Supporting yer local

[Jan Vojáček]

I think I've probably told this story before, but hey-ho. Everyone else is doing it.

My Dad's Granda is to blame for me being a Sons fan. My Papa (my Dad's Dad) is from Bristol and moved up here during the war, so he didn't really have any allegiance to a Scottish team, and when my Dad was growing up he worked all the time - so my Great-Granda (my Granny's Dad) starting taking my Dad to watch 'his' team, who just happened to be Dumbarton. Nobody alive (or at least who I know) actually knows why he supported Dumbarton; he was from Greenock and lived in Clydebank, but he took my Dad to games at weekends when he was growing up. Nice wee family history lesson for you there.

I'm probably quite lucky that, that period clashed with some of our greatest ever teams. So he grew up watching guys like Kenny Wilson, Roy McCormack and Lawrie Williams and got hooked!

Anyway before I was born my Great-Granda died, and my Dad started to do his own thing. He would either be working, racing or working on racing cars. There wasn't any time for football, and the money was all being poured at his cars  That meant I basically grew up around motorsport rather than football, and only occasionally showed an interest in Dumbarton (basically when we were doing well, and when a blonde striker called Iain Russell was scoring). 

As I got a bit older and started getting into it a bit more we started going to more games. That coincided with a pretty rotten team that saw us finish at the wrong end of the Third Division, but the next year (2008/09) things became excellent. It sounds terrible, but we've all been there as weans I'm guessing. I only really went to see us score goals and win, and when we started doing that on the way to the Third Division title I was finally hooked - just as my Dad had been in the 70s.

We convinced my Granda and Papa to come along too, and it's been that way for a decade now - with all five of us (me, my Dad, my brother, my Granda and my Papa) barely missing a game. All of us even traveled down to Annan together in May 2009 to watch Sons lift the league trophy - a day that I don't think will ever be topped.

I wouldn't swap being a Sons fan for anything. When somebody asks who I support I feel madly proud of telling them I'm a Dumbarton fan and, more often than not, it's a good way to get into a chat with someone you don't really know. There's also a good bit of Diddy Unity. When you meet someone and find out they also support a 'wee' team then suddenly they become your best mate as you rhyme off players who played for both clubs. 

The opportunity to do stuff for the club is great too. If anyone's been in the home end of the Rock this year and noticed that the concourse is now white, that was me, my old man and my brother who painted it (we let another P&Ber do the easy bit of the stripe...). If that isn't leaving your mark, then I don't know what is.

Tl;dr version: My local team are Partick Thistle and I don't support them. 

[FifeSons]

1 hour ago, Ross Forbes said:

I think I've probably told this story before, but hey-ho. Everyone else is doing it.

My Dad's Granda is to blame for me being a Sons fan. My Papa (my Dad's Dad) is from Bristol and moved up here during the war, so he didn't really have any allegiance to a Scottish team, and when my Dad was growing up he worked all the time - so my Great-Granda (my Granny's Dad) starting taking my Dad to watch 'his' team, who just happened to be Dumbarton. Nobody alive (or at least who I know) actually knows why he supported Dumbarton; he was from Greenock and lived in Clydebank, but he took my Dad to games at weekends when he was growing up. Nice wee family history lesson for you there.

I'm probably quite lucky that, that period clashed with some of our greatest ever teams. So he grew up watching guys like Kenny Wilson, Roy McCormack and Lawrie Williams and got hooked!

Anyway before I was born my Great-Granda died, and my Dad started to do his own thing. He would either be working, racing or working on racing cars. There wasn't any time for football, and the money was all being poured at his cars  That meant I basically grew up around motorsport rather than football, and only occasionally showed an interest in Dumbarton (basically when we were doing well, and when a blonde striker called Iain Russell was scoring). 

As I got a bit older and started getting into it a bit more we started going to more games. That coincided with a pretty rotten team that saw us finish at the wrong end of the Third Division, but the next year (2008/09) things became excellent. It sounds terrible, but we've all been there as weans I'm guessing. I only really went to see us score goals and win, and when we started doing that on the way to the Third Division title I was finally hooked - just as my Dad had been in the 70s.

We convinced my Granda and Papa to come along too, and it's been that way for a decade now - with all five of us (me, my Dad, my brother, my Granda and my Papa) barely missing a game. All of us even traveled down to Annan together in May 2009 to watch Sons lift the league trophy - a day that I don't think will ever be topped.

I wouldn't swap being a Sons fan for anything. When somebody asks who I support I feel madly proud of telling them I'm a Dumbarton fan and, more often than not, it's a good way to get into a chat with someone you don't really know. There's also a good bit of Diddy Unity. When you meet someone and find out they also support a 'wee' team then suddenly they become your best mate as you rhyme off players who played for both clubs. 

The opportunity to do stuff for the club is great too. If anyone's been in the home end of the Rock this year and noticed that the concourse is now white, that was me, my old man and my brother who painted it (we let another P&Ber do the easy bit of the stripe...). If that isn't leaving your mark, then I don't know what is.

Tl;dr version: My local team are Partick Thistle and I don't support them. 

Great story, Fraser. 

The way things are going, it might not be long before to get to see us recreate the days in bold.

[rockson]

8 hours ago, Old Diamond said:

Reading the post about the away days you have had I started thinking about the grounds that I have visited that are no longer there (or no longer used for football), I visited Broomfield (obviously), Boghead, Shawfield, Clydebank, Annfield, Bayview, Brockville, Firs Park,Muirton, Love Street and the old Douglas Park!

I've seen Sons play at all of those + Meadowbank.

Not seen us at Peterhead, Elgin or Dingwall though.

[Boghead ranter]

1 hour ago, rockson said:

I've seen Sons play at all of those + Meadowbank.

Not seen us at Peterhead, Elgin or Dingwall though.

Haven't seen a game at Muirton, but did see the social club several times, when the bus had a stopover on the way up to Angus and beyond.

 

[Rovers_Lad]

Been supporting the Rovers since early 1960,s when I was knee high to a grasshopper so its fair to say I,ve seen the good,the very good and the great times to the bad,the very bad to the absolutely awful in my 50 + years .I,ve scrapped with opposing supporters(years ago,not proud of it),drank with opposing supporters,seen us relegated,promoted,win cups,play in Europe and if I popped my clogs tomorrow would die a happy man. 

Overall  its been a ball and wouldn,t have wanted it to pan out  any other way.

Cant remember how many times i,ve said “ i,ll no be back “ only to turn up the followng Saturday..Why? Fucked if I know 

I,ll retire sometime safe in the knowledge that my laddie will continue our family tradition of supporting our club,

 

 

[Scottydog]

10 hours ago, Old Diamond said:

Reading the post about the away days you have had I started thinking about the grounds that I have visited that are no longer there (or no longer used for football), I visited Broomfield (obviously), Boghead, Shawfield, Kilbowie, Annfield, Bayview, Brockville, Firs Park,Muirton, Love Street and the old Douglas Park!

Me too and I'll throw in a Recreation Park (Peterheid)

[Kejan]

This thread is utterly tremendous.

 

[Chapelhall chap]

4 hours ago, rockson said:

I've seen Sons play at all of those + Meadowbank.

Not seen us at Peterhead, Elgin or Dingwall though.

I know what replaced Broomfield/Douglas park/Muirton /Brockville ( Supermarkets I think ) but what happened to the others? The view at Meadowbank was dire , especially when Alan Lawrence scored to beat us!   The cold wind at the new Peterhead ground two years ago was the worst experience ever. Loved Brockville under the noisy enclosure. The bench seats at Clydebank?  The mountain climb at the modernised Love street. Greasy pies at Bayview. I did like the terracing at Boghead. Am I the only one to have seen Airdrie play at the sadly lost Cathkin park- a marvellous bowl shaped amphitheatre? Nostalgia indeed

[Ex Machina]

The Rovers have never been my local team I lived in Inverkeithing and went to primary school in Rosyth and then high school in Dunfermline so most of my friends were Dunfermline or Old Firm fans.

My dad is a Geordie and I grew up watching and supporting Newcastle. When I was still young my parents split up and my mum started dating my step dad who took me to my first Rovers game which was a 1-0 win away to Stenhousemuir. We ended up winning the league that year which I think helped get me hooked.

One of my earliest memories of supporting Raith was the Anelka season and if my step dad hadn't kept dragging me along I honestly don't think I'd have stuck with it as it's pretty disheartening, especially as a youngster getting beat every week and being the laughing stock of Scottish football. I don't think I'll ever forget being in the pub before a game and my mate and I being given a black armband and balloons without a clue what was going on and then being mega chuffed to see us on Sky Sports later that night after the match.

Part of the journey of being a supporter of a diddy club is the absolute rollercoaster it is. Despite Anelka, the club almost dying, the recent Locke, Yogi and Smith tenures, I wouldn't trade any of it in. I think the Rovers have genuinely brought some of my happiest memories from Graham Weir smashing the ball in at Hampden to win us the league, Tade in Pittodrie, beating Dundee in the Scottish Cup quarter final, Baird vs Rangers in the Diddy Cup and Allan Walker's 96th minute equaliser vs Dunfermline being notable highlights amongst others.

When I was 14/15 I messaged the club what had happened to Roary Rover as he hadn't been about for a good few years and they told me that no one wanted to do so I volunteered myself and ended up doing it for a good few years. It was absolutely surreal and pretty unique experience, getting to know the players and some of the background team whilst still at school. My favourite moments doing that were probably Wick away in the Challenge Cup and the police taking my shoddy cardboard sign in support of Turnbull Hutton off me on the first game of the season after the Sevco situation in case I aggravated any Rangers sympathisers in the crowd.

I now live in London after moving over a year ago for work. I've bought a Brentford season ticket as they were closest to my flat and even though they're not quite on the same level of diddyness as Raith, it still perplexes people that I chose wee Brentford over one of the Premiership teams. I do miss being at Starks Park after spending so much of my pre-teen and teenage years there and try to get up for a few games a season.

[CALDERON]

Genuinely feel for Rovers fans who weren't around or didn't see the glory years of the 90s. I was only wee but remember it well enough. Will never forget my old man's reaction when we saw UEFA cup draw, or every lorry on the A90 seeing the Rovers scarves in our car and sounding the horn in support ....... Can't even comprehend how I would feel if that was now 

 

 

[Hank Scorpio]

The Rovers have never been my local team I lived in Inverkeithing and went to primary school in Rosyth and then high school in Dunfermline so most of my friends were Dunfermline or Old Firm fans.

My dad is a Geordie and I grew up watching and supporting Newcastle. When I was still young my parents split up and my mum started dating my step dad who took me to my first Rovers game which was a 1-0 win away to Stenhousemuir. We ended up winning the league that year which I think helped get me hooked.

One of my earliest memories of supporting Raith was the Anelka season and if my step dad hadn't kept dragging me along I honestly don't think I'd have stuck with it as it's pretty disheartening, especially as a youngster getting beat every week and being the laughing stock of Scottish football. I don't think I'll ever forget being in the pub before a game and my mate and I being given a black armband and balloons without a clue what was going on and then being mega chuffed to see us on Sky Sports later that night after the match.

Part of the journey of being a supporter of a diddy club is the absolute rollercoaster it is. Despite Anelka, the club almost dying, the recent Locke, Yogi and Smith tenures, I wouldn't trade any of it in. I think the Rovers have genuinely brought some of my happiest memories from Graham Weir smashing the ball in at Hampden to win us the league, Tade in Pittodrie, beating Dundee in the Scottish Cup quarter final, Baird vs Rangers in the Diddy Cup and Allan Walker's 96th minute equaliser vs Dunfermline being notable highlights amongst others.

When I was 14/15 I messaged the club what had happened to Roary Rover as he hadn't been about for a good few years and they told me that no one wanted to do so I volunteered myself and ended up doing it for a good few years. It was absolutely surreal and pretty unique experience, getting to know the players and some of the background team whilst still at school. My favourite moments doing that were probably Wick away in the Challenge Cup and the police taking my shoddy cardboard sign in support of Turnbull Hutton off me on the first game of the season after the Sevco situation in case I aggravated any Rangers sympathisers in the crowd.

I now live in London after moving over a year ago for work. I've bought a Brentford season ticket as they were closest to my flat and even though they're not quite on the same level of diddyness as Raith, it still perplexes people that I chose wee Brentford over one of the Premiership teams. I do miss being at Starks Park after spending so much of my pre-teen and teenage years there and try to get up for a few games a season.

Brilliant. I mind you playing with us when I played for the MunRovers and we did the four 90 minute matches in one day to raise money for Ronnie Coyle’s charity, you must’ve been only 13/14 as I was about 17. Ronnie and his son came along on the day for a few hours and spoke to us all afterwards. That was a terrific day, definitely one of my proudest days supporting the club.

[AFC1878]

All the guys I work with that are interested in football support Rangers and Celtic and have season tickets so can’t hold that against them. What gets me though is the fact that to them it seems implausible that a group of supporters could mix with the opposition supporters in a pub before the game without there being any trouble. And when you tell them that there is no segregation in some of the grounds... mind blown!

 

[Zen Archer (Raconteur)]

4 minutes ago, AFC1878 said:

All the guys I work with that are interested in football support Rangers and Celtic and have season tickets so can’t hold that against them. What gets me though is the fact that to them it seems implausible that a group of supporters could mix with the opposition supporters in a pub before the game without there being any trouble. And when you tell them that there is no segregation in some of the grounds... mind blown!

 

Your ground is one of the weirdest for segregation.

Opposition fans enter from different gates, there is a some pishy tape or a yellow coat telling you which side you can sit on.

Then, if it couldn't get any worse, you can actually go for a pish or buy a pie or a programme on the same concourse.

[AFC1878]

Your ground is one of the weirdest for segregation. Opposition fans enter from different gates, there is a some pishy tape or a yellow coat telling you which side you can sit on.

Then, if it couldn't get any worse, you can actually go for a pish or buy a pie or a programme on the same concourse.

 

 

There is segregation in the concourse for the “bigger games.” It’s a bloody nightmare though! It means you’ve got a big queue for the servery at the home end and hardly any queue at the away end if there’s a queue at all.

 

[Zen Archer (Raconteur)]

7 minutes ago, AFC1878 said:

 

 

There is segregation in the concourse for the ‘bigger games.’ Means yommmmmmm

 

[AFC1878]

You’re right, I didn’t. My phone however...

[maz1974]

On 1/9/2019 at 10:39, Raithie said:

Wee random story probably not relevant but hey ho:

When I hit my teens I wanted to sample going to away games myself. We drew ICT in the cup and my auld man was fine with me and my friends going up in the supporters bus. He was quite happy giving away games a miss by this point but for me I always got a right good buzz heading to an away match. His words to me for any game I was going to without him was "behave yourself and watch what you're doing...there are some bad b*****ds from (insert teams town name)". Without fail these were his words of wisdom. So the bus was booked to head up to Inverness. We must have been about 15 years old and yes the plan was to chance our luck at getting a pint in a pub. We found a pub rammed with Rovers fans and my mate, who was not far of 16, went and asked for pints for all of us (there were 5 of us). Frighteningly he came to the table with all 5 and that was that. All the years of being bored at pubs pre match and the torch had now been passed. I was surrounded by like minded people following my local team singing without a care in the world having a pint with my mates. Just as my mate was about to get another round in I clocked a guy walking into the pub..."nah it can't be...is it...f**k it is, it's my auld man". Turns out he couldn't resist a Scottish Cup tie in Inverness or more than likely he was checking up on me. Anyhoo he saw us, seen the empty pint tumblers, gave us a wry smile and left us to it. Bumped into him at the game and he was giving it "so....having fun then?". I also remember the first time I swore in front of him at a game. Whilst swearing at games was something I was used to hearing I couldn't imagine coming out with some of this stuff in front of my auld man. We drew 1-1 at home to Celtic. Di Canio put Celtic 1-0 after 89 minutes  and we equalised in injury time. I blurted out "get that fucking up you!!!" and quickly realised what I'd said fully expecting a bollocking. I turned to my auld man who was pissing himself laughing. 

 

awwww man, all the feels.... * tears *

[maz1974]

On 1/9/2019 at 11:09, The Minertaur said:

Also Central Park is just beautiful. 

 

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder! Must be love right enough! 

 

[Tony Stark(s Park)]

22 hours ago, Raithie said:

Fans of most clubs at this level will probably all agree we see more mediocre seasons these days but now and again something tremendous happens that just makes following your club so much fun. So lets get more stories going, what was your favourite season following your club and why?

As a younger member as stated before (22). The earliest moment i can think about is Marvin Andrews in the game we lifted the league 2 trophy and the stand chanting super Marvin Andrews, for me he was my first club legend even though i cant remember it that much and he left the next season.

Best season for me was when we beat The Rangers in ET for the Ramsdens cup. I know its a bit of a diddy cup but still brought plenty joy, especially having bragging rights over all my pals that supported The Rangers which the week leading up to it i was getting pelters. I think between the two teams only Raith conceded the only goal through the entire tournament, but i dunno if i am making that up. The season itself in the league wasnt the best but we had some silverware so easily the best season so far for me. Hopefully many more to come in the future.

[Raithie]

12 minutes ago, Tony Stark(s Park) said:

As a younger member as stated before (22). The earliest moment i can think about is Marvin Andrews in the game we lifted the league 2 trophy and the stand chanting super Marvin Andrews, for me he was my first club legend even though i cant remember it that much and he left the next season.

Best season for me was when we beat The Rangers in ET for the Ramsdens cup. I know its a bit of a diddy cup but still brought plenty joy, especially having bragging rights over all my pals that supported The Rangers which the week leading up to it i was getting pelters. I think between the two teams only Raith conceded the only goal through the entire tournament, but i dunno if i am making that up. The season itself in the league wasnt the best but we had some silverware so easily the best season so far for me. Hopefully many more to come in the future.

Aye the diddy cup final was good fun, wouldn't have been the same had it not been Sevco we were playing. My Dad and I were queuing up to get in and a bunch of Rangers fans came round the corner and shoulder barged him saying "you're only here to see the Rangers". Genuinely thought my Dad was about to revert to his 1970's days, so yes it was incredibly sweet to beat they hoors after encountering some of the absolute mutants wandering about Edinburgh that day. When we left the ground to head back for the bus home we stopped off at a pub for a celebratory nip. Got chatting to a guy who was an ICT season ticket holder and when he found out who we supported he told us drinks were on him. 

I'd have to say my favourite season was the Hampden league winning season back in 2009. Whilst I had seen the cup final victory in 94 and seen us play in Europe I was probably a bit to young to fully appreciate what was happening. The 2008/2009 season was infamous for me and my mates as we were at a good age for understanding the full on enjoyment of going to every game...mostly pished...just living for Saturdays. We were all single at this point, plenty disposable income to head here there and everywhere and to top it off we were doing well in the league. Venturing up to places like Peterhead and down to Stranraer for the craic was tremendous. Heading to the pub at silly times in the morning pre match and straight out after the game and just running riot at away games. Great atmosphere at most games and struggling to get a seat in amongst the singers up the back of the South Stand.  Getting the train back to Glasgow Central after winning the league and bumping into a load of Killie fans at the station singing 'Ayr Ayr f**k your Ayr'. Killie fans were naturally in a buoyant mood knowing we'd pipped Ayr to the title however Ayr fair got their payback last season. Partying with the players the week after when we got the trophy doing the conga around Kittys with Big Marv leading the way. My auld man again randomly turning up in Kittys with the rest of the old heads wearing a Rovers top (my Dad is very much in the 'am to auld for fitbaw tops' brigade). Asked him when he bought the top, he said "ah never bought it...I nicked it from your cupboard"