Scottish Cup First Round | ||
Stadium Boghead Park, Dumbarton | ||
Season 1883–84 was the 11th Scottish football season in which Dumbarton competed at a national level, entering the Scottish Cup for the 11th time.
Contents
Overview
After the success of the previous season, Dumbarton fell at the 'first hurdle' in the Scottish Cup by losing to local rivals Renton.
Dumbarton did no better in the Glasgow Charity Cup and lost at the semi final stage to 3rd LRV. A protest was lodged by Dumbarton after the game that their opponents had played several players from other teams - against SFA rules. However the basis of the objection was doomed to failure, due in part to the fact that the game had been refereed by the president of the SFA, and if the protest had been successful, Queen's Park's victory over Rangers would have had to be replayed, as the QP team was similarly sprinkled with 'guest' players - indeed it seemed that very few decisions went against Queens Park in those days!
Elsewhere however Dumbarton's fixture card was a busy one, with 31 'other' matches being played. In Scotland, the season began with a charity match against Rangers in aid of the Daphne Disaster Fund and then home and away fixtures against Queen's Park, Vale of Leven, Rangers, St Mirren (the Renfrewshire Cup holders) and St Bernards - all 10 of which were won, not to mention a 7-0 thumping of Ayrshire Cup holders Kilmarnock Athletic. In addition there were 12 matches played against English opposition, including home and away fixtures against Aston Villa, Walsall Swifts, Nottingham Forest, Blackburn Rovers and Blackburn Olympic, the 1882-83 FA Cup winners - the 6-1 win at Boghead was in fact recognised as the unofficial Championship of Great Britain. In all, of these matches, 23 were won, 1 drawn and 7 lost, scoring 95 goals and conceding 38.
Results
All results are written with Dumbarton's score first.
International Caps
An international trial match was played on 8 March 1884 to consider selection of teams to represent Scotland in the upcoming games against England and Wales. Jock Hutcheson, Joe Lindsay, James McAulay and Peter Miller all took part.
Subsequently, five Dumbarton players were selected to play for Scotland in the first official British Home Championship.
Robert 'Sparrow' Brown earned his first and second caps against Ireland and Wales respectively.
Joe Lindsay earned his fourth and fifth caps against England and Wales respectively, scoring a goal in the 4-1 win over the Welsh.
William McKinnon earned his third and fourth caps against England and Wales respectively.
James McAulay earned his fourth cap against England and Michael Paton earned his second cap against Wales.
County Caps
On the same day as the international trial, Ralph Aitken, James Liddell, James Miller and W Watt played in the first team to represent the county of Dumbartonshire since 1876, against Glasgow - where Miller scored twice and Watt once in the 4-1 win.
Reserve Team
Dumbarton competed in the Scottish Second XI Cup, and reached the final for the second time before losing out to the holders, Kilmarnock Athletic.
Factfile
* The defeat to Thornliebank in January 1884 was Dumbarton's first 'home' defeat at Boghead since its official opening in 1879 - a run of 54 wins and 2 draws.