All at the Trust were saddened to hear on Tuesday of the passing of former Chairman David Kilpatrick, one of the true greats in the history of this Football Club.
The first real time I came across “Killie” was at the end of the 1990-91 season. Up until that time, he was just a name in the programme as far as I was concerned. Dale were due to play Burnley in the final home game of the season, and after several seasons in the doldrums, the Clarets were suddenly on fire and pushing towards promotion from what was then Division Four.
With the club always in need of every penny and seemingly nothing to play for, a decision had been taken to give Burnley three sides of the ground including the Sandy Lane terrace to accommodate the travelling Burnley hordes. This had not gone down well with Dale supporters whatsoever and there were numerous protests, including notable pitch invasions at the decision. The preceding game saw a “sit in” at the final whistle, with fans refusing to leave the Sandy.
A good ten to fifteen minutes after the final whistle, this tall figure walked from the Main Stand over to those fans sat behind the goal. Any other Club, you’d have police and stewards sorting it out with fans removed from their position, but Kilpatrick walked over, and the place went quiet as he spoke, such was the respect for him. He listened to the fans, the fans listened to him, and a few days later the Sandy was returned to Dale supporters.
This was typical of the man who always had an ear for the supporters. In the early 2000’s, the appointment of Paul Simpson as manager had not gone down well as form plummeted in the season following our appearance in the Play Offs. Another home defeat proved to be too much, and following the final whistle, the Main Lounge at Spotland was stormed by a number of supporters angry and concerned by the on field form.
Again, 95% of Chairman at this point would have been shepherded out the back entrance to an awaiting taxi, but not Killie. He entered the Main Lounge at Spotland and took a selection of the protesters into the Boardroom and a discussion was had between both parties.
He was noted for his dry sense of humour and his quips at Fans Forums were legendary. Many a time, a room of wound up supporters would be put at ease by some of his one liners, and his double act with Graham Morris.
That humour was noted too when walking into “Boots and Laces” as 1500 Dale supporters descended on Torquay searching for the first promotion since the Moon Landings. As he sneaked in through the back door, the smile on his face said it all as chants of “Where were you when we were shit?” echoed round the bar to greet him.
Following his retirement as Chairman, he was still seen to be a major figure around the Club, and his influence was there for all to see. Whilst his humour was well known, he clearly would take no prisoners when it came to the best interests of the Club, and just a couple of years ago, he gave the Board of Directors an absolute grilling at an AGM, as he lambasted the Club for the deal secured to regain the ground with all Directors stood as if they were facing a firing squad.
He even played a huge role in the formation of the Trust. Both myself and Warren Brierley were summoned upstairs after one game. Expecting to be told off for something, he announced that he had heard of these Supporters Trusts that were being formed at Football Clubs across the land, and he felt that we should have one at Rochdale. 17 years later, we’re still here.
There will never be enough tributes that can be paid to David Kilpatrick. Whilst the Promotion campaigns and trips to Wembley may have followed his time, there is no doubt that as one half of the infamous Overcoat Men that the groundwork was put in under Kilpatrick and Morris.
When they came to the Club in 1988 following the Cannon debacle, the Club was on its knees. The best thing you could say about the ground was that you could go to the toilet during the game and not miss a second of action if you went on your tiptoes. Crowds of 2,000 were seen as being a bumper attendance. Relegation had recently been brought in, and whilst the celebrations against Stockport the preceding season still brought cheer to Dale supporters, it was always felt that Dale as one of the smallest clubs in the Football League would eventually fall foul of that Non-League trapdoor within a year or two. As one other Chairman said at the time – relegation was brought in for the likes of Rochdale.
Not only were we saved, the club was fixed and flourished during the Kilpatrick & Morris era and it was that hard work that led us to every bit of success that we have enjoyed in the past 15 years or so. And the Summer of 2021 brought one final encore as they more than played their part in the changes at the Club.
David Kilpatrick is very much deserving of his place in the history of this Football Club. He’s up there with the best of them.