Happy days as we remember the Pars of Bert and Dick!

THE photographs in this week’s trip down West Fife’s Memory Lane look at Dunfermline Athletic’s footballing past.

Coming up on October 20, in the Carnegie Hall in Dunfermline, is a ‘Football Comedy Night’ presented by former Pars manager Dick Campbell.

For Pars fans, Dick is best remembered for his time managing Dunfermline Athletic after he become Bert Paton’s assistant. Paton and Campbell guided Dunfermline to promotion in the 1995–96 Scottish First Division season and also achieved what was then their highest league position in the Premier Division, finishing fifth in the 1996–97 Scottish Premier Division season, with their team known for their adventurous, attacking style of play.

Joining Dick as he takes to the stage with his hilarious stories and football anecdotes will be impressionist Paul Reid, described by ex-Scotland manager Craig Brown as “in my opinion the best sports impersonator in Scotland”. Completing the line-up will be Frank McAvennie, best known for a football career at the very top with Celtic and West Ham, and now a very funny and accomplished after-dinner speaker.

The first image is a team photograph at the start of the 1996-1997 season managed by Bert Paton and Dick Campbell, the team having won the

First Division title the previous season. Bert Paton had played previously for Dunfermline under Jock Stein and was an immensely popular and successful player for the Pars, playing in the 1968 Scottish Cup-winning side, until a twicebroken leg brought a premature end to his career.

In the summer of 1993, Bert and long-time friend Dick Campbell took the reins at Dunfermline and Bert, who had remained a disciple of Jock Stein’s footballing philosophy, brought this attack-minded approach that proved to be popular with the fans at East End Park. The pair had an eye for spotting footballing talent and brought in players such as Andy Tod, Mark Millar, Derek Fleming and Jackie McNamara, as well as one of Dunfermline’s most popular players, Stewart Petrie, who can be seen in our next photograph signing for the Pars. They also got the best out of experienced professionals such as Andy Smith, Gerry Britton and Kenny Ward.

Dick Campbell’s twin brother, Ian, also assisted during this period, which may have caused confusion for many people as demonstrated in our final photograph, with Bert perhaps pointing out that Dick required his Dunfermline top to differentiate between the twins! Dick enjoys pointing out that as he was born a half an hour earlier than Ian, he is always the boss ...

Dick emphasises how important the brotherly relationship has been that continues to this day with Ian at Dick’s side helping to manage Arbroath: “There are no words in the English dictionary to describe the love I have for my twin brother – even though he is a total nutter and a pain in the backside and the only person that will ever argue with me!”

Tickets for the ‘Football Comedy Night’, supported by ‘Stephens Bakery’ and with the Dunfermline Press as media partners, are on sale from the Carnegie Hall box office on 602302. More photographs like these can be seen in Dunfermline Carnegie Library and Galleries as well as at facebook. com/olddunfermline

With thanks to Frank Connelly.