Former Caley FC players to reunite in Inverness as remarkable record in footballing history is recalled
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Former players and staff of an Inverness football club will reunite this spring to mark the anniversary of a remarkable record in football history.
Caledonian FC won the Highland League undefeated at the end of the 1982-83 season – a record which had stood for 70 years and won the club recognition as the UK’s non-league side of the year.
The team won 23 games and drew the other seven, winning the title by 15 points.
Players, backroom staff and committee members are being invited to meet up on Saturday April 22, to mark the 40th anniversary and recall the glory days.
Assistant manager Ray Mackintosh – top scorer that season with 32 goals – now lives in New Zealand but hopes to attend.
Former Caledonian player and manager Peter Corbett, who is organising the event, is being supported by the
Inverness Football Memories Project, a partnership of Inverness Caledonian Thistle Community Trust, Clachnacuddin and High Life Highland.
"Winning the Highland League undefeated was a real highlight of my career," Mr Corbett said.
"It had not been done since the early days of the league when there were only a handful of teams playing.
"We had a great manager in Alex Main and a team with youth and experience and most importantly winners.
"We had won the league by the time the final game at home to Fraserburgh came around. But we dearly wanted to create history and complete the league programme undefeated.
"We got off to a really bad start and before we knew it we were 2-0 down. As the game wore on we got into our stride and pulled a goal back through Neil Mackintosh.
"There was to be a late scare when Fraserburgh’s Davy Robertson was clean through with me hot on his heels. A goal would have put us 3-1 down so I was prepared to take one for the team to secure the unbeaten record and did what needed to be done!
"Luckily I escaped with a booking and Ray Mackintosh went on to secure the draw we needed to celebrate our record breaking success."
In winning the league for a second year in succession, Caledonian scored 92 goals and conceded only 21, amassing 76 points.
Goalkeeper Billy MacDonald, who won the Sunday Mail Highland League Player of the Year Award, played in all 30 games as did Roddie Davidson, Kevin Mann and Billy Urquhart.
Other players in the squad were Martin Lisle, Neil Mackintosh, Bob Summers (captain), John Docherty, John MacDonald, Wilson Robertson, Robbie Baxter, Derek Dewar, Steve MacLaren, Peter MacLeod and Graham Dawson. The trainer was Alex Young and groundsman Tommy Cumming.
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In the 1982-83 season, Caledonian also won the Scottish Qualifying Cup North, beating Peterhead 3-2 and for a second year in succession were presented with the Rothman’s UK Non-League team of the year.
The crucial last game of the season at home to Fraserburgh features prominently in Caley all the Way by Alex Main who wrote: "A buzz of expectation and mounting excitement came from the crowd. In the Caley dressing room the tension could be cut with a knife."
He described the tension as Caledonian were 2-1 down 14 minutes before the final whistle.
"We are playing again like champions but the equaliser is being denied by the woodwork and amazing goalkeeping," he wrote.
"Well into the last quarter of an hour now and Telford Street players and fans go wild with delight with an equaliser from Ray Mackintosh, his last of many goals in a blue jersey before retiring.
"We had completed the League without a single defeat. Another for the record books."
The planned renunion is the same day Inverness Caledonian Thistle host Dundee in an SPFL Championship game.
Mr Corbett is keen to hear from anyone associated with the club at the time of the achievement and to receive any memorabilia associated with the success. He can be contacted on rockycorb@hotmail.com.
