Cowdenbeath: Ghosts of Good Times

A difficult Saturday afternoon for Cowdenbeath, shipping three goals and losing their derby with Raith inside the first half hour.

There have been better times though.

As Daniel Gray writes in Stramash:

“Central Park is a relic that binds. If its pensionable walls could speak, they would talk of 1920s glory days and mention the first team of miners that won promotion in 1924 and the following season finished fifth in Division One.”

The medal above is from that promotion campaign and was won by a goalkeeper called David (Davie) Stevenson.

Stramash suggests that John Falconer kept goal in the First Division season so I’m not sure if Stevenson remained with Cowdenbeath or not.

Certainly he was also signed for both Hibs and Hearts, his Hibs career beginning in 1913 and resuming after World War One. His player registration form shows that he was with Hearts during the 1921/22 season.

Another forgotten name from Scottish football’s cast of thousands.

But he did make enough of an impact at Cowdenbeath to be celebrated in song:

We have a dandy goalkeeper,
Davie Stevenson is his name;
He has been tried and tested,
At this awfu’ fitba’ game

See the album below for the rest of the song, documents and a picture of Stevenson in Cowdenbeath garb.



The register of members’ interests: David Stevenson was my great, great uncle.

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