On The Road: Dunipace have survived Storm Eowyn and plenty more in their long history... now the future is bright
On The Road: Dunipace have survived Storm Eowyn and plenty more in their long history... now the future is bright
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The whirring of chainsaws heralded the end of the storm. Early on Saturday morning a group of Dunipace supporters — committee, coaching staff, sponsors — gathered at the gates of their Westfield home and cleared fallen trees to ensure the East of Scotland Premier Division match went ahead.
![[Assistant manager Alan Moffat (right), a former Dunipace player, says the club is special to him]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/26/18/94535945-14327385-Assistant_manager_Alan_Moffat_right_a_former_Dunipace_player_say-m-3_1737916770287.jpg)
They are building something special at Dunipace and the effects of Storm Eowyn were blown away in a flurry of activity. The gates open out on to what is now a building site. The club have attracted almost £1million in funding from Falkirk Council and the SFA — and a new clubhouse, dressing rooms and stand are being built.
![[Honorary president Ian Duncan, match secretary for 38 years, now works at the turnstile]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/26/18/94535939-14327385-Honorary_president_Ian_Duncan_match_secretary_for_38_years_now_w-a-1_1737916741112.jpg)
About 400 players are involved in 27 teams: boys, men, girls, women and even those who just want to lose weight or improve their mental health. A club who can trace their history back to 1879 are now making huge strides after a period when they struggled to survive.
The management team have differing Saturdays. Danny Smith, manager, speaks to me from Cambodia where he is on a cruise. Dunipace are redeveloping their ground with the help of funding from Falkirk Council and the SFA. Assistant manager Alan Moffat (right), a former Dunipace player, says the club is special to him.
His assistant, Alan Moffat, strides across the artificial turf, his face flecked with sleet. Both are local men whose football journeys started and now thrive in Denny. Smith, 47, is Junior football royalty. In 13 years as a player at Linlithgow Rose, he won three Scottish Junior Cups, lifting 26 medals in all.
