The History of Newtongrange Star
1984/85
STORY OF THE SEASON
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    Once again Bonnyrigg Rose secured first place in the League Cup group. The competition gave the Star an indication of the mixed results that lay ahead as the Star lost 5-0 to Penicuik Athletic only to defeat Arniston Rangers by the same score a few days later.

    Bonnyrigg Rose's return to the A Division after one season in the bottom division was triumphantly confirmed as they marched to a league championship title. As suggested by the League Cup results, fortunes for the Star were mixed with a 4-0 win over Arniston Rangers the best with goals from McColl (2), Hislop, Stalker and a 5-0 reverse at Ormiston Primrose the worst. That defeat was the sixth loss in the months of April and May and that made relegation a real possibility. Fortunately the Star finished the season strongly with wins over Broxburn Athletic (2-1), Dalkeith Thistle (3-0), Linlithgow Rose (2-1) and Bo'ness United (2-1) to secure their place in the A Division, but only three points away from the relegation zone.

    The Star were given a home draw in the first round of the Scottish Junior Cup against St Rochs. A 0-0 draw meant a difficult replay through in Glasgow, but the Star won 3-1 with two goals from Steph Brown and one from John Stalker. There was a similar situation in the second round as the Star drew 0-0 at home to Dalry Thistle before winning the replay in Ayrshire 5-2. The goals came from David Scott, Gordon Wilson and a John Stalker hat-trick. The Star's good away form would be tested in the third round when they were drawn against the beaten finalists from the previous season, Baillieston. Kevin McColl scored for the Star, but the Glasgow side scored three to advance to the next round.

    A few weeks after the Scottish Junior Cup exit, the Star were defeated 1-0 by B Division side Preston Athletic in the Swan Cup. In the wake of this result, manager Rab Currie left the club to be replaced by Lawrie Dunn who was only aged 30 at the time of his appointment.

    The Star's last hope of continuing their run of silverware in recent seasons was the Radio Forth Cup. The Star disposed of Lochore Welfare, Tranent, Haddington Athletic and Dundonald Bluebell on the way to the semi-final. The Star faced Dalkeith Thistle at Victoria Park. In a thrilling match, the Star won 3-2 with goals from Derek Combe, Kenny Russell and Steph Brown. The Star's opponents in the final were Linlithgow Rose, a team the Star had never beaten in a cup final. The omens were bad and so was the result as the West Lothian side triumphed 3-0 to end the Star's recent run of silverware.

    Source: The History of Newtongrange Star FC [2010]
LORIMER LEAGUE 'A' DIVISION
Pld W D L F A GD Pts
Bonnyrigg Rose 22 15 3 4 35 13 +22 33
Whitburn Juniors 22 12 6 4 38 22 +16 30
Ormiston Primrose** 22 11 6 5 41 23 +18 26
Fauldhouse United 22 10 5 7 35 36 -1 25
Bo'ness United 22 8 8 6 41 26 +15 24
Linlithgow Rose 22 10 4 8 45 36 +9 24
Haddington Athletic 22 6 9 7 29 37 -8 21
Newtongrange Star 22 6 6 10 24 34 -10 18
Tranent Juniors 22 6 6 10 33 48 -15 18
Arniston Rangers 22 5 6 11 25 33 -8 16
Broxburn Athletic* 22 3 7 12 20 39 -19 15
Dalkeith Thistle 22 4 6 12 30 49 -19 14
Relegated from 'A' Division: Broxburn Athletic
Dalkeith Thistle
Promoted to 'A' Division: Armadale Thistle
Blackburn United
* 2pts awarded
** 2pts deducted
Opponents Venue F A Scorers Team Info
Arniston Rangers H 4 0 McColl 2, Hislop, Stalker McLafferty, Dunn, Burrell, Combe, Grandison, Wilson, Brown, McColl, Stalker, Aird, Hislop. Subs: Scott, Duncan.
A 0 2 Tyson, Dunn, Burrell, McColl, Hughes, Tait, Combe, Russell, Brown, Scott, Hislop. Subs: Connor, Stalker.
Bo'ness United H 2 0 Stalker, McColl Smith, Burrell, Russell, Hughes, Grandison, Tait, Brown, Combe, Stalker, McColl, Scott. Subs: Connor, Hislop.
A 0 0 Smith, Dunn, Duncan, Tait, McColl, Grandison, Brown, Hughes, Stalker, Aird, Scott. Subs: Hislop, Combe.
Bonnyrigg Rose H 0 2 McLafferty, Dunn, Burrell, Hughes, Douglas, Tait, Combe, Russell, Connor, Aird, Scott. Subs: Grandison, Hislop.
A 0 3 McLafferty, Dunn, Burrell, Combe, Grandison, Wilson, Scott, McColl, Stalker, Aird, Hislop. Subs: Duncan, Brown.
Broxburn Athletic H 2 1 Stalker, Brown Smith, Dunn, Russell, Combe, Hughes, Tait, Connor, McColl, Stalker, Aird, Scott. Subs: Hislop, Dunn.
A 1 1 ? Smith, Dunn, Russell, Combe, Grandison, Tait, Hughes, McColl, Stalker, Aird, Scott. Subs: Hislop, Connor.
Dalkeith Thistle H 2 3 McColl 2 Tyson, Dunn, Burrell, Russell, McColl, Tait, Combe, Hughes, Scott, Connor, Brown. Subs: Hislop, Grandison.
A 3 0 Combe, Stalker, Scott Smith, Dunn, Russell, Combe, Hughes, Tait, Connor, McColl, Scott, Stalker, Brown. Subs: Hislop, Burrell.
Fauldhouse United H 1 1 Scott McLafferty, Dunn, Duncan, Combe, Grandison, Wilson, Brown, McColl, Stalker, Aird, Scott. Subs: Hislop, Tait.
A 2 3 Aird, McGill Tyson, Dunn, Burrell, Russell, Hughes, Tait, Combe, McColl, Brown, Aird, Connor. Subs: Scott, Connor.
Haddington Athletic H 0 0 McLafferty, Dunn, Burrell, McColl, Grandison, Tait, Combe, Russell, Stalker, Aird, Scott. Subs: Brown, Connor.
A 0 4 Tyson, Dunn, Burrell, Russell, Hughes, Tait, Stalker, McColl, Brown, Scott, Connor. Subs: Combe, Aird.
Linlithgow Rose H 2 1 Scott, Brown Smith, Dunn, Russell, McColl, Grandison, Tait, Brown, Combe, Stalker, Hughes, Scott. Subs: Connor, Hislop.
A 1 2 Scott McLafferty, Dunn, Burrell, Combe, Grandison, Watson, Scott, Hughes, Weir, Aird, Hislop. Subs: Duncan, Wilson.
Ormiston Primrose H 2 1 Brown, Combe Tyson, Dunn, Burrell, Hughes, Grandison, Tait, Combe, McColl, Hislop, Russell, Brown. Subs: Scott, Stalker.
A 0 5 Tyson, Dunn, Russell, Combe, Hughes, Tait, Brown, McColl, Stalker, Aird, Scott. Subs: Hislop, Connor.
Tranent Juniors H 2 2 Grandison, Stalker McLafferty, Dunn, Russell, Tait, Grandison, Wilson, Connor, McColl, Hislop, Aird, Stalker. Subs: Scott, Combe.
A 0 1 Trialist, Dunn, Russell, Hughes, Grandison, Tait, Combe, Stalker, Connor, Aird, Hislop. Subs: Scott, Burrell.
Whitburn Juniors H 0 0 McLafferty, Dunn, Duncan, Combe, Grandison, McColl, Brown, Watson, Stalker, Aird, Scott. Subs: Weir, Hislop.
A 0 1 McLafferty, Dunn, Burrell, Combe, Watson, Grandison, Brown, Hughes, Weir, Aird, Hislop. Subs: Duncan, Wilson.
SCOTTISH JUNIOR CUP
Round Venue Opponents F A PenF PenA Scorers Team Info
1 H St Rochs 0 0 McLafferty, Dunn, Duncan, Combe, McColl, Grandison, Brown, Hughes, Stalker, Aird, Scott. Subs: Tait, Hislop.
A St Rochs 3 1 Brown 2, Stalker McLafferty, Dunn, Duncan, Combe, McColl, Wilson, Brown, Hughes, Stalker, Aird, Scott. Subs: Hislop, Tait.
2 H Dalry Thistle 0 0 McLafferty, Dunn, Burrell, Combe, Grandison, Wilson, Brown, McColl, Stalker, Aird, Scott. Subs: Hislop, Duncan.
A Dalry Thistle 5 2 Stalker 3, Scott, Wilson McLafferty, Burrell, Duncan, Combe, Grandison, Wilson, Brown, Dunn, Stalker, Aird, Scott. Subs: Hislop, Tait.
3 A Baillieston 1 3 McColl McLafferty, Dunn, Burrell, Combe, Grandison, Wilson, Brown, McColl, Stalker, Aird, Scott. Subs: Hislop, Tait.
RADIO FORTH CUP
Round Venue Opponents F A PenF PenA Scorers Team Info
1 A Lochore Welfare 1 1 Brown McLafferty, Burrell, Duncan, Combe, Grandison, Dunn, Brown, Watson, Hislop, Aird, Scott. Subs: Weir, McColl.
H Lochore Welfare 2 1 Watson, Hislop McLafferty, Burrell, Duncan, Combe, Grandison, Dunn, Brown, Watson, Hislop, Aird, Scott. Subs: Weir, McColl.
2 H Tranent Juniors 3 3 Grandison, Brown, Scott McLafferty, Dunn, Burrell, Tait, Grandison, Wilson, Brown, McColl, Stalker, Combe, Hislop. Subs: Scott, Duncan.
A Tranent Juniors 4 4 5 4 Wilson 3, Brown 2, Grandison, Hislop, Scott, Stalker (includes penalties) McLafferty, Burrell, Duncan, Combe, Grandison, Dunn, Brown, Wilson, Stalker, Aird, Scott. Subs: Hislop, Tait.
3 H Haddington Athletic 2 1 Brown, Scott McLafferty, Wilson, Tait, Aird, Combe, Dunn, Hislop, McColl, Scott, Duncan, Brown. Subs: Stalker, Connor.
QF A Dundonald Bluebell 2 1 Burrell 2 McLafferty, Dunn, Burrell, Tait, McColl, Wilson, Combe, Russell, Stalker, Aird, Brown. Subs: Hislop, Hughes.
SF H Dalkeith Thistle 3 2 Combe, Russell, Brown Tyson, Dunn, Burrell, Hughes, Grandison, Tait, Combe, McColl, Hislop, Russell, Brown. Subs: Scott, Stalker.
F N Linlithgow Rose 0 3 Smith, Dunn, Burrell, Russell, Hughes, Tait, Connor, McColl, Hislop, Aird, Brown. Subs: Scott, Stalker.
DRYBOROUGH CUP
Round Venue Opponents F A PenF PenA Scorers Team Info
1 H Ormiston Primrose 2 0 Brown, Scott McLafferty, Dunn, Duncan, Combe, Grandison, McColl, Brown, Hughes, Stalker, Aird, Scott. Subs: Hislop, Weir.
2 H Dalkeith Thistle 0 0 McLafferty, Dunn, Duncan, Tait, Grandison, Wilson, Brown, McColl, Hislop, Aird, Scott. Subs: Combe, Stalker.
A Dalkeith Thistle 6 5 Hislop 3, Grandison, Brown, Wilson McLafferty, Dunn, Burrell, Tait, Grandison, Wilson, Brown, McColl, Hislop, Aird, Connor. Subs: Russell, Stalker. AET
QF H Broxburn Athletic 0 1 Tyson, Burrell, Russell, Hughes, Grandison, Tait, Combe, Stalker, Scott, Aird, Hislop. Subs: Brown, Connor.
ROBERTSON HOMES CUP
Round Venue Opponents F A PenF PenA Scorers Team Info
1 H Ormiston Primrose 1 1 Russell McLafferty, Dunn, Burrell, Wilson, Grandison, Tait, Combe, Russell, Hislop, Aird, Scott. Subs: Brown, Stalker.
A Ormiston Primrose 1 1 8 7 McColl McLafferty, Dunn, Burrell, McColl, Grandison, Wilson, Combe, Russell, Stalker, Aird, Hislop. Subs: Tait, Brown.
2 A Bo'ness United 3 4 Hislop 2, Aird Smith, Dunn, Russell, Hughes, Tait, McColl, Combe, Stalker, Connor, Aird, Hislop. Subs: Brown, Scott.
SWAN CUP
Round Venue Opponents F A PenF PenA Scorers Team Info
1 Bye
2 A Preston Athletic 0 1 McLafferty, Dunn, Russell, Combe, Grandison, Wilson, Scott, Tait, Stalker, Aird, Hislop. Subs: Brown, Connor.
LORIMER LEAGUE CUP
Pld W D L F A GD Pts
Bonnyrigg Rose 5 4 1 0 14 2 +12 9
Newtongrange Star 6 2 2 2 9 8 +1 6
Arniston Rangers 6 2 0 4 6 16 -10 4
Penicuik Athletic 5 1 0 4 9 12 -3 2
Opponents Venue F A Scorers Team Info
Arniston Rangers H 5 0 McColl, Grandison, Hislop, Brown, Burrell McLafferty, Dunn, Burrell, Combe, Grandison, Wilson, Brown, McColl, Weir, Hughes, Hislop. Subs: Watson, Duncan.
A 0 0 McLafferty, Dunn, Burrell, Combe, McColl, Wilson, McGinley, Hughes, Weir, Aird, Scott. Subs: Brown, Watson.
Bonnyrigg Rose H 1 1 Hughes McLafferty, Burrell, Duncan, Combe, Grandison, Wilson, Brown, McColl, Weir, Hughes, Watson. Subs: Dunn, McGinley.
A 0 1 McLafferty, Burrell, Duncan, Watson, McColl, Wilson, Brown, Hughes, Weir, Combe, Scott. Subs: McGinley, Dunn.
Penicuik Athletic H 3 1 Weir, Watson, McColl McLafferty, Burrell, Duncan, Combe, Grandison, Wilson, Brown, McColl, Weir, Hughes, Watson. Subs: Hislop, McGinley.
A 0 5 McLafferty, Burrell, Duncan, Dunn, Grandison, Wilson, Brown, McColl, Weir, Hughes, McGinley. Subs: Combe, Hislop.
SQUAD
  • Ronald McLafferty
  • Derrick Tyson
  • Gordon Grandison
  • Thomas Watson
  • Alistair Duncan
  • Kevin McColl
  • David Scott
  • Colin Weir
  • Derek Combe
  • John Hughes
  • James Aird
  • Sandy Burrell
  • Martin Munro
  • Gordon Wilson
  • Stephen Brown
  • Terence McGinlay
  • Lawrie Dunn
  • Kenneth Russell
  • John Stalker
  • John Hislop
  • Connor
  • Douglas