PICTURES: Magic moments recalled at the launch of Inverness Football Memories project involving Inverness Caledonian Thistle Community Trust, Clachnacuddin FC and High Life Highland
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Stories of victory – and defeat – plus a delayed honeymoon were recalled at the official launch of a new online project telling the story of football in Inverness over the decades.
Inverness Football Memories, launched on High Life Highland’s Am Baile website, is promoted by Inverness Caledonian Thistle Community Trust.
It looks at the game through the eyes of players, fans and officials and includes interviews with legends from the past – some of whom attended the launch – as well as those still playing today.
Photographs range from Crown football team in 1887 to a group shot of Caledonian and Inverness Thistle players in 1994 ahead of their last derby before they merged to form Inverness Caledonian FC.
The launch of Inverness Football Memories, which is also supported by Clachnacuddin FC, was at the Caledonian Stadium where the ICT Community Trust holds a monthly Memories Club.
An appeal is also being made for memorabilia with the aim of staging a public display.
More than 30 guests attended the event including Clachnacuddin chairman Alex Chisholm who recalled the 1947-48 Clach Clean Sweep team, managed by his grandfather, George Rodgers, 'The Grand Old Man of North football', who had a plan to establish a greyhound track around Grant Steet Park – gambling was frowned upon and the plan did not materialise.
David Milroy, the Thistle legend with 900 games under his belt, recalled his playing days, including seven games against Celtic – one being for Thistle’s centenary with the game ending 2-2.
Peter Corbett, Thistle Clach and Caley player and manager of Caley and Clach, recalled Caley’s 1982-83 achievement of winning the league without incurring a defeat.
Memorabilia on show included a photograph of Roshie Fraser and his wife, Dolina, holding the Highland League Cup in October 1970.
They had married the previous day and delayed their honeymoon so he could play.
Thistle beat Clach 6-1 in the final and such was his commitment, he was back from his honeymoon in time to play the following Saturday.
Other memorabila on display included the 1947-48 Clean Sweep medals won by Clach's centre half Roddy who also played for Tottenham Hotspur, the Inverness Cup, first played for in 1895, a hand-written poem about Clach written by the late Dan Corbett, father of Peter, the Caledonian League winning flag of 1982-83, Inverness Thistle league flags of 1971-2 and 1986/87 and the ICT SFL League Division 3 league flag of 1996.
John West, director of culture and learning for High Life Highland, said his organisation was about making the Highlands a better place to live, work and visit by working in partnership to develop and promote opportunities in culture, learning, sport, leisure, health and wellbeing, and the football memories project ticked all the boxes.
He said staff at the Highland Archive Centre, Inverness Library and Inverness Museum and Art Gallery will be supporting the project and offering their expert advice and guidance.
In the first phase, Am Baile co-ordinator Jamie Gaukroger had set up the webpages to showcase the football memories, stories and memorabilia via the Am Baile website.
"There’s already lots of images and stories loaded onto the site – and that’s really just a small selection of what we know is out there," Mr West
said.
"This worthwhile project will create a lasting football memories resource that communities can engage with for years to come, and we’re proud to be a partner and to promote it with our audiences across Inverness, the Highlands and beyond."
Sharing memories of football for new project
