The photographs in this week’s trip down West Fife’s Memory Lane look at Dunfermline Athletic’s footballing past.
Coming up on Thursday, October 26, in the Carnegie Hall in Dunfermline, is a ‘Football Comedy Night’ presented by former Pars manager Dick Campbell.
For Pars fans, Dick is best remembered for his time managing Dunfermline Athletic after he become Bert Paton's assistant. Paton and Campbell guided Dunfermline to promotion in the 1995–96 Scottish First Division season and also achieved their highest league position, finishing fifth in the 1996–97 Scottish Premier Division season, with their team known for their adventurous attacking style of play.
The first image is a team photograph from the start of the 1996-1997 season managed by Bert Paton and Dick Campbell. The team having won the First Division title the previous season.
Bert Paton had previously played for Dunfermline under Jock Stein and was an immensely popular and successful player for the Pars, playing in the 1968 Scottish Cup winning side, until a twice broken leg brought a premature end to his career.
In the summer of 1993 Bert and long time friend Dick Campbell took the reins at Dunfermline and Bert, who had remained a disciple of Jock Stein’s footballing philosophy, brought this attack-minded approach that proved to be popular with the fans at East End Park.
Dick Campbell’s twin brother Ian also assisted during this period which may have caused confusion for many people, as demonstrated in our next photograph, with Bert perhaps pointing out that Dick required his Dunfermline top to differentiate between the twins!
Dick enjoys humorously pointing out that as he was born a half an hour earlier than Ian, he is always the boss…
Sharing the bill at the 'Football Comedy Night' will be another legendary Pars man, former Dunfermline player and manager, and now Provost of Fife, Jim Leishman, who is looking forward to being on the stage with his life-long friend.
"Myself and Richard go back a long time-over half a century in fact, and I'm delighted to be performing alongside him at the Carnegie Hall. I've appeared in the venue many times over the years, including a few roles in some of Kelty Musical Association's shows.
"The photograph featured here is of me as 'Black Eagle' in 'Rose Marie' in 1978 alongside my late wife Mary on my left. Mary's parents, John and Lena, who were long time stalwarts of Kelty Musical Association, are pictured on my right.
"I have a fund of humorous stories that I’m looking forward to relating from my career on and off the pitch on the night, and it should be a great occasion."
Tickets for the 'Football Comedy Night', which is sponsored by 'Ian Brown Motor Engineers' and for which the Dunfermline Press are media partners, are available from the Carnegie Hall Box Office on 01383 602302.
More photographs like these can be seen in Dunfermline Carnegie Library and Galleries as well as at Facebook.com/olddunfermline
With thanks to Frank Connelly
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