About The Club
 Dunfermline
Athletic FC
On 26th May 1885, Dunfermline Cricket Club formed an offshoot which was to play the
newly organised game of Association Football.
Its first match was at East End Park (about a hundred yards from the current stadium)
against Edinburgh University on 13th June of the same year, which DAFC won 2-1. The
hundred per cent record wasn't to last...
The club hung about the regional leagues and lower reaches of the Scottish League
system for a number of years, eventually finding a rhythm (up a division for a couple of
seasons, then down again).
This continued for many decades, until the arrival of a young first-time manager named
Jock Stein.
Glory Years (ha cha cha)
Jock Stein was an ex-miner, ex-Celtic captain and ex-centre half. When he arrived
in 1960 as a first-time manager, DAFC were 2nd bottom of the first division with
only six games remaining and a defence which leaked goals. Amazingly, Stein managed to get
the team to win all of its remaining six games, and ensure top-flight football!
This was the start of the club's golden era, when DAFC were a real force to be reckoned
with, both domestically and in Europe.
Under Stein, and later his successor, George Farm, the Pars won the Scottich Cup in
1961 and 68, and were runners-up in 65 (ironically to Stein's new club, Celtic). DAFC
represented Scotland in the European Cup Winners Cup in 1961-62(Quarter Final) and
1968-69(Semi-Final), and in the Fairs (later UEFA) Cup in 1962-63, 64-65,
65-66(Quarter-Final), 66-67, and 69-70. In this time we beat such clubs as Everton, West
Bromwich Albion, Valencia, Athletico Bilbao, Real Zaragoza, Dinamo Zagreb, Bordeaux, and
Anderlecht.
The Dark Ages
The 1970s and early 80s were a succession of promotions and relegations as the club
see-sawed between divisions. Crowds dropped off to less than a thousand on many occasions,
and this hurt the fans more than usual because the glory days were still fresh in the
memory. Just around the corner, though, was an ex-player who would become a local hero...
The Bard of Kelty
Jim Leishman had been a useful left back for the Pars in the seventies, but his career
was curtailed by a broken leg. He was the Pars youth team coach in 1983 when he was
appointed Manager, most likely in a keep-the-costs-down move by the board. Under Leishman,
the club won the Second Division in 1986, and was promoted to the Premier Division after
the following season. The Pars were back among the top clubs again!
Lately...
Since then, the club has spent most of the time in the Premier Division, with a few
seasons in the First for our sins. At the time of writing (July 99) we are about to start
a season in the First Division, since we were relegated from the Premier League in season
98-99.
A.M.
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