The History of Newtongrange Star
1986/87
STORY OF THE SEASON
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    With the Star still playing games right up to the very last day of the previous season, there would be very little satisfaction to be found in the two additional teams being promoted from the B Division meaning there would be 26 league games to play instead of 22. Nonetheless, the Star started strongly in the league and recorded a series of impressive results including home and away victories over Linlithgow Rose, a 1-0 win at Whitburn and a 5-0 drubbing of Bonnyrigg Rose with goals from Ramsay (2), O'Hara, Hughes and an own goal.

    With so many good performances in the league, there was a likelihood that the cup results would suffer. The Star reached the semi-final of the early season League Cup. Tranent were the opponents at Forresters Park. Goals from Ramsay and Tomassi had put the Star 2-1 ahead just before half-time, but John Hughes was sent off for fighting with team-mate Paul Ramsay. Tranent won the match 3-2.

    In the Scottish Junior Cup, the Star easily accounted for Kirkcaldy YMCA 5-1 in the first round with goals from Kilgour (2), O'Hara 2 and Flavell. There was an even bigger win against Keith side Islavale in the second round as Flavell, O'Hara, Aird (2), Ramsay (2) and Murray gave the Star a 7-1 win. In the third round the Star faced Ayrshire side Annbank United at Victoria Park. The Star fell behind and had good chances to equalise through Tony O'Hara and Paul Ramsay, but it was not to be.

    Come mid-March, the Star were out of all cup competitions. The league therefore became the main focus with the Star holding a lead over the chasing teams. The Star had not been champions since 1958/59 and had lost the league championship playoff three times in the 1960s so there was eagerness to secure a first championship in nearly thirty years. However, points were dropped towards the end of the season and Whitburn closed the gap. The two teams met at Victoria Park in a match that would go a long way to decide the outcome of the championship and so it proved as Whitburn emerged with a 1-0 win and eventually secured the title.

    Source: The History of Newtongrange Star FC [2010]
LAIDLAW LEAGUE 'A' DIVISION
Pld W D L F A GD Pts
Whitburn Juniors 26 18 7 1 64 23 +41 43
Newtongrange Star 26 19 3 4 52 23 +29 41
Bonnyrigg Rose 26 13 7 6 49 36 +13 33
Edinburgh United 26 10 10 6 51 40 +11 30
Linlithgow Rose 26 11 4 11 32 29 +3 26
Dalkeith Thistle 26 10 6 10 47 47 0 26
Fauldhouse United 26 8 7 11 37 41 -4 23
Bo'ness United 26 7 9 10 36 43 -7 23
Ormiston Primrose 26 9 4 13 42 45 -3 22
Musselburgh Athletic 26 5 11 10 39 49 -10 21
Arniston Rangers 26 8 5 13 34 49 -15 21
Broxburn Athletic 26 7 6 13 31 42 -11 20
Blackburn United 26 6 6 14 35 57 -22 18
Tranent Juniors 26 3 11 12 40 65 -25 17
Relegated from 'A' Division: Blackburn United
Tranent Juniors
Promoted to 'A' Division: Bathgate Thistle
Preston Athletic
Opponents Venue F A Scorers Team Info
Arniston Rangers H 3 2 O'Hara, Kilgour, Ramsay McNab, Coughlin, Wilkinson, Tait, McColl, Kilgour, O'Sullivan, Murray, O'Hara, Flavell, Fraser. Subs: Ramsay, Wilson.
A 0 0 scorer McNab, Coughlin, Fraser, Tait, McColl, Flavell, O'Sullivan, O'Hara, Ramsay, Kilgour, Aird. Subs: Wilkinson, Hughes.
Blackburn United H 2 1 Ramsay, Murray McNab, Coughlin, Wilkinson, Fraser, Hughes, Flavell, O'Sullivan, Murray, Ramsay, Kilgour O'Hara. Subs: Dunn, Burrell.
A 2 0 Ramsay 2 McNab, Coughlin, Fraser, Wilson, McColl, Hughes, O'Sullivan, O'Hara, Ramsay, Flavell, Aird. Subs: Hart, Wilkinson.
Bo'ness United H 1 0 Kilgour McNab, Coughlin, Fraser, Wilson, McColl, Hughes, O'Sullivan, O'Hara, Ramsay, Kilgour, Aird. Subs: Flavell, Hart.
A 1 0 Aird McNab, Coughlin, Fraser, Tait, McColl, Kilgour, O'Sullivan, Hughes, Ramsay, Tomassi, Mulligan. Subs: Murray, Aird.
Bonnyrigg Rose H 1 1 O'Hara McNab, Coughlin, Fraser, Wilson, McColl, Flavell, O'Sullivan, O'Hara, Ramsay, Kilgour, Aird. Subs: Tomassi, Mulligan.
A 5 0 Ramsay 2, O'Hara, Hughes, OG McNab, Coughlin, Fraser, Wilson, McColl, Hughes, O'Sullivan, O'Hara, Ramsay, Kilgour, Aird. Subs: Flavell, Hart.
Broxburn Athletic H 1 0 O'Hara McNab, Coughlin, Wilkinson, Tait, McColl, Flavell, O'Sullivan, O'Hara, Ramsay, Fraser, Aird. Subs: Hart, Murray.
A 1 0 Ramsay McNab, Coughlin, Wilkinson, Tait, McColl, Hughes, Hart, O'Hara, Ramsay, Flavell, Aird. Subs: Kilgour, O'Sullivan.
Dalkeith Thistle H 2 4 O'Hara, Ramsay Harkness, Kilgour, Fraser, Tait, McColl, Hughes, O'Sullivan, O'Hara, Murray, Wilson, Wilkinson. Subs: Ramsay, Dunn.
A 0 3 McNab, Tait, Fraser, Wilson, McColl, Hughes, O'Sullivan, O'Hara, Ramsay, Flavell, Aird. Subs: Wilkinson, Murray.
Edinburgh United H 1 0 Hughes McNab, Kilgour, Wilkinson, Tait, McColl, Hughes, Hart, O'Hara, Ramsay, Fraser, Aird. Subs: Murray, Coughlin.
A 5 1 O'Hara 2, Ramsay, Flavell, Hughes McNab, Wilson, Wilkinson, Fraser, McColl, Hughes, O'Sullivan, O'Hara, Ramsay, Flavell, Aird. Subs: Hart, Dunn.
Fauldhouse United H 3 1 O'Hara 2, Flavell McNab, Coughlin, Wilkinson, Tait, McColl, Flavell, O'Sullivan, O'Hara, Ramsay, Kilgour, Aird. Subs: Wilson, Hughes.
A 2 1 Ramsay, Murray McNab, Coughlin, Wilkinson, Tait, McColl, Russell, O'Sullivan, O'Hara, Ramsay, Flavell, Aird. Subs: Murray, Hart.
Linlithgow Rose H 2 1 O'Hara, Ramsay McNab, Coughlin, Fraser, Tait, McColl, Flavell, O'Sullivan, O'Hara, Ramsay, Kilgour, Aird. Subs: Murray, Wilkinson.
A 1 0 Hart McNab, Kilgour, Wilkinson, Tait, McColl, Hughes, O'Sullivan, O'Hara, Ramsay, Flavell, Aird. Sub: Hart.
Musselburgh Athletic H 1 1 McColl Smith, Coughlin, Fraser, Tait, McColl, Wilkinson, O'Sullivan, Tomassi, Ramsay, Kilgour, Aird. Subs: Mulligan, Murray.
A 3 1 Ramsay 2, Flavell McNab, Kilgour, Wilkinson, Tait, McColl, Hughes, O'Sullivan, O'Hara, Ramsay, Flavell, Aird. Subs: Murray, Hart.
Ormiston Primrose H 4 2 O'Hara, Kilgour, Tait, Hart McNab, Coughlin, Wilkinson, Tait, Hughes, Kilgour, Hart, O'Hara, Ramsay, Flavell, Fraser. Subs: Russell, Murray.
A 1 1 O'Hara McNab, Coughlin, Fraser, Tait, Hughes, Kilgour, O'Sullivan, O'Hara, Ramsay, Flavell, Aird. Subs: Wilkinson, Hart.
Tranent Juniors H 6 0 Ramsay 3, Flavell, Fraser, O'Hara McNab, Coughlin, Wilkinson, Tait, Hughes, Kilgour, Hart, O'Hara, Ramsay, Flavell, Fraser. Subs: Russell, Murray.
A 4 1 Ramsay 3, Hughes McNab, Kilgour, Wilkinson, Tait, McColl, Hughes, Hart, O'Hara, Ramsay, Flavell, Aird. Subs: Murray, Dunn.
Whitburn Juniors H 0 1 McNab, Coughlin, Wilkinson, Tait, Hughes, Fraser, Hart, O'Hara, Ramsay, Flavell, Aird. Subs: Russell, Murray.
A 1 0 OG McNab, Coughlin, Fraser, Wilson, McColl, Hughes, O'Sullivan, O'Hara, Ramsay, Kilgour, Aird. Subs: Flavell, Hart.
SCOTTISH JUNIOR CUP
Round Venue Opponents F A PenF PenA Scorers Team Info
1 A Kirkcaldy YMCA 5 1 Kilgour 2, O'Hara 2, Flavell McNab, Coughlin, Fraser, Tait, McColl, Flavell, O'Sullivan, O'Hara, Ramsay, Kilgour, Aird. Subs: Murray, Wilkinson.
2 H Islavale 7 1 Flavell, O'Hara, Aird 2, Ramsay 2, Murray McNab, Coughlin, Fraser, Tait, McColl, Flavell, O'Sullivan, O'Hara, Ramsay, Kilgour, Aird. Subs: Murray, Hughes.
3 H Annbank United 0 1 McNab, Coughlin, Wilkinson, Tait, McColl, Flavell, O'Sullivan, O'Hara, Ramsay, Kilgour, Aird. Subs: Wilkinson, Hughes.
RADIO FORTH CUP
Round Venue Opponents F A PenF PenA Scorers Team Info
1 Bye
2 A Bonnyrigg Rose 1 1 O'Hara McNab, Coughlin, Fraser, Wilson, McColl, Flavell, O'Sullivan, O'Hara, Ramsay, Kilgour, Aird. Subs: Tomassi, Mulligan.
H Bonnyrigg Rose 2 0 O'Hara, McColl McNab, Coughlin, Fraser, Tait, McColl, Flavell, O'Sullivan, O'Hara, Ramsay, Kilgour, Aird. Subs: Murray, Hughes.
3 H Bathgate Thistle 5 1 Ramsay 4, O'Hara McNab, Coughlin, Fraser, Tait, McColl, Flavell, O'Sullivan, O'Hara, Ramsay, Kilgour, Aird. Subs: Wilkinson, Hughes.
QF H Arniston Rangers 0 0 McNab, Coughlin, Wilkinson, Wilson, McColl, Flavell, O'Sullivan, O'Hara, Ramsay, Fraser, Aird. Subs: Hart, Murray.
A Arniston Rangers 1 2 O'Sullivan McNab, Coughlin, Fraser, Tait, McColl, Hughes, O'Sullivan, O'Hara, Ramsay, Kilgour, Aird. Subs: Flavell, Hart. AET
DRYBOROUGH CUP
Round Venue Opponents F A PenF PenA Scorers Team Info
1 A Blackburn United 2 1 Ramsay, Fraser McNab, Coughlin, Fraser, Tait, Hughes, Flavell, O'Sullivan, Tomassi, Ramsay, Kilgour, Mulligan. Subs: Aird, Murray.
2 A Broxburn Athletic 0 1 McNab, Coughlin, Fraser, Wilson, Hughes, Kilgour, Tomassi, Murray, Ramsay, Flavell, Aird. Subs: Wilkinson, Tait.
ROBERTSON HOMES CUP
Round Venue Opponents F A PenF PenA Scorers Team Info
1 H Musselburgh Athletic 1 0 Hughes McNab, Coughlin, Fraser, Wilson, McColl, Hughes, O'Sullivan, O'Hara, Ramsay, Kilgour, Aird. Subs: Wilkinson, Mulligan.
2 H Edinburgh United 0 0 McNab, Kilgour, Fraser, Tait, McColl, Flavell, O'Sullivan, O'Hara, Ramsay, Hughes, Aird. Subs: Wilson, Murray.
A Edinburgh United 0 1 McNab, Coughlin, Fraser, Tait, Hughes, Kilgour, O'Sullivan, Murray, Ramsay, O'Hara, Wilkinson. Subs: Flavell, Burrell.
M.R.S. CUP
Round Venue Opponents F A PenF PenA Scorers Team Info
1 A Broxburn Athletic 1 0 O'Sullivan McNab, Coughlin, Fraser, Wilson, Tait, Flavell, O'Sullivan, O'Hara, Ramsay, Kilgour, Aird. Subs: Murray, Wilkinson.
2 A Dunbar United 2 1 Ramsay 2 McNab, Kilgour, Fraser, Tait, McColl, Flavell, O'Sullivan, O'Hara, Ramsay, Hughes, Aird. Subs: Wilson, Murray.
QF A Fauldhouse United 0 1 McNab, Coughlin, Fraser, Wilson, McColl, Flavell, O'Sullivan, O'Hara, Ramsay, Kilgour, Aird. Subs: Wilkinson, Murray.
INCHVIEW LEAGUE CUP
Pld W D L F A GD Pts
Newtongrange Star 6 3 2 1 13 3 +10 8
Bonnyrigg Rose 6 3 2 1 10 6 +4 8
Arniston Rangers 6 1 2 3 6 9 -3 4
Penicuik Athletic 6 2 0 4 3 14 -11 4
Opponents Venue F A Scorers Team Info
Arniston Rangers H 2 0 Kilgour, Ramsay McNab, Coughlin, Fraser, Wilson, McColl, Wilkinson, Tomassi, O'Hara, Ramsay, Kilgour, Hughes. Subs: O'Sullivan, Flavell.
A 0 0 McNab, Coughlin, Fraser, Wilson, McColl, Flavell, O'Sullivan, O'Hara, Ramsay, Kilgour, Hughes. Subs: Wilkinson, Murray.
Bonnyrigg Rose H 0 1 McNab, Coughlin, Fraser, Wilson, McColl, Flavell, O'Sullivan, O'Hara, Ramsay, Kilgour, Hughes. Subs: Wilkinson, Tomassi.
A 2 2 O'Hara, Tomassi McNab, Coughlin, Fraser, Wilson, McColl, Flavell, O'Sullivan, O'Hara, Ramsay, Kilgour, Hughes. Subs: Tomassi, Aird.
Penicuik Athletic H 2 0 O'Hara, Tomassi McNab, Coughlin, Fraser, Wilson, McColl, Wilkinson, O'Sullivan, O'Hara, Ramsay, Kilgour, Hughes. Subs: Tomassi, Aird.
A 7 0 Ramsay 3, Tomassi 2, Hughes, O'Hara McNab, Coughlin, Fraser, Wilson, McColl, Flavell, O'Sullivan, O'Hara, Ramsay, Kilgour, Hughes. Subs: Wilkinson, Tomassi.
Round Venue Opponents F A PenF PenA Scorers Team Info
QF A Stoneyburn Juniors 2 0 Flavell, Hughes McNab, Coughlin, Fraser, Wilson, McColl, Aird, O'Sullivan, Tomassi, Ramsay, Kilgour, Hughes. Subs: Flavell, Tait.
SF A Tranent Juniors 2 3 Ramsay, Tomassi McNab, Coughlin, Fraser, Wilson, McColl, Aird, O'Sullivan, Tomassi, Ramsay, Kilgour, Hughes. Subs: Wilkinson, Murray.
SQUAD
  • Dougie McNab
  • Stephen Smith
  • Harkness
  • John Coughlin
  • Gordon Fraser
  • Kenny Russell
  • Colin Tait
  • Kevin McColl
  • Bobby Flavell
  • George Mulligan
  • Des O'Sullivan
  • Dean Murray
  • Hart
  • Tony O'Hara
  • John Cockerell
  • Graeme Boyle
  • Paul Ramsay
  • Gordon Wilson
  • Mark Wilkinson
  • Kenny Lyall
  • John Hughes
  • Brian Dickson
  • Rab Kilgour
  • Jimmy Aird
  • Colin Tomassi