Jackie Williamson 6 September 1932 – 3 March 2022

It is with great sadness that the club can inform our fans of the passing of one of Dunfermline’s Cup-winning legends from 1961, Jackie Williamson.

Described in later years by Jock Stein as ‘one of the great club men’, Jackie epitomised the spirit of a team with no superstars but who, under Stein’s guidance, became one the best teams in Scotland.

In March 1959, as Dunfermline once again flirted dangerously with relegation, manager Andy Dickson strengthened his squad with the signing of Jackie Williamson from Raith Rovers for a fee of £1,500. Originally from Stoneyburn, Jackie made the move to Stark’s Park in 1952, becoming a useful inside-forward but equally at home in a number of other positions. It may be that this versatility counted against him in the long run although season 1956/57 provided some success for the Rovers as they finished fourth in the First Division and reached the Scottish Cup Semi-finals.

Jackie, however, was becoming more of a fringe player and took the chance to move to East End Park, making his first team debut on 7th March 1959 in a 3-1 defeat to Celtic at Parkhead. A month later, Jackie scored to help the Pars secure a 1-1 draw at Stirling Albion, but it was to be the only goal of his Dunfermline career.

The start of the next season saw Jackie sent off for the first time in his life in a match against Third Lanark. He had never been in any trouble before and that helped the Referee Committee decide not to punish him which allowed him to line up in the first league match against the team that everyone was raving about, Motherwell. In an astonishing game Dunfermline could do nothing wrong and won 6-0. Despite that, the Pars results were thereafter mixed at best, and as they descended the table Jackie was in and out of the team until Jock Stein took over in March 1960. Stein’s arrival coincided with a remarkable change of fortunes and, coincidentally or not, Jackie was able to establish himself as a first team regular at left-back.

A 2-1 defeat at Easter Road on December 3rd, 1960 was made worse by a broken leg suffered by centre-half Jim Stevenson. After the club had searched without success for a replacement, Stein approached Jackie to do the job, warning him that if the experiment failed it could also cost him his place at left back. Jackie accepted the challenge without a second thought, despite seeming rather small, at 5ft 8in, for a conventional Scottish centre-half.

Wearing the number 5 shirt for the first time on 2nd January 1961 against his old club Raith Rovers at Stark’s Park, Jackie gave a foretaste of his courage when, after receiving a leg injury he determined to stay on the park and moved to the wing to ensure Dunfermline, in those days before any subs were allowed, remained with eleven men on the park. That game finished 1-1 and Stein’s philosophy was undoubtedly getting through as results continued to improve. Helped by colleagues such as Willie Cunningham, who took over at left-back, and Ronnie Mailer and George Miller at half-back, Jackie adapted well to his new role.

Although the team were mid-table, results in the league were mediocre, so it was the Scottish Cup that grabbed the town’s attention. Jackie started all six earlier ties as the Pars made it through to Hampden Park and a meeting with the mighty Celtic. He was enjoying a tremendous game until just before half-time when he blocked a powerful Crerand shot and his left knee, injured in an earlier tackle on John Hughes, gave way. Jackie was helped off the park but re-appeared for the second half where he again played a major part in the Dunfermline’s defensive heroics. However, with twelve minutes left, he collapsed in agony on the turf and had to be carried off on a stretcher.

The Pars reorganised and deservedly held out for a draw under intense Celtic pressure, boosted in the last few minutes by Jackie who hobbled up and down the wing unable to do anything other than encourage his team-mates. The dream came true the following Wednesday as the Cup was lifted by Ronnie Mailer but sadly for Jackie his injured knee kept him out of the replay.

At least there was the consolation of European football and Jackie played in five of the Pars’ European Cup Winners Cup matches in 1961/62, including both legs against Hungarian champions and at that time one of Europe’s best, Ujpest Dozsa. Sadly, he suffered recurring problems with the knee injured in the Cup Final and despite a brave attempt to start the new 1962/63 season afresh, he had to concede defeat in his third appearance of the season, a league match on 22nd September against Falkirk, won 2-1 by Dunfermline. Jackie never played again and, at the end of season 1962/63, Jackie was forced into retirement. Including friendlies and local cup ties, he had played 154 matches for Dunfermline. In official games Jackie played 111 times for the Pars in Scottish League, Scottish League Cup, Scottish Cup and European Cup-Winners’ Cup matches.

Retired he may have been, but forgotten he certainly was not. The testimonial match for Jackie and another of Dunfermline’s Cup winning heroes Willie Cunningham, brought Newcastle United to East End Park for the first time on 9th December 1963. A crowd of over 10,000 turned up to pay their respects to the Pars heroes and to watch a highly-valued Newcastle side defeated 2-0 by Dunfermline, for whom Jim Kerray and Tom Callaghan scored.

Off the field, Jackie had met the love of his life and wife to be Maureen when he was carrying out his national service at Bodney Military Camp in Norfolk, and after the birth of their first two children David and Sandra in Scotland, the family moved to Norfolk in the mid-1960s and remained there for the rest of Jackie’s life. He took on a variety of jobs – car salesman, carpenter, bus driver and HGV driver – and was active in different sports, helping out in the local football and cricket clubs while also playing golf. As his son Ian said, “Dad was quite sporty but he got involved mainly for the camaraderie – that’s what he liked.”

Ian also talked about the kind of person his dad was:-

“Growing up, Dad would often tell us stories of his time at the club, playing at Hampden Park, travelling behind the iron curtain for those European ties and his love for the club was always evident. I can remember visits to East End Park as a child in the seventies when we would retire to the bar after the match and Dad would spend hours laughing, joking and re-telling old tales with the many people he still knew at the club; mum sat with the other wives watching the clock and rolling her eyes!”

Perhaps Jackie’s life after football is best summed up by son Barry who said, “Dad didn’t have any real hobbies. He was a family man through and through and he was always there for us.”

Sadly Jackie had suffered from dementia for several years and had also had a stroke, a heart attack and a tumour on his lung and had been on `end of life` care twice in the past only to confound the doctors by returning to relatively good health. Two weeks ago the family were called to the care home where Jackie had been since losing wife Maureen several years ago and the family were told to expect the worst and that he was unlikely to last the night. Needless to say, he again left the doctors amazed by fighting on for several days more - he remained, as he was that day at Hampden Park over sixty years ago, a warrior right up to the final whistle.

On behalf of everyone at the club we’d like to offer our sincerest condolences to Jackie’s family – to his children David, Sandra, Ian and Barry, to his ten grandchildren and to his three great-grandchildren. Jackie’s funeral takes place on Monday 28th March at All Saints Church, Foulden, Norfolk.