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Rough areas of Edinburgh


Rick James

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Gavsy Van Gaverson

Lumping Sighthill in with Muirhouse and Pilton is just silly. Not sure why Sighthill gets mentioned in these conversations as it is absolutely fine. Surrounding areas are a bit dodgy, Calders, Wester Hailes, Dumbryden, Murrayburn etc, but Sighthill itself is harmless.

Agreed. Sighthill nowadays is just a through fare for Junkies from Wester Hailes and Calder on their way to Sighthill Health Centre. My parents still stay there and it is in no way dodgy.

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Agreed. Sighthill nowadays is just a through fare for Junkies from Wester Hailes and Calder on their way to Sighthill Health Centre. My parents still stay there and it is in no way dodgy.

 

Aye, it's quite a thing to walk through the Sighthill shops at around half 10 on a weekday morning when they're all stopping for a rest. Pretty sure most of them have more dogs than teeth.

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Gilmerton, and to a lesser extent Gracemount, have benefited from having lots of main door properties which meant a lot have exercised their right to buy. People always treat something they own better than a rented place. Gilmerton In particular is no where near as bad now as it was even 10 years ago. The closure of almost every pub has probably had a hand in this aswell.

 

My job means I travel around a lot and would say that Muirhouse, Lochend and Wester Hails are probably the roughest. Niddrie House is no picnic either! As others have said these places are a paradise compared to some housing estates in Glasgow.

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possilpark!!

 

bloody hell.

 

not long after i started singing, i was sent for a job in the possill there.  on the drive in there were 2 cars on fire, a burst water hydrant spraying water everywhere and i lost count how many abandoned white goods.

 

pub and its punters were pleasant enough, enjoyed the gig.  towards the end the owner went round every single person, myself and my mum included, asking what they were drinking and got drinks for the entire pub.

 

one of the local regulars who was sat next to us heard us say that we thought that a really nice gesture.  they responded with the story that the boy had been done with some crime (no idea what) and was getting the jail on the monday for 18 months or so, that was the expected verdct of his case on the monday. 

 

unbelievable place.

You should have seen it before Apacheland was knocked down. It's ok now, but still wouldn't live there. 

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Seymour M Hersh

Pilton itself is fine, a bit like Carrick Knowe. It's West Pilton that's dodgy as ****.

 

Are you having a giraffe?  Carrick Knowe has never been a council estate.

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Seymour M Hersh

Top end of Restalrig and Piershill worst for me. Just a few examples...

 

Girl tried to stab me in the face with a screwdriver at Kemps corner

 

Guy tried to smash his way into my vehicle with a massive metal link chain at Piershill Square

 

Got locked in a flat with 3 people who tried to set a staffie on me on Sleigh Drive

 

Robbed at Jet garage on Restalrig Road

 

Are you sure Lucky is the name you should be calling yourself?

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The difference in West Lothian is that everyone knows each other.

 

I genuinely once saw a boy running down the road with a machete, but then I realised who it was. When he caught my eye I still ran like ****, given that I knew who he was. You don't get that personal touch in Edinburgh.

 

Linlithgow is nice btw, and houses only one registered sex offender according to the latest edition of the West Lothian Courier.

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Are you having a giraffe?  Carrick Knowe has never been a council estate.

 

Pilton and Carrick Knowe have the same type of housing actually, and parts of Carrick Knowe were (and maybe still are) council housing.

 

 

 

.

Edited by Buffalo Bill
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Does The Gunner still exist and has anyone on here ever frequented the place and got any stories ?

gunner closed earlier this year
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stayed in saughton mains /broomhouse in early 2000/01 for a few years.could get wild at times,but hassle free if you kept yourself to yourself.went to the buzy bee pub (think that what it was called)once never again guy came in waving a machete about ranting and raving.never even finished my pint left straight away and never returned again.all "rough areas" seem to go through spells where it all kicks of for a few months then nothing.pilton seems to be the place right now.used to go to carrick knowe for a quiet hassle free pint never thought of that area as rough and never saw any trouble.would stay there now if it was a option.

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Does The Gunner still exist and has anyone on here ever frequented the place and got any stories ?

As aforementioned, Gunner shut down about April I think.

 

Apparently it won't be reopening.

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Seymour M Hersh

Pilton and Carrick Knowe have the same type of housing actually, and parts of Carrick Knowe were (and maybe still are) council housing.

 

 

 

.

 

I don't think CK ever has been council housing.  I have spoken to a few older folk who moved in when it was first built and they all say it was not council. In fact I believe a few Hearts players of that era bought houses in CK.

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The small estate at the bottom of Carrick Knowe Avenue was council housing. The estate (the circle as known to residents) was built in 1952/53 Not sure when the Gumley houses were built. Most of the council houses are now owner occupied as tenants exercised their right to buy.

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shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh the rough kids are chatting

away back to a Bake Off thread or something

Went about with a lass from Ox-gangs for two years 71 to 73 (me being 15 to 17). Stayed with her family (wonderful people) every weekend, was there most days. Met a lot of great people, some of them a bit out there but I was made to feel very welcome, even by the real hard men. (got done for underage drinking upstairs in the Goody's). Great time in my life, went back all the time. Spent a lot of the next 4 years in Niddrie, local, the Marishal, different kettle of fish.

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The difference in West Lothian is that everyone knows each other.

 

I genuinely once saw a boy running down the road with a machete, but then I realised who it was. When he caught my eye I still ran like ****, given that I knew who he was. You don't get that personal touch in Edinburgh.

 

Linlithgow is nice btw, and houses only one registered sex offender according to the latest edition of the West Lothian Courier.

Where in West Lothian is nice to live and where is best to avoid? Edited by Jambo_in_Hamilton
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People saying Saughton is/was rough, not when I lived there with my 30-40 mates hanging about the Gardens,,, YMS ladies lol

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Seymour M Hersh

The small estate at the bottom of Carrick Knowe Avenue was council housing. The estate (the circle as known to residents) was built in 1952/53 Not sure when the Gumley houses were built. Most of the council houses are now owner occupied as tenants exercised their right to buy.

 

Oneold lady I spoke to moved into the Circle. It was never council properties according to her.

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Hate to disagree SMH but I was brought up there and my sister still lives there. The houses from around 162 to 256 were Edinburgh Corporation houses when they were built. Most are now owner occupied but some still owned by the City of Edinburgh Council.

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I've lived in Sighthill/Broomhouse all my life and no doubt if you are from one of the cities more salubrious areas then you might class it as rough but it's not really.

 

As someone from Pilton once said to me, Broomhouse is just a kiddie on housing scheme.

 

Years ago you would have different areas/schools fighting each other on a daily basis but that's all gone now. I find it quite interesting that you can go into the bookies and see guys who were literally stabbing each other 20 years ago who are now best buddies. The young teams now seem to flit between areas as well which would never have happened back in the day. Everything was very territorial. We would not have dreamt of wandering over to Saughton for example, or vice versa - you were taking your life in your hands if you done so.

 

The drug trade/black economy coupled with social media has broken down a lot of these barriers. Everyone knows each other. You will still get individual disputes obviously but not any hassle about where you're from. I've seen very little serious violence over the years generally.

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I've lived in Sighthill/Broomhouse all my life and no doubt if you are from one of the cities more salubrious areas then you might class it as rough but it's not really.

 

As someone from Pilton once said to me, Broomhouse is just a kiddie on housing scheme.

 

Years ago you would have different areas/schools fighting each other on a daily basis but that's all gone now. I find it quite interesting that you can go into the bookies and see guys who were literally stabbing each other 20 years ago who are now best buddies. The young teams now seem to flit between areas as well which would never have happened back in the day. Everything was very territorial. We would not have dreamt of wandering over to Saughton for example, or vice versa - you were taking your life in your hands if you done so.

 

The drug trade/black economy coupled with social media has broken down a lot of these barriers. Everyone knows each other. You will still get individual disputes obviously but not any hassle about where you're from. I've seen very little serious violence over the years generally.

Adi, your spot on with this, i grew up in Saughton, done the "usual" gang thing, had many a running battle with broomie, got a good few kicking a also, & as you quite rightly pointed out we are all mates now, I have even had a pint or 2 dozen over the years with my childhood enemy's in the Gauntlet, 20 years or so ago, that would have been a death wish.

 

Funny how we all change.

Still Young Mental Saughton ya bassa. :-) ;-p

Edited by swavkav
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Салатные палочки

Not being from Edinburgh I have not experienced any of these places other whizzing past them on the train or bus on the way to the game.  But I know plenty of these areas in Glasgow and been to a few places for parties etc, stupidly enough.  Milton in the North of Glasgow is probably the scariest place I have ever been in my life.  Everyone is just shady, neds everywhere.  Think it's the worst place for car crime in Scotland or something like that. 

 

 

Drumchapel was another eye opener.  Ferguslie Park, Shotroods and Hunterhill in Paisley were all pretty rough as well. 

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Say What Again

Drumchapel was another eye opener.  Ferguslie Park, Shotroods and Hunterhill in Paisley were all pretty rough as well. 

When I started in the gas board, the manager was explaining to me what all the different abbreviations meant that were next to the address. For example (and I'll make them up as I can't remember) BO = meter had been broken open, TP = meter had been tampered with etc

 

He called up Ferguslie Park Avenue to demonstrate, and every other address had BO, TP, BO, BO etc next it :lol:

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Neilson's Shank

Really?  That's where I live (Terrace) - for the past 10 years so an incomer I suppose.

I am in the Drive and apart from wee neds going down to Tesco it is really quiet, ffs we even have a Tony Macaroni now, almost middle class.  Having said that it is bang average grub for uptown prices

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stayed in saughton mains /broomhouse in early 2000/01 for a few years.could get wild at times,but hassle free if you kept yourself to yourself.went to the buzy bee pub (think that what it was called)once never again guy came in waving a machete about ranting and raving.never even finished my pint left straight away and never returned again.all "rough areas" seem to go through spells where it all kicks of for a few months then nothing.pilton seems to be the place right now.used to go to carrick knowe for a quiet hassle free pint never thought of that area as rough and never saw any trouble.would stay there now if it was a option.

Was the Machette incident after a derby?

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grantaitchie8

Was going to say, I've never lived in Edinburgh but i remember going to Inch to play them and it was always very fiery, some right dirty bast@rds there, i think callum booth played for them aswell might have been some other team.

Callum Booth played in my Inch team. Few rough players in that, but we were always a decent side :lol:

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I don't think CK ever has been council housing.  I have spoken to a few older folk who moved in when it was first built and they all say it was not council. In fact I believe a few Hearts players of that era bought houses in CK.

Derek O Connor was one.

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I've lived in Sighthill/Broomhouse all my life and no doubt if you are from one of the cities more salubrious areas then you might class it as rough but it's not really.

 

As someone from Pilton once said to me, Broomhouse is just a kiddie on housing scheme.

 

Years ago you would have different areas/schools fighting each other on a daily basis but that's all gone now. I find it quite interesting that you can go into the bookies and see guys who were literally stabbing each other 20 years ago who are now best buddies. The young teams now seem to flit between areas as well which would never have happened back in the day. Everything was very territorial. We would not have dreamt of wandering over to Saughton for example, or vice versa - you were taking your life in your hands if you done so.

 

The drug trade/black economy coupled with social media has broken down a lot of these barriers. Everyone knows each other. You will still get individual disputes obviously but not any hassle about where you're from. I've seen very little serious violence over the years generally.

Being from the Calders I know what you are talking about.

 

The thing I found funny is there seemed to be this alliance between Wester Hailes, Sighthill and the Calders when it came to Broomie or elsewhere.

 

You used to get daft skirmishes with Calders and Westburn who came out the woods that split the schemes but that was Diddy Cup stuff when it came to taking on Broomie...haha.

 

In their younger years you had the same guys boxing each other up and down Calder or Broomhouse Road during school dinner hour as some went to WHEC and some to Forrester High.....hehe...

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In the late 1970s my older sister lived in one of the tower blocks at Muirhouse. It wasnt Martella Court but one of the smaller ones round it. 

 

She lived on the 10th floor and being from out of town (the sticks), I would be sent to stay with my sister at weekends or school holidays if I misbehaved. 

 

I hated it. The flat had damp and the walls were paper thin. I wasnt allowed out on the balcony (probably thought I was that depressed that I would jump)

 

Being 10 floors up I wasnt allowed to go out and play. I was young and could make friends easily but the place scared me. 

 

Once I was sitting looking out the window and watched a couple of guys through a FRIDGE from their balcony on Martello Court. I was traumatised by it, thinking that it wasnt safe to walk the streets without things being thrown from flats. 

 

My sisters then hubby was a hibbee and drank at the Gunner. My brother and I had to wait outside one Saturday afternoon as my sister and her hibby went in for a quick drink. Despite it being the middle of the day I was scared shitless watching the folk going in and out as I wasnt accustomed to seeing characters like that. 

 

I last drive near there a couple of years ago and despite a lit of development round about, it still looked like a concrete jungle.

My dad was a fireman at Crewe Toll in the 70's. Fridges and the like were regularly chucked at them from Martello Court. We lived just round the corner in Muirhouse Way. When you are wee, you don't realise just what a warzone you are living in. Muirhouse Green was super-crappy back then too. 

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Being from the Calders I know what you are talking about.

 

The thing I found funny is there seemed to be this alliance between Wester Hailes, Sighthill and the Calders when it came to Broomie or elsewhere.

 

You used to get daft skirmishes with Calders and Westburn who came out the woods that split the schemes but that was Diddy Cup stuff when it came to taking on Broomie...haha.

 

In their younger years you had the same guys boxing each other up and down Calder or Broomhouse Road during school dinner hour as some went to WHEC and some to Forrester High.....hehe...

 

I went to Forrester and at different times I remember us having bother with WHEC, Tynecastle and Craigmount.

 

Sighthill is a funny one because as someone said it is surrounded on all sides by the different schemes. I would generally agree they were more aligned with Calder and to this day a lot of the Dodger clientele is from Calder. When Sighthill Flats were there I would say they were more Broomhouse orientated and we used to knock about there all the time at the community centre/shops. We would sometimes go over to Sighthill or down to Carrick Knowe as we all knew each other from school so there were no real problems.

 

The big one when I was in my early-mid teens was Saughton/Tynecastle. There was some really nasty stuff went on for a while and one guy ended up in intensive care after being tied to a lampost and battered. That would be around the time a guy I went to school with was stabbed down at Maggie's Park by the same Saughton mob.

 

None of this stuff seems to happen now.

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I went to Forrester and at different times I remember us having bother with WHEC, Tynecastle and Craigmount.

 

Sighthill is a funny one because as someone said it is surrounded on all sides by the different schemes. I would generally agree they were more aligned with Calder and to this day a lot of the Dodger clientele is from Calder. When Sighthill Flats were there I would say they were more Broomhouse orientated and we used to knock about there all the time at the community centre/shops. We would sometimes go over to Sighthill or down to Carrick Knowe as we all knew each other from school so there were no real problems.

 

The big one when I was in my early-mid teens was Saughton/Tynecastle. There was some really nasty stuff went on for a while and one guy ended up in intensive care after being tied to a lampost and battered. That would be around the time a guy I went to school with was stabbed down at Maggie's Park by the same Saughton mob.

 

None of this stuff seems to happen now.

 

Bit out of your way that?

 

When I was 14, I got jumped on Dovecot Road back in 86 by 3 Saughton types and they nicked the running shoes off of my feet.  Tregs! 

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jack D and coke

Not being from Edinburgh I have not experienced any of these places other whizzing past them on the train or bus on the way to the game. But I know plenty of these areas in Glasgow and been to a few places for parties etc, stupidly enough. Milton in the North of Glasgow is probably the scariest place I have ever been in my life. Everyone is just shady, neds everywhere. Think it's the worst place for car crime in Scotland or something like that.

 

 

Drumchapel was another eye opener. Ferguslie Park, Shotroods and Hunterhill in Paisley were all pretty rough as well.

As funny as that was at first I hope someone pulled him out the car and gave him a doing for that. What an arsehole.
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Bit out of your way that?

 

When I was 14, I got jumped on Dovecot Road back in 86 by 3 Saughton types and they nicked the running shoes off of my feet.  Tregs! 

 

Saughton/Tynecastle would fight with us, who were mainly Broomhouse. That would generally happen where the old BMX track was and down at Broomhouse school.

 

Saughton also had a long running dispute with guys who we went to school with and were pally with from Carrick Knowe/Broomhall. So we would go down sometimes and team up with our pals, one of whom got stabbed at Maggie's Park.

 

There were boundaries which we wouldn't really cross. No further than WHEC for swimming, never across the Saughton Road, and no further than the BBQ chippy on the Glasgow Road. Anywhere within that you would generally feel safe.

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Saughton/Tynecastle would fight with us, who were mainly Broomhouse. That would generally happen where the old BMX track was and down at Broomhouse school.

 

Saughton also had a long running dispute with guys who we went to school with and were pally with from Carrick Knowe/Broomhall. So we would go down sometimes and team up with our pals, one of whom got stabbed at Maggie's Park.

 

There were boundaries which we wouldn't really cross. No further than WHEC for swimming, never across the Saughton Road, and no further than the BBQ chippy on the Glasgow Road. Anywhere within that you would generally feel safe.

The only local estates Saughton had trouble with was Broomhouse, Carrick Knowe, & 1 or 2 running battles with Murryfeild & Longstone.

 

trouble between Saughton & Broomhouse led to 3 Saughton lads being charged with attempted murder, running battles in the high court was mental to be honest.

 

I even remember 1 night where Broomie pulled a massive crew, "big boys & baby crew" numbers near 100+, & we got ran ragged all the way to Saughton Park, things did change then.

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I went to Forrester and at different times I remember us having bother with WHEC, Tynecastle and Craigmount.

 

Sighthill is a funny one because as someone said it is surrounded on all sides by the different schemes. I would generally agree they were more aligned with Calder and to this day a lot of the Dodger clientele is from Calder. When Sighthill Flats were there I would say they were more Broomhouse orientated and we used to knock about there all the time at the community centre/shops. We would sometimes go over to Sighthill or down to Carrick Knowe as we all knew each other from school so there were no real problems.

 

The big one when I was in my early-mid teens was Saughton/Tynecastle. There was some really nasty stuff went on for a while and one guy ended up in intensive care after being tied to a lampost and battered. That would be around the time a guy I went to school with was stabbed down at Maggie's Park by the same Saughton mob.

 

None of this stuff seems to happen now.

 

I was at Forrey before the WHEC opened ( just ) and at that time the only fights were really with Augies ( obvious reasons ) and occasionally Craigmount

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I was at Forrey before the WHEC opened ( just ) and at that time the only fights were really with Augies ( obvious reasons ) and occasionally Craigmount

 

Funnily enough Augies never really entered my head when I typed the original response, despite them being right next door.

 

There was never any trouble between the two in my time except when it snowed and we would throw snowballs at their teachers. Both schools had different break times and started and finished separately which obviously had an effect.

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Funnily enough Augies never really entered my head when I typed the original response, despite them being right next door.

 

There was never any trouble between the two in my time except when it snowed and we would throw snowballs at their teachers. Both schools had different break times and started and finished separately which obviously had an effect.

 

 

that was brought in when I was there before that the start / finish / lunch times were all the same

carnage

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Funnily enough Augies never really entered my head when I typed the original response, despite them being right next door.

 

There was never any trouble between the two in my time except when it snowed and we would throw snowballs at their teachers. Both schools had different break times and started and finished separately which obviously had an effect.

On the odd occasion, when I was running late, I would get the Augies school bus from Scotmid to get me down the road quicker. Always got a few funny looks but nobody ever said or done anything.

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Funnily enough Augies never really entered my head when I typed the original response, despite them being right next door.

 

There was never any trouble between the two in my time except when it snowed and we would throw snowballs at their teachers. Both schools had different break times and started and finished separately which obviously had an effect.

That's the reason they staggered the break times. Augies used to get handers from Craigmount against Forries from time to time.

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I was just about to say the same as you General.

I lived at Forrester Park in one of the houses directly opposite and was at Forrester from 1970.

When they first built and opened Augies there was indeed carnage.

 

Of course I had one of the best seats in house from the top flat opposite.

 

Those were the days.

 

We had a good school football team as well that was full of radges from Broomhouse and Sighthill etc and I was team mates with them all so I never once got involved in a fight or was picked on while at school.

 

Arthur Albiston was a team mate before he went to Man U.

 

 

think I was about 2 years behind you ... Wardlaw was the year above me and he was with Hearts at the time

the Co Op store was still open then selling food so that was where most of the lunch time paggers started 

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If you are talking about Peter then that sounds about right as he was the year below be.

 

I also had Terry Christie as my Chemistry teacher before he left.

 

Some of the teachers were also pretty hard and I can think of two who allegedly gave a certain Bay City Roller a good hiding one day for bullying. I remember this being a rumour at the time. Thus was after Carrickvale and Forrester amalgamated.

 

Behind the old gymnasiums was usually where the paggers occurred and there were some hard lads at the school then.

 

Peter stayed beside me at Stenhouse ... fantastic amatuer player in his future years

my claim to fame ahem was Christie picked me for 1st year school team even though we were younger and still at 'prep' at Cacky Vale lol

was there not a guy in your year that signed for Spurs? someone Dick?

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Pilton itself is fine, a bit like Carrick Knowe. It's West Pilton that's dodgy as ****.

West Pilton was fine. Never had any bother when I lived there. I had more hassle living in Craigshill than anywhere in Edinburgh. Just dont ask directions to the Dovecot :laugh:

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There was Davie Dick who signed for the Hearts. A left back.

Also know Tom Hendrie who went on to play for s few clubs. He now teaches maths.

 

 

Ally Dick maybe?

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If he was as Forrie I don't remember him. But I do remember Davie Dick.

 

my mind is probably going :-(

but there were some crazy crazy guys in Broomtoon at that time ............. Hatchet Harry,Wee Man Daly,Doc and Jimmy D 

all hard as nails

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Ally Dick maybe?

Yip Ally Dick went to Spurs and then Ajax !! then ended up at Alloa I think.

 

Played for the Scottish schoolboys in the famous 5 - 4 game ?? against England  at Wembley when Paul McStay was captain IIRC :uhoh2:

Edited by Robbo-Jambo
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