DAVID BAIKIE
BRIAN CRAIK
IAN HOWE
Ian Howe, then living in Monifieth, but a Tayport resident for many years now, made his debut for Tayport Amateurs in August 1972 and played his final competitive game in April 1989. Most of his appearances and goals were for the 1st XI but he also turned out for the club’s Fife XI and Alliance XI, giving a tremendous accumulation of 526 games and 255 goals.
Ian represented the club in international competition in Belgium in the 1970s and 1980s and was selected to play for the Midlands Amateurs representative XI. He was the club’s top scorer on six occasions between 1974 and 1982
Ian served on the club’s committee and turned out regularly for the club’s Veterans XI for ten years or so from the mid 1990s.
He is still active within the club, helping to run the youngsters coaching sessions on the Canniepairt on a Saturday morning as well as regularly attending the juniors matches.
DAVID HUGHES
After he returned from the Second World War, during which he had waded ashore on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day, Davie Hughes was a founder member of the Tayport Football Club as we know it today, in 1947.
A life time Tayport resident, Davie worked in James Donaldson’s sawmill in the town all his days where much football discussion always took place and it was therefore probably quite appropriate that history should record that Donaldson’s would be the club’s first ever shirt sponsor.
Davie’s abiding passion was football. First as a player, when he represented the club at inside forward or midfielder in today’s parlace, and then as a member of committee. Indeed Davie Hughes remained involved with the club in some capacity for the rest of his life. In his retirement he was at the Canniepairt virtually every day, putting in a shift as groundsman and carrying out some task or other in the company of fellow retirees.
Davie was club chairman when the decision was made in 1973 to move from the East Common to create a new pavilion and pitch at The Canniepairt and also when the decision was made the same year to make the club’s inaugural trip to Liege for the first of many international tournaments. Davie may have been the veteran of the party, but he had been in Belgium during the war and he seemed anxious to recapture some memories.
He was also a Dundee United fan, being a rep for Taypools for many years, and there would have been nobody prouder than Davie to have seen his real team, Tayport, lift the Scottish Cup against Lochee United at Tannadice in 2005.
ROSS MCMILLAN
Ross has been involved with the club for the best part of six decades. Starting as a player with the amateurs and whose style could be politely described as ‘robust’, Ross graduated to team captain, team selector, minibus driver (all at the same time!) after the Tay Road Bridge opened, and was manager of the club’s team during the successful sojourn in the Fife amateur leagues during the 1980s.
Ross also had a spell as physio or the trainer as the physio was called in the past, a committee member, eventually becoming club treasurer during the mid 1990s, striking up a successful rapport with the then team manager, Dave Baikie (Baiker always knew the right man to keep in with!)
When the club acquired a 29 seater coach in the 1980s, Ross, a former ambulance driver, was the logical choice to be the driver. A former cinema projectionist at Tayport Picture House, he was also the logical choice to become a key member of the Tayport FC committee team which travelled the country raising funds by putting on filmed race nights for other clubs.
Retiring from active service with the club a few years ago, Ross was appointed an Honorary Club President. He still makes himself available when required to assist the club with events such as the Port Fives and the annual firework display while still keeping in touch with what’s happening on the park by regularly following the club to matches throughout the country.
Ross Macmillan, a lifetime Tayport resident, has made many friends throughout his lengthy involvement with the club and epitomises the spirit which carries the club forward.
ALBERT OSWALD
ALASTAIR OSWALD
DAVID REILLY
EDWARD STEWART
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Eddie Stewart was elected to Tayport Football Club's committee in June 1969. Although a lifetime Tayport resident, Eddie had chosen to play his football with neighbours Wormit FC 'because they trained' but sensing the emergence of a new regime on the East Common, Eddie sought a transfer to Tayport FC (not an easy task in those days as, when the clubs were not in agreement, the Midlands AFA's Executive Committee held a meeting to discuss such matters). Eddie convinced them of his desire to play for his local team and was transferred to Tayport, making his debut at left back in March 1969 in a 7-0 win over Tay Valley FC on East Common. The club went on to win the Midlands Division 2 title that season and in June 1969, Eddie was elected to the Committee.
Things were very different in those days with the club playing on the Common as had been the case for many generations Changing facilities were fairly primitive, a green wooden hut divided in two with a multi purpose Belfast sink in each side, cold water only and a gas mantle to illuminate the place.
Eddie was a neat and nippy player but a back complaint forced him to retire from playing and his last appearance was a Scottish Amateur Cup tie at Ballingry Rovers in October 1972. There were a couple of Alliance appearances later that season but his playing career was effectively over age 27yrs.
There would be a cameo appearance nine years later, however, when the Alliance XI was short of a goalie v Monifieth and chairman Eddie stepped into the breach as the last line of defence in a 5-4 win in 1981.
On retiring from playing Eddie continued as a committee member and succeeded Albert Oswald snr as club chairman in 1978. During Eddie's early years on the Committee the Club also made good progress off the park and commenced development of the club's new ground at the Canniepairt including the construction of changing accommodation. The new building was first used in 1977 with the first match taking place on the Canniepairt in 1979.
Progress was maintained with the club now running three amateur teams in Midlands and Fife Leagues and success was achieved in both Associations. Scottish Amateur Cup runs were the icing on the cake, culminating in an appearance in the 1986 semi final at Dens Park.
With a ground fit for purpose, progression to Junior status seemed a logical move and Eddie was chairman when Tayport FC played its first match in Junior football in 1990. Tayport would become one of most respected Junior football clubs in the country, with the Scottish Junior Cup proudly displayed at the Canniepairt on three occasions and the East Super League title twice.
Eddie was no ordinary chairman. On match days he would ensure players had what they needed in the dressing room before running the line or recovering wayward balls during the game. He always found time to have word with a new spectator and making sure a player's guest could find a cup of tea at half time. Post match he could be found back in the dressing room to start sorting out the muddy kit for the laundry.
Whether it was the club's bingo sessions, racenights far and near, car boot sales or any of the many other fundraising ideas the club came up with, Eddie was always heavily involved. Although only once a week nowadays, for many years the club ran twice weekly bingo sessions at which Eddie sold the books or called the numbers or often both.
He was the Club's representative at Junior FA meetings and was appointed first to the Tayside Region League Management Committee and then the East Region League Management Committee.
Eddie had a word for everybody and everybody had a word for Eddie.
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