Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Healthy competition in league
REVIEWING the DSMFL year that has just gone, what is remarkable is that no team has dominated, pointing to the healthy competition evident.
The season started with FC Menzieshill winning the Adamson Cup in September, a competition that saw them in the spotlight and a number of Junior clubs poaching their players.
That proved fatal with the club folding over the winter break, though a number of their players return to action this summer with other clubs.
After a shaky start, Hilltown Hotspurs rallied and held on to their title comfortably in the Doc Ferry’s Premier Division.
They held off Doc’s Hibernia, who had challenged throughout the season.
Hilltown’s win over them in May effectively killed off their title challenge and proved the death knell for Doc’s Hibs, who have folded after five years in the association.
They are another team who have seen a batch of players snaffled by Junior teams.
Park Tool defied the odds and expectations to see off Hilltown Hotspurs in the Premier Division Cup Final in memory of Ross Kirk.
St James Athletic wrapped up the Balgay Bar First Division title with ease, maintaining a 100% record until they had the title more or less in the bag.
They took their foot off the gas as the season drew to a close and lost their unbeaten record to Ferry Mechanics, who also saw them off in extra time in the First Division Cup Final.
Cairdy Thistle beat St James 11-3 on the final day of the season and will join them, Mechanics and Stobswell AFC i n the Premier next year.
The Trident Trophies Second Division looked to be Bank Street Athletic’s to lose for most of the year as they dominated early on.
However, a defeat from FC Boukir i n the l ast fortnight followed by a draw against Occidental left the Bankies waiting on results around them on the final day as their fixture card finished.
A win against Oxy would have given them the title.
FC Boukir took advantage to claim the title by a point with Dundee City finishing second, level on points with the Bankies but with the better head-to-head record.
Boukir had already claimed the Second Division Cup, having seen off Bank Street in the final to become the only team to win two titles this season.
In the league’s premier cup competition, t he Shaun Kelly Memorial Cup, FC Kettledrum and DUMS put on a great spectacle in front of a bumper crowd with Kettledrum emerging deserved winners.
DC Athletic lost out in the final day relegation battle from the Premier in the tightest race to avoid relegation the league has seen.
They went into the final day as one of five clubs who could have gone down.
Defeat to Dryburgh CC saw them face the drop, though only four points separated fourth spot Kettledrum and DC in 10th.
They added silverware, though, when they saw off FC Boukir in the Consolation Cup Final in memory of George McArthur.
The AGM also saw long-serving committee member, past secretary and recent president Iain Leith stepping down from the president’s role, though he will continue on the committee.
Iain was the youngestserving president of an association in Scotland when he first picked up that role aged 21. He has been a great advocate and representative of the league in that time.
Family and work commitments see him take a backroom role, albeit he and Dale Kelly guided the league’s firstever select team to victory in a clash against a Strathclyde Select two weeks ago.
Fintry Athletic SC stalwart Jim Martin assumes control of the DSMFL taking up the president’s role, having previously served that post in the Sunday amateur scene.
He will be aided by Steve McSwiggan as league and disciplinary secretary with Stephen Pettigrew continuing to do a fine job as treasurer and match secretary.
Jimmy Fleming (Bank Street) and Jack Hayes (Cairdy Thistle) provide youthful vigour.
The new season should be a cracker.