Club History | Season 1981-1982
The Pars finished in tenth position out of 14. Top scorer was Sandy McNaughton with 15 and Bobby Robertson was clearly top for appearances with 45.
Pat Stanton`s reign had not begun well, but the team had survived and he had made major changes over the close season. Now he could be fully judged on his own efforts. Leaving the club were Colin O`Brien who went to East Fife and, despite his goal scoring, Mike Leonard returned to Junior ranks with Pollok.
Mark Williams had gone back south with RN, Walter Borthwick had joined Hearts coaching staff and Jim Muir had retired due to injury. Coming in was almost a complete new team: Billy Blackie, former Hearts captain Jim Brown, signed from Hibs, the Dall twins Bobby and Stuart, Hugh Hamill from Hibs, Robert Harris, Norrie McCathie signed from Cowdenbeath in exchange for Craig McFarlane, Stevie Morrison from Aberdeen, Paul Scullion, Gavin Tait, Rab Stewart and goalkeeper George Young from Rangers.
The season proper got underway at Douglas Park in the League Cup, which had reverted to a sectional format. Jim Brown, Hugh Hamill and Stevie Morrison made their debuts in the 2-0 defeat. The other two members of The Pars section were Montrose and East Stirling. Montrose were next, at East End Park and goals from Sandy McNaughton and Hugh Hamill gained a 2-1 win. George Young and Bobby Dall made their debuts in this match.
Bobby Forrest and Jim Bowie got the goals as East Stirling were beaten by the same score, also at East End. A trip to Montrose brought a 1-0 win but Athletic then lost at home as Hamilton Accies won 3-2. In the programme season tickets were advertised at £30 for the stand and £20 for the ground. Individual matches were £1.70 stand and £1.30 ground. Former Dundee and Hibs defender George Stewart had joined the coaching staff. Despite winning their last sectional match 1-0 at Firs Park, Dunfermline finished behind Accies in the section. The Pars splashed out the remarkably large sum of £43,000 to Aberdeen for Doug Considine and he scored on his debut to earn a 1-1 draw at home to Hearts as the League got under way.
September started well when two Grant Jenkins goals gained the points in a 2-1 away win against East Stirling. Rab Stewart made his debut in this match. A dour 0-0 draw at Starks Park kept the unbeaten run going and it was still intact `” just `” when Kevin Hegarty scored to gain a draw at home to Queen of the South. The wheels fell off the wagon in the next game, as Clydebank handed out a 4-1 mauling at Kilbowie. The good form returned as Hamilton Accies were seen off 2-0 at Douglas Park. Time for two more games, both at East End Park. Stevie Morrison got the goal in the 1-1 draw with Falkirk, but Motherwell escaped with a 2-1 win to complete the month`s fixtures.
October got off to a winning start at Kilmarnock, where Grant Jenkins got the goal to win 1-0. It was Shaggy again who made the difference, to win 1-0 away to Queens Park. Dumbarton held out for a 2-2 draw at East End Park. Norrie McCathie made his debut as Sandy McNaughton scored to draw away to Ayr United 1-1. The final game of the month brought about the worst foul I have ever seen, when John Pelosi assaulted Jim Brown, at East End Park. The repercussions were very serious: Jim Brown was hospitalised and his career finished permanently, Pelosi was banned for the rest of the season. Later there was a lawsuit, but the matter was settled out of court. The sickening injury affected the team and St. Johnstone eventually won 2-1.
As November kicked off, two Sandy McNaughton goals were enough to see off East Stirling 2-1, at home. Sandy scored again to earn a draw at Tynecastle. Clydebank certainly had the measure of The Pars this season and inflicted a 6-3 drubbing at East End Park. The defence took another pounding as the month finished with a 6-1 rout at Fir Park.
The 5th December brought Kilmarnock as visitors and they won 2-1. John Salton finally had to give in to his injury problems and he was released. Thanks to the weather, the next League match was not until 3rd February, though a Cup match away to Clydebank was managed on 23rd January, but was lost 2-1 with Gavin Tait making his debut.
When League business resumed at the start of February, The Pars had a dull start with a dour 0-0 draw at Somerset Park and followed this by losing 3-2 at home to Raith Rovers. Catching up with the postponements meant that there were to be eight games during the shortest month. Next up was another home defeat, this time 3-1 to Hamilton Accies. The attendance for this match was 850 `” an indication of how far Athletic had sunk. A 0-0 draw was ground out at Brockville before, at last, a return to winning ways with a 2-1 win at home to Queens Park (attendance 980).
Norrie McCathie scored twice as The Pars won 3-2 at Palmerston and Sandy McNaughton got the only goal to win 1-0 at Dumbarton. The snow had returned as the month finished with a 1-1 draw at home to Hamilton Accies. Fans were more entertained by the antics of Accies` infamous fan Fergie. He got into trouble with the police for throwing snowballs at the linesman whenever he came within range. After his warning he desisted but turned his attention to the policemen patrolling round the track and, after a direct hit, he was ejected from the ground.
March started inauspiciously for The Pars with a 2-0 defeat at Kilmarnock, followed by a 1-0 reverse at Falkirk. The first home game of the month finished 0-0 against Queen of the South but the crowd was back up to just under 2,000. Rab Stewart scored the only goal in the Fife derby at Starks Park but the month ended with a 2-1 defeat at Muirton Park.
April`s adventures began at home to Ayr United but a 2-2 draw was all that could be achieved and this was followed by a 2-1 defeat away to Queens Park. An excellent 3-0 win at Palmerston was the prelude to a hard fought home game against St. Johnstone, won by a solitary Jim Bowie goal. The final game of the month was against Hearts at East End Park but a tight match was lost 2-1.
The merry month of May brought little joy for The Pars as they began with a 1-0 loss at Kilbowie. Things improved when Rab Stewart and Stevie Morrison got the goals in a 2-2 draw at Fir Park. The final game was at home to East Stirling and the season went out with a whimper and a dull 1-1 draw.
The Pars finished in tenth position out of 14. Top scorer was Sandy McNaughton with 15 and Bobby Robertson was clearly top for appearances with 45. The standard had been slightly better but there were some desperately poor performances. The fans showed their opinion with a number of attendances below the 1,000 mark.
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