David Bingham's return
Sunday, 10th Apr 2016Guest of honour in Purvis Suite on Saturday was former player David Bingham.
- - Listen to this David Bingham interview
David said that it was nice to come back for the Forfar game, the club he left in 1995 to join Dunfermline Athletic. It was Bert Paton who signed David for his home town team for a fee reported as being £100,000. David took up the story:-
"Bert was assistant to Alex Totten when I started at St Johnstone. When he got the job here I was fortunate enough to get signed by him. It came on the back of a cup game here. I scored in a 2-1 win and in September he came in and signed me."
How much of an ambition had it been for you to sign for Dunfermline?
"Ultimately you want to play at the highest level. I had thought that football had passed me by at this level because I had been let go by Dunfermline as a 16 year old. I was quite slow and I was quite happy playing in 18s and 21s. I was working in the bank at the time but then when I signed for St Johnstone you start to re-evaluate what your ambitions are.
"I had to go back to part time to take that step into first team football. I had a successful spell at Forfar, they gave me my first real opportunity and to come to Dunfermline.
"It probably never worked out the way I had always envisaged it, but would I have changed it? No. I have met some great people, it was my home team and I was part of a very successful team. I maybe never played as much as I would have liked but I was grateful of the games I did play."
The season David signed, Dunfermline went on to win the Fitst Division title but it was of course a season tinged with great sadness because of the death of captain Norrie McCathie. David continued:-
"I knew Norrie from being a Dunfermline boy, frequenting his pub and I think we would have won the league regardless but it just gave us that extra incentive. Once you got over it, although I don't think any player got over it for a very long time because he was so popular.
"It helped refocus us and it was for Norrie. As much as we wanted to do it for ourselves and for the fans, the club wouldn't have been so successful if it wasn't for players like Norrie. He was a leader and somebody who looked after and welcomed all the new players.
"It gave us that incentive, if you need an incentive to win a league - a very good league that year. To finish top of the pile was just magnificent, icing on the cake because of what had happened in January that year."
David was quick to point out that life at Dunfermline under Bert Paton and his assistant Dick Campbell was far from 'boring'.
"They are a great double act. We had a lot of big characters in that team and I spent a good bit of time on the treatment table unfortunately but was in his element in those days coaching. He had a great rapport with the players but could give a bit of stick with good banter but he could also take it. More so from the senior players and although I was 25 at the time and still relatively new to full time football. It took me a while to find my way on the dressing room but they were players' people to, the same working class background.
"Bert according my dad was a fantastic player at Dunfermline. Dick was just Dick and he has a fantastic record in management not matter which club he was at. The players I know from that team loved playing for them. Even when you weren't part of the team or weren't starting, which is never easy as a player, you have to see the bigger picture which was promotion.
"It was a great time for myself personally. As I say I would have played a lot more but would I have changed it? Not for a minute."
Listen to the remainder of this interview by clicking the audio link above.
In the remainder of his interview David expanded on his career at Livingston, Inverness Caley Thistle, Gretna and finally at Stirling Albion. He tallked about his management experience at Preston Athletic, coaching the Dunfermline U17s and revealed that he will be taking up the assistant manager position at Whitehill Welfare for season 2016-2017.
Watch this interview On DAHT website
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