Founded in 1936 “The Gowfers” as they are popularly known were formed on the dissolution of the former Carnoustie Juveniles a team that had been in existence for many years before then.
The reason for this change was so that the new team could play in the Dundee Leagues as hitherto they had played in the Angus League. The original team colours were Green and Gold vertical stripes, with Black Shorts and at that time they played on a park at the top of Lochend Road beside the old Slaughterhouse. This ground is now occupied by Council houses. The players changed in a wooden hut behind where the Belmonte Chip Shop at 81 Dundee Street is now, and went to and from the park already stripped. Washing facilities after the match were in cold water in a large zinc bath.
The change to the now familiar Red and White took place in 1948 ,as did the move to Westfield Park.
The club recently returned to the traditional Red bodies with White Sleeves, and indeed the team was so successful in the Fifties and Sixties in these strips that they were dubbed “The Arsenal of the North”.
Ground for Westfield Park was donated to the club by the late Mr. Edgar Thomson of D.C.Thomson’s and as grass was found to almost impossible to grow there, the pitch at Westfield was constructed entirely by the Committee, from turf carted from the Links by the late Mr Fairlie Hovell who ran a motor lorry at that time and was a regular attender at all our matches, home and away, even when he was well into his eighties.
The dressing rooms at Westfield Park came after the war, from R.N.A.S. Peewit as the aerodrome at the Hatton was then called.
The ground was officially opened with a game v Manchester City managed by the late Jock Thompson a former Carnoustie stalwart,who went on to own the 19th Hole in Kinloch Street.
No item on the Club would be complete without some reference to the prodigious amount of work carried out by its first Treasurer the late Davie Falconer who was also groundsman at Westfield for over 50 years. “Auld Davie” could always be found there, in all weathers,either cutting the grass,marking the pitch or cutting sticks,(for the stoves to heat the water),even when he was well over eighty.
Some of the famous sides that have graced the turf of Westfield include,from England :- Aston Villa,Chelsea,Sheffield United and Tottenham Hotspur – and from foreign parts :- Anderlect (Belgium),Gornick (Poland), Hadjvik Split (Yugoslavia), Sparta Prague (Czech Republic) , V.S.H.Hamburg (Germany) and most recently I.F.K.Gothenburg. While it should be said that these famous sides have not actually played against the Gowfers,they have used the facilities at Westfield to train, whilst staying in the town during tours or whilst playing against either of Dundee’s senior sides in various European competitions.
Although we haven’t actually played any of the aforementioned glamour sides we have faced all of our neighbouring outfits,with varying degrees of success. Arbroath,Brechin City,ForfarAthletic and Montrose together with St.Johnstone Inverness Caley,Dundee and Dundee United have all played there – indeed the last named sent a full squad down to play the Gowfers in a testimonial match for “Auld Davie” on Sunday October 28th 1980.
The match resulted in a 3-0 win for United and featured several players who have since gone on to make something of a name for themselves in the game.
Teams :-
Carnoustie Panmure – Alan Oudney, Davie Watt (on loan from Brechin City), Alan Martin, Davie Whyte, John Sime (Brechin City), Dennis Docherty,Stevie Mylles (Arbroath), Billy McLardy, Brian McNicoll, Albert Kydd (Motherwell), and Ray McWalter.
Substitutes :- (all played) John Docherty, Abbie Callander, Mark Ritchie, Dougie Paterson, and Graham Wilson.
Dundee United – John Gardiner, Billy Kirkwood, Frank Kopel, Iain Phillip, Derek Stark, Walter Smith, Ralph Milne ( scored in 41 mins.), Derek Addison ( 47 mins.), Willie Pettigrew, ( 43 mins. ), John Holt and Davie Dodds.
Substitutes :- (all played) John Reilly, Colin Craigie, Richard Gough and Colin Adese.
Many Junior clubs have had players in their ranks who have stepped up to the Senior level, and Carnoustie Panmure is no exception with well over thirty players having made the higher grade. Most notable of these would have to be Bill Brown who moved to Dundee, then went on to play for Tottenham Hotspur, Northampton and of course Scotland, and Freddie Martin who moved to Aberdeen as an Inside forward, but was converted to a goalkeeper during his National Service with the Army and was in fact Scotland’s very first World Cup ‘keeper (this in 1954).
