent player

He joined the police and when he was called up the the SP team he was told to forget everything he ever knew about the game!!! This was fecking war!!! :D :D
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Aye MD was a very good player. Was Souness interested in him when he was young? Theres something telling me he went to their house in the Shaws I also could be talking nonsense. Remember I am the man who said Parlane was hopeless and he scored 5 goals just after i opened my mouth
 
Tony75tfc said:
Do you even get pub teams anymore i remember back in the 80s you had a lot of pub teams
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I played in the same pub team as Pete the Japanese. (The Coach House in Eastwood)
He wasn’t there for long after I joined.

He was one of the first to go as we weeded out the diddies.:))
We ended up with a great wee team. A few ringers from the pro and junior ranks.
Big Stuart Auld would play in the premier league on a Saturday and with us on a Sunday.
Imagine that happening nowadays.

F uck knows how we got away with it.
 
Before I was old enough and had the cash to follow the Gers, I used to watch our local team Eaglesham Amateurs. This would be late 60’s/early 70s. They played on a quagmire at the public park. Every match was a battle, no c*nt messed with the ‘Hams!
 
senefelder said:
I played for a Scottish Amateur club for 13 years, and then a further 18 months when they started an over 35's side in 1992. As I'm sure you know the volume of leagues and therefore clubs was off the scale. Off the top of my head, in the 70/80's Scottish Amateur was 7 divisions, plus 3 reserve divisions. West of Scotland 3 divisions?. Paisley and District 3? then the Caledonian was formed. Add in all the pub leagues and others, and that's an awful lot of young lads playing football. A couple of years back I went down to the pitches at Muirend to take in a game, and whilst watching was told that Muirend who were well funded and organised in my day had folded. It's a real shame, and I can't help but think that young people are missing out on the benefits health, fitness and social of playing organised sport.
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I was Secretary for Muirend in the 80s. They were a top team and won more Scottish leagues than any other. Many players turned pro. Sadly most of the committee were getting a bit on the old side and left for health reasons etc and some of the players decided to run the club. Not a good idea for many reasons and in time the club went downhill and folded. A shame for a well respected amateur club.
 
When you read some of these tales, and I think of the many similar incidents I can recall from when I played, you gotta wonder why Scotland doesn't have loads of European and World success stories to tell...
 
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Apart from Robert Fleck (Possil YM) who else made the move and step from amateur status to professional. Andy Gray perhaps before he started at Dundee Utd?
 
Who are the modren-day equivalent of these great clubs? Locally I can only think of Giffnock North who have several teams and great facilities and playing fields at Hutchie Grammar School (I think).
 
I ran a team in the Helenvale Sunday Amateur League (Parkhead) some great games there and during the week there was a team called Calton Cosmos (made up of ex Junior players and wannabe super stars) who played all the Junior teams In friendlies and usually beat them

On a Sunday for the league the first game of the day was 10.30am and last game started at 9.00pm, usually stayed there all day and ate out the Kwelin Chinese with a couple of pints in the Bowlers, great times in the 80’s
 
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Abu Dhabi Loyal said:
Played against the Police team many years ago and let's just say, the left back was carrying a few extra pounds. Whole game he's getting called sumo and generally abused about his weight to the extent he looses the plot and has to be substituted. After being subbed, he walks from his side of the park to ours (we're at home) and says to all and sundry "next one calls me sumo is getting it" (and he meant it). One of our guys doesn't' hear the threat, turns round, sees the guy and casually says "all right sumo". Copper went absolutely mental and it took a fair few to restrain him.
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genuinely pmsl.
 
I can remember a few of the pub teams from the sat amateur leagues... muirton... bellrock (im sure).. sheddens. Used to get some battles on a saturday afternoon down on the greenfield pitches :)
 
The best I could muster was playing for the 9th Glasgow co. BB - I was hopeless but keen as mustard, and loved to pull on that yellow top with red and black diagonal stripe (sash) every Saturday.
 
Drumchapel-Bear said:
My old man played for them. Used to travel all the way through there twice a week on a bus and same for his games on a Saturday. Nowadays you struggle to get young guys / adults to leave their house for training and games on their doorstep. Times have changed massively!

I'm early 30s, my era of football players are the last generation that actually enjoy playing football. It's why Over 35s Football is starting to boom but the general amateur / youth game is struggling.
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In the late 60s I used to get a number 15 bus from under the flyover between Yoker and Drumchapel right over to Hillington for training and on a Saturday a number 19 from the Drum to Govan Cross then picked up by my manager over to the fifty pitches and all to get my knees kicked and skinned from the black ash. Great days though
 
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Alex Venters said:
Yet another reason we no longer produce good footballers. The demise of youth and amateur football.
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The demise of youth football wasn't helped by the demise of schools football , in the 60s and 70s every school had at least one team at each age level 13s,14s etc. and some schools had really good teams .I believe it was a teachers strike that killed off a lot of the schools football for the teachers would take the teams on the Saturdays doing it in their own time but during a pay dispute they stopped extra curricular activities which included football
 
jimbear said:
Definitely a factor, Mark.
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Gibbonbear said:
The demise of youth football wasn't helped by the demise of schools football , in the 60s and 70s every school had at least one team at each age level 13s,14s etc. and some schools had really good teams .I believe it was a teachers strike that killed off a lot of the schools football for the teachers would take the teams on the Saturdays doing it in their own time but during a pay dispute they stopped extra curricular activities which included football
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Spot on. For the game in this country to flourish again it needs to ge revived at primary school level and continue from there.
 
beowulf said:
When I was growing up Glasgow had some fantastic youth football teams that usually did well in European tournaments. I'm talking Possil YM, Eastercraigs, Glasgow United, Harmony Row, Drumchapel Amateurs.
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I played BB football for the 83rd section and won everything - beating the 231 in league play off and cup final.

Played against Eastercraigs when I had my 4 game trial with Rangers. Beat them 2-1, beat celtic 4-2, beat Hearts (Tower Hearts) 4-1 and Queen's Park 7-2 (I think).

I wish I had stuck at it instead of falling into a bag of chips.

I have been taking an evening walk through the Queen's Park recreation ground during lockdown and the memories of BB football come flooding back. Really sad all the pitches have gone though.
 
beowulf said:
Apart from Robert Fleck (Possil YM) who else made the move and step from amateur status to professional. Andy Gray perhaps before he started at Dundee Utd?
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Paul Kinnaird when he played for Possil YM moved up and signed for Norwich.
He was a complete wank as a person though. His old dear used to come to the games. She was potty.

Ross Caven moved to Queens Park from the YM too. I think he is still there in some role. ( Just realised they were not professional at that time ).

I played for the 'YM' for about 7 years. Always has great teams throughout the age groups.

We played and won the Ayr International Youth Football Tourney one year.

One night before a game against Stoke, we were all blootered.

Unknown to us Bobby Dinnie was attending the match the next day.

On his arrival it fairly sobered us up!!

A well respected gent he was.

Also played for Dennistoun Waverley before the YM.

Some good teams in that era that i played in.

Eastercraigs, Duntocher, Tower Hearts.
 
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Played for Lennox Amateurs from Bearsden, under 12 - under 16, initially I think in Glasgow league then Paisley and District. Sometimes at home on grass but away often interesting blaize or even black ash. Memorable aways included Possil YM, Robroyston, Duntocher Hibs and nasty games with Goodyear, who mainly seemed to be from St Pius. Played a few months with Knighthood under 17 before chucking it as went to Glasgow Uni with great facilities and pitches. Over 5-6 years played in various leagues but mainly Scottish Amateur playing all over Glasgow and as far away as Arrochar and Rothesay. Pain going all the way to Rothesay to be sent off after 20 minutes!
Amazing in 70s/80s the number of teams around.
 
ontarioranger said:
Played with Possil YM from under 16 -under 21......coaches were jimmy dinnie (bobbys brother ) , Jimmy Pyatt , and Brian somebody.....had some great times playing at closeburn , huntershill , cowlairs, etc....we played in the dunbartonshire league so just about every away game was on grass so we were versatile :) .
We played against clydebank strollers, tower hearts, kilbowie union ,duntocher (animals )....had some good rivalries.....Famous ? players I remember were John Mcdonald of the Rangers who I think played for either strollers or kilbowie at the time.........and Jim Duffy who played with us for a season.......as always there were better players than them around but for one reason or other didnt make it........great memories .
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Possil changing room in a hall in Denmark Street, round the corner from Closeburn?
 
bluebeak said:
Hillwood Swifts are another amateur side I recall as having good teams back then. I think they were from Pollok or there about. Big McLeish played for them I think.
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I played for Hillwood for a season. We were decent but not great. Don’t remember the “Swifts” tag though.
 
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