Dougie Sharpe (1926–1974) was a Scottish

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who played for Queen of the South from the town of Dumfries.Dougie Sharpe profile on "Queens legends" on the official Queen of the South FC website
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Early years

Dougie Sharpe was a native of

New Abbey New Abbey ( gd, An Abaid Ùr) is a village in the historical county of Kirkcudbrightshire in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It is south of Dumfries. The summit of the prominent hill Criffel is to the south. History The village has a wealt ...

. He played for St Michael's Primary School team in Dumfries and then

Dumfries Academy Dumfries ( ; sco, Dumfries; from gd, Dùn Phris ) is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is located near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth about by road from the ...

before joining local amateur side Greystone Rovers. In the last football season before

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

Sharpe joined Queen of the South on amateur forms. However the war meant his football career was put on hold as he joined the

RAF The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

serving in

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

Queen of the South

Sharpe re-joined Queens in 1946 after World War Two ended on professional forms. Sharpe was one of the finest full backs to have played for the football club. Sharpe always played with great passion and gave 100%. He debuted at left half but was soon switched to the position that he is always remembered for at right full back. When Dougie Sharpe arrived at Queens, already at the club was Scotland cap

Billy Houliston William Houliston (4 April 1921 – 10 February 1999) was a Scottish footballer who played for Crichton, Queen of the South, Berwick Rangers, Third Lanark and the Scotland national team. Early years Houliston was born in Maxwelltown, at West ...

, who joined Queens in 1945. Goalkeeper Roy Henderson joined the same year as Sharpe in 1946. In 1949 Jim Patterson joined the football club. Patterson would go on to score 251 goals in 14 seasons and become Queen of the South's record goalscorer. Fellow left full back

Jimmy Binning James Binning (21 December 1922 – 1991) was a Scottish footballer who played for Arbroath and Dumfries side Queen of the South. Career From the season 1948–1949 until his departure, Binning scored six goals in his 84 league games for Arbro ...

joined in 1951 and goal scoring winger Bobby Black joined in 1952. At different levels all six would be selected to represent Scotland except Henderson who was selected six times as reserve goalkeeper. Dougie Sharpe's time at Queens includes: * Queens points of note in the late 1940s * The 1950 Scottish Cup semi final and other creditable Scottish Cup runs * The 1950s and Queens best era This was under the management of

Jimmy McKinnell Junior James McKinnell Jr. (1902 – 1995) was long-time secretary and manager with Scottish Football League club Queen of the South from Dumfries.

. Dougie Sharpe's fine performances were recognised with a call up in February 1952 to represent Scotland versus The Army in Newcastle. Fate intervened when Sharpe was unable to play having suffered concussion against Hearts the week before. However his time would come the following autumn in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

when he played versus the Irish League. Sharpe was with Queen of the South for twenty years and made 431 appearances for the club. Sharpe is 5th highest in the club's record appearances list behind

Allan Ball Allan Ball (26 February 1943 – 21 July 2018) was an English footballer. Born in Hetton-le-Hole in County Durham, Ball played as a goalkeeper, spending most of his professional career with Scottish club Queen of the South in Dumfries. Ball ...

Iain McChesney Iain McChesney is a former professional association footballer with Scottish Football League club Queen of the South from Dumfries. McChesney is the longest serving player in the club's history, playing with them from 1960 to 1981. McChesney ...

, Jim Patterson and Jackie Oakes.

Later years and death

At the age of 48, Sharpe died in 1974.

External links

Dougie Sharpe full career profile on the official Queen of the South website

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sharpe, Dougie 1926 births 1974 deaths Footballers from Dumfries and Galloway Scottish Football League players Scottish footballers Queen of the South F.C. players People educated at Dumfries Academy Royal Air Force airmen Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Association footballers not categorized by position