Club History | Season 1977-1978
The Pars were condemned to yet another season in the basement.
After narrowly missing promotion, The Pars would endure another season in the bottom league. Last year`s top scorer Allan Evans had moved to Aston Villa and others leaving the Club were Jim Markey, Dave McCue, Rab Cameron, Dave Smith and Tom McLeod. Incoming were previously provisional signings Bobby Robertson and Paul Donnelly along with old favourite Bonar Mercer after his spells with Montrose, Stirling Albion and with Kilmarnock Rugby Club. John Nelson and Athol Henderson completed the new signings.
The pre-season friendlies at home to East Fife, Bury and Cowdenbeath were all won, as was a return fixture at Central Park. The final game was a 4-1 home defeat at the hands of Celtic, with Kenny Dalglish playing his last game before his move to Liverpool. The sectional format of the League Cup had been abandoned, so that the season, proper got under way with an away League match at Berwick. Ian Hall scored both Dunfermline`s goals in a 2-2 draw. Back from illness and injury, Ian Hall had started the season in great form and he netted a hat trick in the 4-0 win over Queens Park in the opening home game. Cowdenbeath won 3-1 at Central Park to put a spanner in the works before August was completed with a 0-0 draw at Shawfield in the first leg of the League Cup tie with a Clyde team which had John Arrol in goal and a young Stevie Archibald up front.
The second leg against Clyde kicked off September`s fixtures and The Pars went through on the back of a 2-1 win, with Bobby Morrison scoring both goals. Back on League business, John Salton scored the only goal away to Brechin City but form took a dive with a 1-0 home defeat from Falkirk. Paul Donnelly scored his first goal to gain a 1-1 draw away to Stranraer but Clyde at Shawfield brought another defeat 2-0, with Walter Borthwick, signed from St Mirren, mainly as a coach, playing.
October started brightly with a 2-0 home win over Forfar Athletic and Athletic followed this by beating Clydebank 2-0 in the home leg of the next round of the League Cup. Bobby Morrison scored in both of these games but nobody netted for The Pars as they lost the next game with an awful display, 3-0 at Cliftonhill. Raith Rovers won the Fife Derby 2-1 at Starks Park. Thanks again to Bobby Morrison, Dunfermline scraped a 1-0 win at home to East Stirling and Bobby was on the mark again in the 3-0 home win against Meadowbank, the other goals coming from Waler Borthwick and a first for Bobby Robertson. It was that man Morrison again as his two goals earned a 2-2 draw at Kilbowie and a 4-2 win on aggregate in the League Cup. Paul Donnelly got the goal in a 1-1 draw away to Queens Park, to complete the month.
November began with a 3-3 draw at home to Cowdenbeath but the League Cup had paired Dunfermline with Rangers and with only 10,000 in Ibrox, The Gers won 3-1. The match programme included a feature on former Pars free transfer Stewart Kennedy, who was now first choice in goal for both Rangers and Scotland. A 2-0 defeat at Ochilview was not the best preparation for the second leg against Rangers and a repeat 3-1 defeat was the outcome at East End Park. A 0-0 draw at Brockville was an improvement and the month ended brightly when Walter Borthwick and Bobby Morrison earned a 2-0 win at home to Stranraer.
Yet another two goals from Bobby Morrison secured a 2-1 home win over Albion Rovers, as December got under way. The Pars lowly status meant that they had to take part in the early rounds of the Cup and only managed a 0-0 draw at home to Clyde. The midweek replay at Shawfield was much better and Athletic progressed thanks to a 3-0 win. Roddy Georgeson scored the only goal to win the Fife Derby in Kirkcaldy. On the last day of 1977, Dunfermline drew 0-0 with Berwick Rangers at East End Park, leaving them in 7th place but only five points adrift of the leaders.
1978 kicked off with Jim Scott gaining a 1-1 draw away to Cowdenbeath but the next game was a horror show as Dunfermline went out of the Cup, losing 1-0 to Brechin City at Glebe Park. The month ended on a more positive note with a 2-0 win in Stranraer. Inclement weather meant that there was only one game in February, a 1-1 draw at home to Clyde. It was Clyde again who beat Dunfermline 4-2 at Shawfield to start March miserably but The Pars bounced back by beating Stenhousemuir 4-1 at East End Park. A narrow 1-0 defeat away to East Stirling saw the debut of Mike Leonard, signed from Sligo Rovers. The following midweek and he scored twice in his home debut, a 6-1 demolition of Brechin City. Another debutee Andy Dickson also scored two as did Roddy Georgeson.
March ended with a comprehensive 4-2 win at Meadowbank, featuring a hat trick from Mike Leonard. As teams caught up on the earlier postponements, Dunfermline would have ten matches between April 5th and May 2nd. They started well by winning 1-0 at Station Park but could only draw their next three, 1-1 at home to Berwick and Forfar and 2-2 away to East Stirling. Game number five was a narrow 2-1 win at Brechin but the good work was undone by only drawing 0-0 at home to Queens Park. Frustration was taken out on Meadowbank who were hammered 7-1 at East End Park. Jimmy Mullin scored the goal which brought a 1-0 win at Cliftonhill but it was now clear that neither Raith Rovers nor Clyde could be overtaken and this was reflected in a flat performance and a 2-0 home defeat from Raith Rovers. It had been announced that Ian Hall who had suffered injuries and recurring illness was having to give up playing.
The season ended on May 2nd with a 2-0 home win against Falkirk to at least finish on a high, but the inescapable fact was that The Pars were condemned to yet another season in the basement. Both Hugh Whyte and Kenny Thomson played in all 39 games, with Bobby Morrison (36), Roddy Georgeson (35), Bobby Robertson (35), Paul Donnelly (33) and Bonar Mercer (32) not far behind. Top scorer was Bobby Morrison with 16, whilst Mike Leonard scored 8 in only 13 appearances. Hugh Whyte managed 18 shut outs. The Pars finished 3rd.
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