Crowded House Part 2

Club Historian Duncan Simpson takes us through Dunfermline’s story in Scottish Cup semi-finals. He writes:

“Well, it has taken seventeen years, but the Pars are back in the big-time with a Scottish Cup semi-final tie against Falkirk at Hampden Park in April. One of the many curious facts about Dunfermline Athletic and the Scottish Cup is that the club has only ever reached the semi-final stage in two decades of its 140-plus years existence: the 1960s, in which the club played seven semi-final matches, and the 2000s when five matches were played, in both cases including replays. 

Dunfermline’s record in semi-finals is a good one. Although their two semi-final meetings with the Old Firm both resulted in defeats (a 1-0 loss to Rangers in 1964, and a 2-0 loss to Celtic in 1966), the Pars have been very competitive in their other semi-final appearances, beating Hibernian (twice), St Mirren, St Johnstone, and Inverness Caley Thistle, with the 2009 semi-final against Falkirk the only setback.

One of the interesting things about Dunfermline’s forthcoming semi-final tie with Falkirk is trying to guess what the size of the crowd might be. As 2026 brings another decade into the spotlight, it is reminiscent of the excitement created in season 1960-61 when the great Jock Stein changed the club’s vision of what the Pars could do in the Scottish Cup forever. When the semi-final draw was announced, he wanted to make sure that Dunfermline fans went in numbers and insisted that the Dunfermline Board order their full allocation of semi-final tickets for the match against St Mirren. He was right – a crowd of 31,930 packed Tynecastle to see a gutsy Pars team draw 0-0. Dunfermline won the replay a few days later, and then defeated Celtic in the Final to win their first major trophy. Three years later and in his last act as Dunfermline manager, Stein took Dunfermline to another Scottish Cup semi-final. This time the opposition was Rangers and the venue Hampden Park. Rangers won the game 1-0 in front of 67,823 supporters, Dunfermline’s biggest ever crowd for a Cup semi-final.

Remarkably, Dunfermline reached the semi-final in the following two seasons under Stein’s successor Willie Cunningham. In 1965, the semi was again back at Tynecastle where a crowd of 33,305 saw Dunfermline defeat Hibernian 2-0. The following season saw the semi played at Ibrox Stadium where Celtic won 2-0 in front of 53,900 fans.

Back in the day when spectators flocked to Scottish Cup matches and grounds held more people, attendances at all clubs were generally much higher than they are now. There are a multitude of reasons for that – the cost of transport and tickets, especially for families; the appeal for some of watching the match on live TV; and the competition from other forms of entertainment and sport, to name but a few. There’s also the stadium – let’s face it, wonderful as it is to see the team in the national stadium, Hampden Park has never been the easiest of places for fans to get to.

However, despite what could be regarded as disincentives, Scottish Cup attendances at Dunfermline games seem to be on the up again. Under the inspirational guidance of Neil Lennon, fans are believing in the team again – five figure crowds for the visits of Hibernian and Aberdeen, and a very respectable 5,000 crowd for the visit of Kelty Hearts, show the most interest in the Cup for years. The Aberdeen attendance was particularly significant as, unlike the Hibernian game, Dunfermline fans filled the Norrie, the North-West, and the whole of the Main Stand.

Then there is that other factor – local rivalry. Much has been made of this, but there is no doubt that when Falkirk and Dunfermline meet, the crowds are likely to be among the biggest of the season, almost regardless of how the teams are playing. The fact that both teams are playing well this season, and that they are now playing against each other in a Cup semi-final is sure to raise interest, so what can we expect?

A look at semi-final attendances since the reconstruction of Scottish league football in 1975 provides some clues. Essentially, last four games involving either of the Old Firm have attracted 30,000-45,000 spectators, while semi-finals involving one big city club (Hearts, Hibernian, Aberdeen) have generally brought in crowds of 20,000-30,000. However, where none of these teams are involved, the crowds have all been under 18,000. Although one hundred semi-finals have taken place since 1975, only eleven of them have not included the above-mentioned clubs:

2010	Dundee United v Raith Rovers	17,671
2009	Dunfermline Athletic V Falkirk	17,124
1991	Dundee United v St Johnstone	16,560
2003	Inverness CT v Dundee	14,429
2006	Gretna v Dundee	14,179
1987	Dundee v Dundee United	13,319
2004	Dunfermline Athletic v Inverness CT	13,255
2023	Falkirk v Inverness CT	12,877
1997	Dundee United v Kilmarnock	12,391
2011	Motherwell v St Johnstone	11,920
2021	St Mirren v St Johnstone	0*

*no spectators admitted due to Covid restrictions

Actually, the lowest crowd ever for a semi-final first match in the post-war period was unexpectedly the one between Hibernian and Aberdeen on 11 April 1979 at Hampden Park, which attracted a crowd of just 9,387.

Semi-final replays have attracted smaller crowds than that, most notably the smallest of all between Dunfermline Athletic and Inverness CT on 20 April 2004. For reasons which still deny logic, the game was played on a Tuesday night at Pittodrie, a stadium that is more than one hundred miles away from either city. The attendance was 5,728. Sadly, those who couldn’t make it missed Barry Nicholson’s goal of the century!

So, can the Pars and Falkirk fans combine to make history and break that 18,000 barrier? We’re about to find out…”

📸 Ezra McYoung