As the familiar strains of “Auld Lang Syne” fill the air during this time of year, a question arises: Should old memories be forgotten? For a generation of football enthusiasts, the answer is a resounding no. They hold dear the vivid recollections of their first visits to football grounds, similar to the nostalgia one might feel when encountering a vintage pinball machine in a modern setting.

Over the past five decades, the Scottish football landscape has undergone significant transformation. Iconic stadiums have disappeared, replaced by sprawling supermarkets and housing developments. One such stadium, Muirton Park, is the focus of a new narrative in the book “Walking Down the Dunkeld Road: The History of Muirton Park.”

Muirton Park was more than just a football ground; it was an arena for history. It hosted events as diverse as refereeing by a cross-dresser, hockey matches, boxing bouts, and even scout jamborees. It witnessed the pinnacle of local football when the Saints defeated Hamburg in an unforgettable match. Anecdotes abound, such as the time the dressing room wall bore the brunt of coach Roger Hynd’s frustration, or when Coca-Cola’s advertising offer was turned down.

One memorable incident involved a defender’s clearance that vanished into an ice-cream van, only to return with a wafer on top—a charming tale that adds to the ground’s rich folklore.

However, not all memories are idyllic. The book does not shy away from recounting the darker days of hooliganism in the 1970s and 1980s. It also highlights local grievances, such as complaints lodged by nearby residents about unpleasant odors emanating from the stadium, which were dutifully recorded in the club’s minutes.

Wide open terracing behind the goal of St Johnstone’s former home, Muirton Park

The spot where Henry Hall scored for St Johnstone against Hamburg in 1971  is now the fruit and veg aisle of the local Asda supermarket which replaced Muirton

The main stand, from the Dunkeld Road, with the Famous Grouse advert

It is not all misty-eyed reminiscence, though. Hooliganism in the seventies and eighties is faithfully recorded, as is a complaint, noted in club minutes, by residents nearby over the overwhelming smell of urine emanating from the ground.

‘We tried to make it as honest and unbiased as we could,’ says Alastair Blair of the mission undertaken by himself and co-author Brian Doyle. It is thus essential for Saints fans but stands as a wider testament to the way football once was.

Muirton – probably a combination of the words for wild heathland and a farm settlement – was made possible by the gift of land by the Earl of Mansfield. His chauffeur threw £300, a substantial sum in 1924, into the bonds pot. A stadium had to be found after the Recreation Ground proved unfit for purpose, particularly because of flooding issues.

It stood thereafter as a witness to the truths of Scottish football. ‘It is bookmarked by the two most important figures in Saints history,’ says Blair. Robert Campbell was instrumental in moving Saints to Muirton but also in the club achieving professional status and joining the league. As SFA president, he was also responsible for the selection of the Wembley Wizards who defeated England 5-1 in 1928. ‘The team was picked by an SFA committee in those days,’ says Blair.

Geoff Brown, of course, oversaw the move to McDiarmid Park and the sale of Muirton to Asda. He led the club to stability off the field and success on it.

‘The recurring theme is how often clubs are teetering on the brink of financial woes,’ says Blair. It is a subject remarked upon by new owner Adam Webb in the prologue.

But grounds – and clubs – are more than just pounds and pence, though those who ignore financial reality have paid a substantial price, particularly this century.

The book, though, does much to bring to life what old grounds meant to fans and what they witnessed.

Alastair Blair meets with St Johnstone boss Simo Valakari to publicise new book Walking down the Dunkeld Road: The History of Muirton Park

‘Throughout the interwar period there were charity matches to raise money for Perth Royal Infirmary,’ says Blair. ‘In May 1932, it was doctors v police, with Tommy Muirhead, Saints manager, as ref.’

The local paper recalled that Muirhead played the part as a ’bashful maiden’ wearing an evening dress and a fur coat. In another episode, the club minutes report a ball being donated to the ‘Lunatic department’ at Perth Prison. Simpler times.

Fund-raising had its limits. An offer by Coca Cola to erect an advertising hoarding was denied because the beverage’s colours were red and white rather than blue and white.

The book contains memories of so many St Johnstone fans, but not from the author himself. Pressed to rectify this, he says: ‘The best game played at Muirton was against Hamburg on September 29, 1971. We won 3-0 to go through in the UEFA Cup.’ Hamburg were a splendid side with German internationals, but Willie Ormond’s team blew them away.

‘That was the greatest St Johnstone team I ever watched in terms of quality and performance. The cup wins under Tommy Wright and Callum Davidson were absolutely glorious but St Johnstone under Ormond were special.’

Blair names John Connolly, the centre forward who was sold to Everton in 1972, as the best player to grace Muirton in Saints colours. But recalls with pleasure a Stevie Maskrey goal in 1988 as the best strike he witnessed. ‘I was sitting right behind it when he hit the ball,’ he says wistfully.

He has physical evidence of the first time he walked down the Dunkeld Road and into Muirton. ‘It was in the late sixties and I was behind the goal when Fred Aitken shot wide and the ball hit my programme. It left a smudge mark on it. I still have the programme somewhere, though the mark has probably faded.’

An aerial view of St Johnstone’s former Muirton Park, still fondly remembered by older fans

Another internal view of St Johnstone’s famous old ground, which was succeeded by McDiarmid Park

He is aware that fans outside Perth and with no allegiance to St Johnstone will find common cause with the book. Muirton, after all, was in many ways similar to Brockville, Annfield, Boghead and Kilbowie, and suffered a shared fate. ‘Grounds in those days all had wooden stands and vast terraces,’ he says. ‘They also had shared experiences, particularly in the fifties when crowds would walk up to matches alongside players. This was the way it was and it is no longer.

‘I am not too emotive, I hope, about all of this. There were desperate aspects to the old stadiums and Muirton was basically crumbling when it reached its end.’

He adds: ‘You don’t want to go over the top, but there are ghosts about those stadiums. This is particularly true at Cathkin, once the home of Third Lanark. There are still the remnants of terraces there and football is played on that pitch but the stadium has gone.’

When he drives past Asda does memory intervene to give him a jolt?

‘It does,’ he says. ‘I recall the walk to the ground but I also remember Henry Hall’s goal against Hamburg. There is a map of how the Asda supermarket on the site corresponds to Muirton. Investigations have shown that Henry Hall scored his goal in the fruit and veg aisle.’

This is the most persuasive evidence of the truth that stadiums may fade and ultimately decay but memories are made of stronger stuff.

Walking Down the Dunkeld Road by Alastair Blair and Brian Doyle is published by The Potent Mix and is available on Amazon. 

ALSO GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN 

Boghead (Dumbarton) 1879-2000

Greats trod this regularly sodden turf from Charlie Gallacher and Willie Wallace post Celtic to Davie Wilson post-Rangers. There were also homegrown stars such as Roy McCormack who used to treat defenders in the same manner as those with flu treat tissues. Now a housing estate.

A packed Boghead hosts its final game between Dumbarton and East Fife in 2000

Annfield (Stirling Albion) 1945-1993

My children’s first ground. Therapy is assuaging the wounds. Old-style vast terraces with perjink stand. Now a housing estate.

Stirling Albion’s former Annfield home was closed down in 1993 and is now a housing estate

Kilbowie (Clydebank) 1939-1996

Its most attractive feature was the social club at one end. Some fans never emerged from it on matchdays. Their discernment was never questioned. Now an industrial estate

A derelict Kilbowie Park which was once the proud home of Clydebank FC

Brockville (Falkirk) 1885-2003

Proper old-school stadium. Teeming terraces in its heyday and a stand that trembled when Falkirk were in any sort of ascendancy. This happened now and again. Now a supermarket.

Brockville was the famous home of Falkirk before its sad demise in the early 2000s