Old Highland League days....

[Sneckboy]

He obviously photoshoped it! Without any such doctoring, this is what it looked like!

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

Typical Jeggies - vandalising their own abode.

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

Spiders up the Hill

[Sneckboy]

Here's a terrific 10 minute film of the 1949 Qualifying Cup final between Caledonian and Clach at Telford Street. I stumbled upon this on another forum - credit to the Elgin city fan who posted it.
http://movingimage.nls.uk/film/1552?search_term=football&search_join_type=AND&search_fuzzy=yes

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

Sooperb

[Caley Mad In Berks]

9 hours ago, Sneckboy said:

Here's a terrific 10 minute film of the 1949 Qualifying Cup final between Caledonian and Clach at Telford Street. I stumbled upon this on another forum - credit to the Elgin city fan who posted it.
http://movingimage.nls.uk/film/1552?search_term=football&search_join_type=AND&search_fuzzy=yes

What fabulous memories. That is not long before I started watching Caley as a wee boy!. Recognized quite a few players, Bobby Bolt (8), 'Ginger' McKenzie (10), Willie Bruce (goalie), Peter McKinnon.  Will watch it a few more times and maybe I'll be able to put names to some more, even some Clach ones.

And what about the crowd? Several thousand packed into Telford Street.

Thanks for posting it, Sneckboy.  Made my day.

[Caley Mad In Berks]

After another look, I'm pretty sure Caley no. 9 is 'Joopy' Mitchell. Didn't see much of him in the match, but saw him get his medal and then stand next to Peter McKinnon.  Clach players are harder to recognize with no numbers to jog my memory, but their goalie is short enough to be the legendary 'Eck' MacDougal. 'Eck' was father of Ted MacDougal (man of many clubs from mid 60s to mid 80s and probably best remembered for scoring 9 goals in one game for Bournemouth!)

[Charles Bannerman]

21 hours ago, Sneckboy said:

Here's a terrific 10 minute film of the 1949 Qualifying Cup final between Caledonian and Clach at Telford Street. I stumbled upon this on another forum - credit to the Elgin city fan who posted it.
http://movingimage.nls.uk/film/1552?search_term=football&search_join_type=AND&search_fuzzy=yes

What an absolutely amazing film! I wonder if it was one of Jimmy Nairn's creations? He did a number of them at Inverness events, certainly into the 50s. By the way I've just stumbled across a CTO thread which I don't remember from 2008 but where Tichy Black's Back links to the same film.

As regards the game, was that Bobby Bolt who was the Caley captain? The old brown leather ball looked pretty heavy compared with modern ones and it was also interesting to see that the Clach players weren't wearing numbers.

Regarding the surrounding environment, it was good to see the old Howden building on Telford Street which was as devoid of traffic as it was packed with fans. With post war austerity and rationing still very much on the go and with six years without much football still a fairly recent memory, the crowd was inevitably huge and you also couldn't help but notice that there were quite a few smokers.

The ground itself looks a bit different from its latter days - right from the front gate where the plaster footballs are dark in colour and not their eventual white. The dugs messing about before KO must have been lucky not to be eaten by Mapples' whippets! I see that the Howden End enclosure has not yet materialised while the stand is presumably the one which went up in flames in 1950, taking the club's records with it among other things. There was presumably no tunnel since the teams came out from the sides.  It also brings back memories to see the old distilleries and Grieg's Garage. As fans have done since time began, goal celebrations were pretty frantic and then there was the full time pitch invasion which never was going to be stopped by that especially tall copper who is completely in contrast with Snow White's pals that you see on the beat these days.

I found this from 1953 which may have some of the same players in it.

http://www.ambaile.org.uk/detail/en/20269/1/EN20269-inverness.htm

Edited February 9, 2016 by Charles Bannerman

[dougiedanger]

On 2/9/2016 at 7:17 PM, Sneckboy said:

Here's a terrific 10 minute film of the 1949 Qualifying Cup final between Caledonian and Clach at Telford Street. I stumbled upon this on another forum - credit to the Elgin city fan who posted it.
http://movingimage.nls.uk/film/1552?search_term=football&search_join_type=AND&search_fuzzy=yes

That is a great film, the crowd just as entertaining as the game.

One thing I noticed: at 4.24-4.27 in the bottom of the shot there is a man who looks mixed-race and I was curious if anyone knew who that might be.

Don't suppose there were many non-whites in the town at the time.

[Charles Bannerman]

29 minutes ago, dougiedanger said:

That is a great film, the crowd just as entertaining as the game.

One thing I noticed: at 4.24-4.27 in the bottom of the shot there is a man who looks mixed-race and I was curious if anyone knew who that might be.

Don't suppose there were many non-whites in the town at the time.

I wonder if it could be the father of a gentleman, born around 1950, who I think is still enjoying Her Majesty's hospitality following a firearms incident in Hilton? The Smiths were certainly living up at the top of Laurel Avenue by the late 50s and may well have been in town by 1949.

[dougiedanger]

2 hours ago, Charles Bannerman said:

I wonder if it could be the father of a gentleman, born around 1950, who I think is still enjoying Her Majesty's hospitality following a firearms incident in Hilton? The Smiths were certainly living up at the top of Laurel Avenue by the late 50s and may well have been in town by 1949.

That's what I was wondering, though don't know the family at all.

Any L.A. residents on the board?

[Charles Bannerman]

1 hour ago, dougiedanger said:

That's what I was wondering, though don't know the family at all.

Any L.A. residents on the board?

It's changed days. His (HM's guest's) real name was Jimmy but he was never known as anything other than something you couldn't even write nowadays on a forum like this. In fact that was what other kids also usually called him to his face back then.... and lived to tell the tale!

[dougiedanger]

49 minutes ago, Charles Bannerman said:

It's changed days. His (HM's guest's) real name was Jimmy but he was never known as anything other than something you couldn't even write nowadays on a forum like this. In fact that was what other kids also usually called him to his face back then.... and lived to tell the tale!

Yes, well rightly so those terms are no longer acceptable, and I am sure the person in the photo had to put up with a lot in those days, but he did seem quite happy to be part of the crowd and seemed to be accompanied by a woman.

Just an interesting face among many others that look full of life and good craic.

[Tichy_Blacks_Back]

On Tuesday, February 09, 2016 at 9:24 PM, Charles Bannerman said:

What an absolutely amazing film! I wonder if it was one of Jimmy Nairn's creations? He did a number of them at Inverness events, certainly into the 50s. By the way I've just stumbled across a CTO thread which I don't remember from 2008 but where Tichy Black's Back links to the same film.

As regards the game, was that Bobby Bolt who was the Caley captain? The old brown leather ball looked pretty heavy compared with modern ones and it was also interesting to see that the Clach players weren't wearing numbers.

Regarding the surrounding environment, it was good to see the old Howden building on Telford Street which was as devoid of traffic as it was packed with fans. With post war austerity and rationing still very much on the go and with six years without much football still a fairly recent memory, the crowd was inevitably huge and you also couldn't help but notice that there were quite a few smokers.

The ground itself looks a bit different from its latter days - right from the front gate where the plaster footballs are dark in colour and not their eventual white. The dugs messing about before KO must have been lucky not to be eaten by Mapples' whippets! I see that the Howden End enclosure has not yet materialised while the stand is presumably the one which went up in flames in 1950, taking the club's records with it among other things. There was presumably no tunnel since the teams came out from the sides.  It also brings back memories to see the old distilleries and Grieg's Garage. As fans have done since time began, goal celebrations were pretty frantic and then there was the full time pitch invasion which never was going to be stopped by that especially tall copper who is completely in contrast with Snow White's pals that you see on the beat these days.

I found this from 1953 which may have some of the same players in it.

http://www.ambaile.org.uk/detail/en/20269/1/EN20269-inverness.htm

The team listed in the Caley programme from the Scottish Cup game in January 1949 with a 2-3-5 line up was:

D. MacKintosh / MacGillivray Galloway / Robertson MacKinnon D.Urquhart / MacBeath Bolt MacPherson J.Fraser E. Fraser /

I would assume quite a few of those players would have also appeared in the QC final in November 1949. I will see if I can get some more information.

Bobby Bolt (8) though was the captain accepting the trophy.

Edited February 11, 2016 by Tichy_Blacks_Back

[Tichy_Blacks_Back]

The 1949 victory over Clach was the second Caley win in the tournament and also the second of a three in a row under the player/manager role of Bobby Bolt.

The Caley team for the final was:

Willie Bruce (1), Jimmy McGillivray (2), Bob Galloway (3), Danny Robertson (4), Peter Mackinnon (5), Bob 'Porridge' MacKintosh (6), Frank MacBeath (7), Bobby Bolt (8), Andrew 'Joopie' Mitchell (9), Donnie 'Ginger' MacKenzie (10),  Jackie Gillies (11)

The goals were scored by Gillies, 'Ginger' MacKenzie and 'Joopie' Mitchell.

 

And taken from Alex Main's all informative 'Caley All The Way':

A 6,000 crowd packed in to see Caley win 3-0 with goals from Gillies, Mackenzie and Mitchell. A black and white cine-film of the game, the first official 'movie' record of a North final, was taken by the late Mr James Nairn, then Inverness manager of Caledonian Associated Cinemas. The film has since become a coveted part of Caledonian and Inverness football history.

 

 

[Caley Mad In Berks]

Well done TBB.  I'm pleased that my memory of those I identified in earlier posts has proved to be accurate.  A great Caley side, only surpassed by the 'all conquering' one of a couple of years later, by which time I was a regular attender at Telford Street.

[Tichy_Blacks_Back]

On ‎09‎/‎02‎/‎2016 at 11:33 AM, Caley Mad In Berks said:

After another look, I'm pretty sure Caley no. 9 is 'Joopy' Mitchell. Didn't see much of him in the match, but saw him get his medal and then stand next to Peter McKinnon.  Clach players are harder to recognize with no numbers to jog my memory, but their goalie is short enough to be the legendary 'Eck' MacDougal. 'Eck' was father of Ted MacDougal (man of many clubs from mid 60s to mid 80s and probably best remembered for scoring 9 goals in one game for Bournemouth!)

It was Eck Macdougall in goal for Clach and I have been reliably informed that the centre half (and captain) kicking the ball when the payers ran out was Roddie Maclean from Clachnaharry. Another identified from the Clach players running out was Tommy Hazle.

[Scarlet Pimple]

Imagine stumbling on this gem of a thread.

I was 11 years old yet I knew Bob Galloway (tall and fair haired). Peter MacKinnon lived next door to me since he married the daughter of Mr Gibson my next door neighbour.

Peter was a humble and kind man whose worth, even then ,I recognised and endeared him to me. I was a bit of a lippy squirt at that age but he never  took any kind of offence at anything I might have said and , to be honest, he was a bit of  a hero to me. All the other names are familiar in my memory banks e.g Frankie MacBeath was a right winger ,I think, and had got great ball control and elegance in his play.

Oh my ,what memories for a wee squirt to still have.

Toothless Bobby bolt who played centre half for the Rangers for years and his son ,Robert ,who also was at Caley for a short while before moving on. I know of one player who was a dynamic one who moved to  Elgin City because the transfer money for his pocket  was 50 pounds. Some of our modern players could remember this with gratitude remembering that their progress was  a great advancement to what happened monetarily in these days.

Thank you for posting these video. Sincerely appreciated by an older fella in red.

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

Carstairs Darkie 

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

[RednBlackComeback]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phhs3DjI7Kc

 

Great scenes !! 

[Charles Bannerman]

9 hours ago, RednBlackComeback said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phhs3DjI7Kc

 

Great scenes !! 

I was at that game come to think of it! I think Caley must have got an early opener since I remember one waggish Jaggie (it might have been Dave Williamson) cracking up the whole stand with a shout of "Come on Jags - Caley are playing for time!"

One observation I'd have to make is that for an Inverness Derby cup final at an Inverness venue over 30 years ago between two teams both in quite successful periods of their history, the crowd does look a bit sparse. That's an observation which might challenge claims about crowd size in "the old days" although I do appreciate that far more attended for instance in the immediate post-war years.

Also, if that's all the joint crowd that could be assembled even for a big occasion as described..... then where did all these post-1994  "refuseniks" we keep getting told about actually come from?

[Kingsmills]

On ‎23‎/‎01‎/‎2016 at 1:10 PM, IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER said:

Spiders up the Hill

My very first Scottish Cup tie circa 1970. As I recall the Jags beat Queens Park 3-2.

[RednBlackComeback]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrYpMunpIEk&feature=share

More scenes .......Maybe some of the older users of this site can remember a game when caley beat us ?

[RednBlackComeback]

1 hour ago, Charles Bannerman said:

I was at that game come to think of it! I think Caley must have got an early opener since I remember one waggish Jaggie (it might have been Dave Williamson) cracking up the whole stand with a shout of "Come on Jags - Caley are playing for time!"

We won 1-0.