| 1887–88 season | ||
|---|---|---|
| Stadium | Boghead Park, Dumbarton | |
| Scottish Cup | Second Round | |
|  | ||
The 1887–88 season was the 15th Scottish football season in which Dumbarton competed at a national level.
Scottish Cup
Following an easy first round victory, Dumbarton were knocked out of the Scottish Cup at the second round stage by their old rivals Vale of Leven.[1]
| 1 September 1887 Cup round 1 | Dumbarton | 10–0[2][3] | Dunbritton | Boghead Park | 
|           | 
| 24 September 1887 Cup round 1 | Dumbarton | 1–5[4][5] | Vale of Leven | Boghead Park | 
| Aitken  42' |  10' Cowan  45' scrimmage  70'   | Attendance: 3,000 Referee: T Park | 
Dumbartonshire Cup
Following an easy win in the second round, Dumbarton lost to Renton in the third round.
| 19 November 1887 Round 2 | Dumbarton | 9-0 | Methlan Park | Boghead Park | 
|          | 
| 10 December 1887 Round 3 | Renton | 1-0 | Dumbarton | Tontine Park | 
| McCall  | 
Glasgow Charity Cup
A good win was achieved in the first round against 3rd LRV, but Cambuslang were to prove too strong in the semi-final replay, after a 1-1 draw.
| 25 April 1888 First Round | Dumbarton | 5-0 | 3rd LRV | Cathkin Park | 
| scrimmage  Madden    Lapsley  | Attendance: 2,000 | 
| 4 May 1888 Semi-final | Cambuslang | 1-1 | Dumbarton | Cathkin Park | 
| scrimmage  |  | Attendance: 2,000 | 
| 9 May 1888 Semi-final replay | Cambuslang | 3-0 | Dumbarton | Cathkin Park | 
| Buchanan  Smith  Tate  (OG) | Attendance: 1,000 | 
Friendlies
Dumbarton's fixture list during the season grew to its largest so far with 43 'friendly' matches being played. This included home and away ties against Rangers, Hibernian, Vale of Leven, Partick Thistle, Morton, Port Glasgow and 3rd LRV, a match against Renfrewshire Cup holders Abercorn, and a 4 match tour of the north of Scotland during the New Year holidays. In addition 6 matches were played against English opposition with mixed results. In all, 23 were won, 4 drawn and 16 lost, scoring 134 goals and conceding 98.
| 13 August 1887 Friendly | Dundee Wanderers | 1-5 | Dumbarton | Morgan Park, Dundee | 
|  |      | 
| 20 August 1887 Friendly | St Bernard's | 5-4 | Dumbarton | Powderhall | 
| Boyd  5' Heggie   scrimmmage  Campbell  | Gibson  (OG) Robertson  Jamieson   | Referee: J Muirhead | 
| 23 August 1887 Friendly | Shettleston | 1-2 | Dumbarton | Carntyne Park, Glasgow | 
|  | Keir   | 
| 25 August 1887 Friendly | Dumbarton | 5-1 | Northern | Boghead Park | 
| Bell  Low  Lapsley  Jamieson   |  | 
| 27 August 1887 Friendly | Queen's Park | 5-3 | Dumbarton | Hampden Park | 
| scrimmage  35' Hamilton  40', 65' Berry  Harvie  | Aitken  15' Jamieson  20' Bell  | Attendance: 4,000 Referee: Mr McCulloch | 
| 3 September 1887 Friendly | Dumbarton | 8-1 | Mauchline | Boghead Park | 
| Bell     Mair  Lapsley  Jamieson   |  | 
| 10 September 1887 Friendly | Dumbarton | 4-2 | Hibernian | Boghead Park | 
| Jamieson  1' Bell  2' Lowe  Aitken  | McGhee  Groves  | Referee: Mr Boag | 
| 17 September 1887 Friendly | Rangers | 2-3 | Dumbarton | Ibrox Park | 
| scrimmage  18' Lawrie  85' | Jamieson  10' Aitken  Lapsley  | Attendance: 1,000 | 
| 1 October 1887 Friendly | Dumbarton | 7-2 | Albion Rovers | Boghead Park | 
| Aitken   Bell    Low  Lindsay  |  Tate  | Attendance: 1,000 | 
| 8 October 1887 Friendly | Dumbarton | 2-2 |  Blackburn Rovers | Boghead Park | 
| Aitken  85', 90' | Chadwick  15', 86' | Attendance: 2,000 | 
| 15 October 1887 Friendly | Partick Thistle | 4-3 | Dumbarton | Whiteinch, Glasgow | 
| Buchanan  20' Paul  44' Stewart  Marshall  80' | Jamieson  30', 82' Aitken  50' | Attendance: 2,000 | 
| 22 October 1887 Friendly | Motherwell | 1-1 | Dumbarton | Roman Road, Motherwell | 
| McPherson  42' |  | 
| 29 October 1887 Friendly | Dumbarton | 8-1 | Athenians | Boghead Park | 
| Mair  15'  scrimmage  Jamieson  Bell   Aitken  Lapsley  | Chadwick  | 
| 5 November 1887 Friendly | Clyde | 1-1 | Dumbarton | Barrowfield Park | 
| Finlay  70' | Jamieson   | Attendance: 2,000 | 
| 12 November 1887 Friendly | Dumbarton | 2-2 | Vale of Leven | Boghead Park | 
| Dewar  70'  90' |  8' McLaren  60' | Attendance: 2,000 | 
| 3 December 1887 Friendly | Dumbarton | 0-4 | Morton | Boghead Park | 
|  5'  10'  60'  | 
| 17 December 1887 Friendly | Morton | 0-5 | Dumbarton | Cappielow Park | 
| Aitken  20' Bell  Dewar     50' | 
| 24 December 1887 Friendly | Dumbarton | 4-0 | Port Glasgow | Boghead Park | 
|  10'  50'  55'  | 
| 31 December 1887 Friendly | Dundee Wanderers | 4-5 | Dumbarton | Morgan Park, Dundee | 
| Cooper   Hendry   | Dewar  Lapsley    Tosh  (OG) | 
| 2 January 1888 Friendly | Arbroath | 2-3 | Dumbarton | Gayfield Park | 
| Crawford   | Lapsley  Low   | 
| 3 January 1888 Friendly | Montrose | 1-5 | Dumbarton | Links Park | 
|  | Liddell  McIntosh  (OG)    | 
| 4 January 1888 Friendly | Aberdeen | 3-12 | Dumbarton | Recreation Grounds, Aberdeen | 
|  (OG) Lumsden  Clark  | Bell  15'  Aitken  18'  Barr   scrimmage  Lowe   Dewar    | 
| 7 January 1888 Friendly | Hibernian | 5-1 | Dumbarton | Easter Road | 
|  Coleman  Gorevin   Groves  | Bell  80' | 
| 14 January 1888 Friendly | Clyde | 3-1 | Dumbarton | Barrowfield Park | 
| Cherry   Cochrane  | Dewar  | 
| 21 January 1888 Friendly | St Mirren | 1-0 | Dumbarton | Westmarch (stadium) | 
| Morton  | 
| 4 February 1888 Friendly | Dumbarton | 5-0 | Cowlairs | Boghead Park | 
| Bell  20'  Madden  Aitken  49' Dewar  | Attendance: 1,500 | 
| 11 February 1888 Friendly | 3rd LRV | 2-1 | Dumbarton | Cathkin Park (1872–1903) | 
| McIntyre  Stark  45' | Lapsley  | 
| 18 February 1888 Friendly | Dumbarton | 3-1 | 3rd LRV | Boghead Park | 
| Galbraith  McMillan  46' Lapsley  51' | Mailey  20' | 
| 25 February 1888 Friendly | Kings Park | 2-4 | Dumbarton | Stirling | 
| Ferguson   | Lapsley  65', 75' McMillan  Dewar  | 
| 3 March 1888 Friendly | Vale of Leven | 1-3 | Dumbarton | Alexandria | 
| Forbes  7' | Bell  55', 60'  | Attendance: 4,000 | 
| 10 March 1888 Friendly | Dumbarton | 4-5 | Rangers | Boghead Park | 
| Bell  1' Dewar  12' Aitken  56', 80' |  18' scrimmage  30'   71' | Attendance: 3,000 | 
| 22 March 1888 Friendly | Montrose | 3-4 | Dumbarton | Links Park | 
|    |     | Attendance: 2,500 | 
| 24 March 1888 Friendly | Grangemouth | 1-3 | Dumbarton | Muirhead Park, Grangemouth | 
| scrimmage  |    | 
| 30 March 1888 Friendly |  Preston North End | 7-0 | Dumbarton | Deepdale | 
| Gordon  10', 15', 80' Dewhurst  Ross   55' Drummond  83' | Attendance: 7,000 Referee: Mr Brownlow | 
| 2 April 1888 Friendly |  Blackburn Rovers | 2-1 | Dumbarton | Leamington Road | 
| Chadwick  4' Rushton  | Lapsley  | Attendance: 6,000 | 
| 7 April 1888 Friendly | Queen's Park | 6-2 | Dumbarton | Hampden Park | 
| Hamilton,J  15' Auld  Allan  45' Berry  Gray  Hamilton,A  | scrimmage  Madden  | Attendance: 2,000 | 
| 14 April 1888 Friendly | Cowlairs | 2-0 | Dumbarton | Gourlay Park, Cowlairs | 
| Binks  44'  89' | Attendance: 1,000 | 
| 21 April 1888 Friendly | Dumbarton | 1-2 | Partick Thistle | Boghead Park | 
| Low  45' |   | 
| 24 April 1888 Friendly | Dumbarton | 3-0 | Union (Dumbarton) | Boghead Park | 
|    | 
| 27 April 1888 Friendly | Dumbarton | 0-1 |  Preston North End | Boghead Park | 
| Goodall  | Attendance: 4,000 | 
| 28 April 1888 Friendly | Hearts | 1-2 | Dumbarton | Tynecastle Stadium | 
| Sneddon  |  Dewar  | Referee: J Boag | 
| 19 May 1888 Friendly | Port Glasgow | 5-2 | Dumbarton | Clune Park, Port Glasgow | 
| Brown  5'  Neill    |   | 
Player statistics
Of note amongst those donning the club's colours for the first time were Duncan Stewart and John Bell.
At the same time the club's squad was depleted by the loss four internationalists:
- Robert 'Plumber' Brown and Joe Lindsay moved to local rivals Dumbarton Athletic. James McAulay emigrated to Burma and Billy Robertson also heading for 'pastures new'.
In addition after returning from a short spell with Bolton Wanderers, Jock Hutcheson left the club for the final time.
Only includes appearances and goals in competitive Scottish Cup matches.
| Player | Position | Appearances | Goals | 
|---|---|---|---|
|  McLuskie[6] | GK | 2 | 0 | 
|  R D Hunter[7] | DF | 2 | 0 | 
|  Duncan Stewart | DF | 2 | 0 | 
|  J Dennett[8] | MF | 1 | 0 | 
|  Leitch Keir | MF | 2 | 0 | 
|  McNee[9] | MF | 1 | 0 | 
|  Peter Miller | MF | 2 | 0 | 
|  Ralph Aitken | FW | 1 | 1 | 
|  Jack Bell | FW | 2 | 0 | 
|  R Jamieson[10] | FW | 2 | 0 | 
|  William Lapsley[11] | FW | 2 | 0 | 
|  J Low[12] | FW | 2 | 0 | 
|  Hugh Mair[13] | FW | 1 | 0 | 
Source:[14]
International caps
An international trial match was played on 18 February 1888 to consider selection of teams to represent Scotland in the upcoming games in the 1888 British Home Championship. Leitch Keir was selected to take part.
Subsequently, four Dumbarton players were selected to play for Scotland as follows:
- Geordie Dewar[15] and Duncan Stewart[16] earned their first caps and Ralph Aitken[17] earned his second cap against Ireland. Both Dewar and Aitken scored in the 10-2 win over the Irish.
- Leitch Keir[18] earned his fifth cap against England.
Representative matches
Dumbarton players were selected to play in Dumbartonshire county XI's as follows:
| Date | Opponent | Result | Players(Goals) | 
|---|---|---|---|
| 22 October 1887 | Lancashire | 4-1 | Jamieson(1);Keir;Stewart | 
| 28 January 1888 | Edinburgh | 4-1 | Aitken(1);Bell(2);Dewar;Hunter | 
| 28 January 1888 | Renfrewshire | 2-1 | Lapsley;McMillan | 
| 25 March 1888 | Lanarkshire | 1-4 | Low | 
In addition:
- Leitch Keir was selected to play in a Scots Anglo XI against a Scots Welsh XI on 26 May 1888. The 'English' XI won 4-3.
- Geordie Dewar was selected to play in a Scottish Internationalists XI against Perthshire and Aberdeenshire on 20 and 21 April respectively.
Reserve team
Dumbarton were defeated in the second round of the Scottish Second XI Cup by Vale of Leven.
In the Dumbartonshire Second XI Cup competition, Dumbarton lost out in the semi-final to Renton.
References
- ↑ Smailes, Gordon (1995). The Breedon Book of Scottish Football Records. Derby: Breedon Books. ISBN 1-85983-020-X.
- ↑ "Dumbarton 10 - 0 Dunbritton, Scottish Cup (01/09/1887)". Fitbastats.com. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
- ↑ "Dumbarton 10 - 0 Dunbritton, Thursday, September 1st, 1887". The Sons Archive. Archived from the original on 24 September 2020. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
- ↑ "Dumbarton 1 - 5 Vale of Leven, Scottish Cup (24/09/1887)". Fitbastats.com. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
- ↑ "Dumbarton 1 - 5 Vale of Leven, Saturday, September 24th, 1887". The Sons Archive. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
- ↑ "McLuskie - Player Statistics". The Sons Archive. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
- ↑ "R D Hunter - Player Statistics". The Sons Archive. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
- ↑ "J Dennett - Player Statistics". The Sons Archive. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
- ↑ "McNee - Player Statistics". The Sons Archive. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
- ↑ "R Jamieson - Player Statistics". The Sons Archive. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
- ↑ "William Lapsley - Player Statistics". The Sons Archive. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
- ↑ "J Low - Player Statistics". The Sons Archive. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
- ↑ "Hugh Mair - Player Statistics". The Sons Archive. Archived from the original on 1 July 2019. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
- ↑ McAllister, Jim (2002). The Sons of the Rock - The Official History of Dumbarton Football Club. Dumbarton: J&J Robertson Printers.
- ↑ "George Dewar". Scottishfa.co.uk. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
- ↑ "Duncan Stewart". Scottishfa.co.uk. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
- ↑ "Ralph Aitken". Scottishfa.co.uk. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
- ↑ "Leitch Keir". Scottishfa.co.uk. Retrieved 18 June 2019.







