A Picture of Heaven

[+snorbens_caleyman]

That's from when I was still in Inverness, so I can have a good go.

Back:  Gordy Fyfe, Donald Park, Kenny McKenzie, Bobby Neild, Dave Johnson

Front: Dan? Lowrie (president) with the Q-Cup, Dave? Bennett, Bobby Noble, Alan Presslie, Freddie Neild, Chic Allan, George Stapledon, don't know, Kenny McGregor, don't know, don't know.

How's that?

The reason I know it's the Q-Cup is that I have been researching Roddy Fraser of Thistle from the 1920s-30s, for one of my wife's relatives.   Here they are in 1933 - with the very same Q-Cup.  The page is taken from the Thistle Centenary booklet "The Hub of the Hill".

 

[IBM]

On 7/21/2024 at 9:26 AM, snorbens_caleyman said:

That's from when I was still in Inverness, so I can have a good go.

Back:  Gordy Fyfe, Donald Park, Kenny McKenzie, Bobby Neild, Dave Johnson

Front: Dan? Lowrie (president) with the Q-Cup, Dave? Bennett, Bobby Noble, Alan Presslie, Freddie Neild, Chic Allan, George Stapledon, don't know, Kenny McGregor, don't know, don't know.

How's that?

The reason I know it's the Q-Cup is that I have been researching Roddy Fraser of Thistle from the 1920s-30s, for one of my wife's relatives.   Here they are in 1933 - with the very same Q-Cup.  The page is taken from the Thistle Centenary booklet "The Hub of the Hill".

 

I didn't have any names but I knew Gordy Fyfe, Alan Preslie and Chic Allan so well done  IHE if he sees this might fill in the blanks.

I got the photo along with other football stuff that a neighbour who's late husband was a Caley and ICT supporter.  She is clearing out as she is moving house soon.

[+snorbens_caleyman]

9 hours ago, IBM said:

I got the photo along with other football stuff that a neighbour who's late husband was a Caley and ICT supporter.  She is clearing out as she is moving house soon.

Probably a stupid question, but does anyone act as club historian nowadays?

Years ago, when I was clearing out our family home, I came across a number of old team photos - at least A4 size, card mounted. I contacted Ian Broadfoot, and he reckoned that one  - if we could prove who it was - could well have been earlier than any other known photo of Thistle.

I left them for him at the stadium.  And later discovered that he wasn't coming back - I think he had just moved to Perth.

I have no idea what happened to the photos, but I still have nightmares about them just being thrown out as rubbish.

[IBM]

16 minutes ago, snorbens_caleyman said:

Probably a stupid question, but does anyone act as club historian nowadays?

Years ago, when I was clearing out our family home, I came across a number of old team photos - at least A4 size, card mounted. I contacted Ian Broadfoot, and he reckoned that one  - if we could prove who it was - could well have been earlier than any other known photo of Thistle.

I left them for him at the stadium.  And later discovered that he wasn't coming back - I think he had just moved to Perth.

I have no idea what happened to the photos, but I still have nightmares about them just being thrown out as rubbish.

The way things have been run at the club the last few years I doubt there’s anyone doing it although Gordon Fyfe and Dave Millroy were involved with the Inverness Football book they might know more than most. 

[+snorbens_caleyman]

Back to your picture  - see pages 14 and 18 of the Alex Main book about Caley. 5 Cup Finals on successive Saturdays - Oct-Nov 1971. Your pic is on page 18.

The stripped player that I didn't recognise is Jim Lynas. Obvious now!  I still don't know who the two on the right are.

And if you look at page 22 of Rod Clyne's book, you'll see a fleeting mention of my grandfather, Murd Smith, who was Thistle trainer for a while in the 1950s, at the age of around 60!  (He had played for and trained Citadel in the 1920s.)

[The Mantis]

On 7/20/2024 at 11:02 PM, IBM said:

Another oldie can you name the players?

http://www.caledonianfc.co.uk/Team Photos/qc7172.html  has the names although I don't know who is far right as it's cut off.  Q-Cup 71-72.

My one is a scan of a print while @IBM's one above appears to be a photo of a print. I got a bundle of prints from Calum Ferguson, a youngish guy I used to see at the games. Haven't seen him in a long time.
I also got loads of prints from Billy Urquhart, Gordon Gillespie and Ian Broadfoot. All of those had to be returned afterwards. I also got some digital files from Gringo and Alan Stewart, amongst others.
The Nostalgia Page is really dated, and has been live since 2000, because I own the domain, but I don't have the means to edit it anymore. A shame as I have a few Caley/Thistle things I could upload. A big regret is that I wrote it for desktop so the mouseovers don't work on other devices. You need to click to find what the page is about.

 

Edited July 23, 2024 by The Mantis

[The Mantis]

On 7/16/2024 at 10:43 PM, IBM said:

A couple of books that might have been on here before.

I managed to pick up a hardback of Alex Main's book for £15 at a football shop that used to exist in Edinburgh. Paperback copies are pretty common and the mearlach in Church Street often has one.
Melven's were clearing a pile of Rod's book at £3 each back in the day.

[IBM]

Thanks guys I will have a read of the books when I get some spare time. 
You were right Mantis I just took a photo of the print with my iPhone. 

[+snorbens_caleyman]

Bobby and Freddie Neild were brothers. I remember Bobby as a solid right back.  Freddie was a bit more.... "fragile" might be the word.  And he was more of a "character". Wore number 11, but I seem to remember him playing as a number 10 or attacking number 6 rather than as an out-and- out winger.

My clearest memory of him was the day that he trotted out at Telford Street wearing a different coloured boot on each foot!  (Probably black and white back then.) In no time at all, the craic was that this was to enable him to tell his feet apart 

I think this might actually have got to him, because I don't recall him doing it again.

[+snorbens_caleyman]

On 7/21/2024 at 9:26 AM, snorbens_caleyman said:

That's from when I was still in Inverness, so I can have a good go.

Back:  Gordy Fyfe, Donald Park, Kenny McKenzie, Bobby Neild, Dave Johnson

Front: Dan? Lowrie (president) with the Q-Cup, Dave? Bennett, Bobby Noble, Alan Presslie, Freddie Neild, Chic Allan, George Stapledon, don't know, Kenny McGregor, don't know, don't know.

I see on the Courier website that George Stapleton has just died, aged 77, in the Hospice.  Very sad.

As well as my father knowing him for as long as I knew - he might have been 5th co BB? - my sister worked for him a while.  He had offices above the shops between the Crown School and Union Road.

My commiserations and sympathy to all his friends and family.

[+snorbens_caleyman]

On 8/23/2024 at 12:44 PM, snorbens_caleyman said:

I see on the Courier website that George Stapleton has just died, aged 77, in the Hospice.  Very sad.

https://www.inverness-courier.co.uk/news/remembering-the-flame-haired-terrier-from-inverness-who-gr-359790/

Good article and tribute.

[IBM]

A couple of pictures from the P&J this week they might have been posted already by IHE

.

[+snorbens_caleyman]

Very strange - I don't recognise the Caley keeper. Nor the bloke to the right of the keeper as we look at it - nor the 2nd to right in the back row.

Extreme right back row is John Brankin. All the others were in the earlier photo, and I'm pleased to say that this time I did recognise Jim Lynas!