Ross County Database

1951 Jimmy Dykes

At a meeting in mid July 1945 to revive the County after the war one of the first things done was to thank the Fire Brigade Club who had looked after the clubs liabilities and ground during the previous two years. The Brigade Club however stressed they had no interest in continuing to manage the club and it should be revived as a football club.

The meeting proposed to get a management committee together to run a playing team and on 24th May 1946 Stewart McCulloch was elected President of the Ross County FC Management committee. This committees and its’ various subsequent forms ran the club with varying degrees of success for five years, at one point being criticised for seemingly simply putting the players’ names into a hat! How often have we wondered that with some managers…

County’s first post war player coach was Jimmy Dykes. The former Hearts and Scotland centre half, took charge of Ross County on 23rd January 1951 following an interview by members of both the Football Club and the Supporters Club. The supporters’ involvement was due to their establishing a fund to secure someone in such a role. By the time Jimmy was appointed £100 had been raised. They had each been subscribing one shilling a week. Jimmy, now 33, was in excess of 6 feet and had been capped by Scotland against Northern Ireland (Home Nations) at Windsor Park and Netherlands Olympic Stadium Amsterdam in 1938/39.

He arrived at the club from Portadown to much excitement having played for several Irish League teams.

His first game in charge was a 4-2 away defeat to Lossiemouth. The following week County lost in unusual circumstances as the Keith County game was abandoned with 20 minutes to go at 3-2 to Keith, however the result stood. Early in his time in charge he handed Tom Sutherland his debut in goal away to Peterhead. Jimmy also made his County debut that day unfortunately it turned out to be an 8-1 defeat.

The next game, Jimmy (“still not hardened to Highland football”) turned out again and scored his first County goal as his team won 7-0 away to Brora in the first round of the North of Scotland Cup. The County team was Newton, Forsyth, Crosbie, Farmer, Dykes, Sutherland, Urquhart, Ogilvie, Pines, Ferguson and Browning

Jimmy carried on where he left off and soon became a star performer, keeping close tabs on the Caley legend Andy Mitchell the following week, a game the Inverness side struggled to win 1-0.

Representative honours came County’s way under Dykes when Chic Ogilvie and Alex Ferguson were selected to play for the North of Scotland FA against a Sutherland Select. The North won 5-0 with the County duo contributing three goals.

Jimmy won one trophy in his time for County, the Stuart Cup, in the final they beat Nairn 3-2 at Station Park, Nairn. Simpson, Ogilvie and Pines scored for County after Nairn had taken a 2-0 lead. The change in fortune coming mainly due to positional changes Jimmy had made. This game followed the County AGM where it was publicly stated they did not believe they would retain Dykes services for the following season!

In early June the County management committee met and voted 9-3 to dispense with Jimmy’s services. The decision perhaps owed more to the question over whether the role was needed than Jimmy’s ability. County had finished the season sixth from bottom. In total Jimmy had been in charge for twelve league matches, winning four and drawing one. County had scored 28 and conceded 36 (an average score of 2 ½ to 3, impressive entertainment!)