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The 2024–25 season is Dumbarton Football Club's first back in Scottish League One, the third tier of Scottish football, having won the Scottish League Two promotion play-offs the previous season.[1] Dumbarton are also competing in the Scottish Cup, the Scottish League Cup, and the Challenge Cup.
| 2024–25 season | |
|---|---|
| Chairman | Dr Neil MacKay |
| Manager | Stevie Farrell |
| Stadium | Dumbarton Football Stadium |
| League One | 10th |
| League Cup | Group stage |
| Challenge Cup | Third round |
| Top goalscorer | League: Mark Durnan Michael Ruth (3 each) All: James Hilton Michael Ruth (4 each) |
May
Following promotion to Scottish League One the club's first friendly was announced on May 21, with Sons facing Hebburn Town on July 6.[2] On June 23 forward Marc Kelly, midfielder Luca Vata and goalkeeper Harry Broun were released. With new deals offered to Finlay Gray, Michael Ruth, Aron Lynas and Kalvin Orsi.[3] On May 29, forward Michael Ruth who had scored 15 times the previous season, signed a new season long deal with the club.[4] However midfielders Blair Malcolm and Callum Wilson both departed the club.[5] The same day the Sons were drawn to face East Kilbride, Airdrieonians, Aberdeen and Queen of the South in the Scottish League Cup.[6] On May 31 defender Matthew Shiels became the club's first signing of the summer, returning to the club for a third spell from Cove Rangers.[7][8]
June
Sons made a double signing on June 1 with Cameron Clark joining from Stirling Albion and Michael Miller from Broomhill.[9] Midfielder Finlay Gray[10] and winger Kalvin Orsi also agreed new season-long deals.[11] On June 7, winger Craig McGuffie became the club's fourth new addition - joining from Queen of the South.[12] The same day, winger Ross MacLean left the club - joining Forfar Athletic for an undisclosed fee[13] - but goalkeeper Patrick O'Neil signed a new season long deal.[14] On June 8 defender Aron Lynas extended his stay - signing a season long deal to take him into a third campaign with the club.[15] A third friendly of pre-season was arranged for July 2, with Sons travelling to Ayrshire to face Glenafton Athletic.[16] Mouhamed Niang was the club's next new addition, joining on a year long deal from Cove Rangers on June 19.[17][18] On June 26 defender Sean Crighton left the club to become the new head coach of Queen's Park's B team.[19] Sons' first pre-season friendly ended in a 3–2 defeat to 2023–24 League One champions Falkirk - with Jinky Hilton scoring both goals.[20]
July
Sons' second friendly match finished in a 4–0 victory against Glenafton Athletic. Carlo Pignatiello scored a brace with Jinky Hilton and a trialist striker also on target, with all the goals coming before half-time.[21] The pre-season campaign was rounded off with another big away win, this time 6–1 against Hebburn Town in Newcastle. Again Pignatiello and the trialist striker got on the scoresheet, with David Wilson, Finlay Gray and Michael Ruth's brace completing the scoring.[22] On July 9 the Dumbarton Football Stadium was renamed The Marbill Coaches Stadium in a new sponsorship deal.[23] The first competitive game of the season finished in a 1–1 draw with East Kilbride. Kalvin Orsi getting Sons' goal, with Kilby claiming the bonus point after a 4-2 penalty shootout win. The second game in the group finished in a 2–0 defeat to Queen of the South at Palmerston Park.[24] A second defeat followed, 4–3 against Airdrieonians, in a game where Sons were 3–1 up after an hour. Finlay Gray opened the scoring, with Jinky Hilton netting a double.[25] On July 25 Swedish striker Joel Mumbongo became the Sons' sixth new signing of the summer, joining on a season long deal having left Hamilton Academical.[26] He made his debut on July 27 as the Sons' League Cup campaign ended with a 6–0 defeat to Aberdeen - with the Dons scoring all six goals in the second-half.
August
The first league game of the new season ended in a 1–1 draw with newly relegated Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the Highlands, with Carlo Pignatiello on target and Mouhamed Niang sent-off for two bookings.[27] For the second season in a row Sons started with two draws, with the first home game of the campaign ending 3–3 with Alloa Athletic. Michael Ruth netted a double, with Jinky Hilton also on target. Whilst ex-Sons Kevin Cawley and Scott Taggart both scored for the Wasps.[28] A first win of the competitive season arrived in the Scottish Challenge Cup, 4–0 against Berwick Rangers with Craig McGuffie scoring a brace. Youth graduates Panos Grivas and Jacob Shields both made their senior debuts in the match. A third straight draw in the league followed on August 17, with Mark Durnan scoring his first goal for the club in injury time to draw with Cove Rangers.[29] A fourth draw came the next week, as Sons struck twice in the final 17 minutes - and missed a penalty - in a 2–2 tie with Arbroath. Michael Ruth and Matthew Shiels got the goals. The month ended with another comeback 2–2 draw, with Mark Durnan netting twice in a tie with Kelty Hearts.
September
September began with a 1–0 defeat to Peterhead in the Scottish Challenge Cup. On September 11 defender Ethan Brown joined on loan from Kilmarnock initially on a deal until January.[30] A sixth straight draw in the league followed on September 14, with Paul McGowan levelling in stoppage time for Annan Athletic. During the game 16-year-old goalkeeper Luke Smallwood made his debut for the club with Brett Long sent-off after 18 minutes.[31] An appeal against the red card with successful[32] with Long able to play the next game as Sons suffered their first defeat of the campaign, 1–0 to Montrose, in a match they dominated - with the away side's goal their only shot, on or off target, of the match.[33] The month ended with a 2–0 defeat to Queen of the South at Palmerston Park - with skipper Mark Durnan sent off.[34]
October
A third straight defeat followed against Stenhousemuir on October 5, leaving the Sons winless after the third quarter. Carlo Pignatiello got the Sons' goal, with Cameron Clark becoming the fourth Dumbarton player sent-off during the season.[35] The Sons finally secured their first win of the campaign on October 19, defeating Arbroath 3-1 at Gayfield Park. Thomas O'Brien put the hosts in front, but that was cancelled out by strikes from Carlo Pignatiello, Ethan Brown and Finlay Gray.[36] Three days later the Sons moved off the foot of the table after Inverness Caledonian Thistle were deducted 15 points after entering administration, leaving them 12 points adrift of Dumbarton in League One.[37] Sons extended that gap to 15 points with victory at home to The Caley Jags on October 26, thanks to a double from Jinky Hilton and first of the season for Ryan Blair.[38]
November
The first game of November ended in a 3-0 defeat to Cove Rangers at the Dumbarton Football Stadium. Sons dominated the first-half, but couldn't find the net, with the away side taking the lead early in the second period through a Mark Durnan own goal - which was added to by strikes from Mitch Megginson and Adam Emslie.[39] Another defeat without scoring followed, this time 2-0 against Kelty Hearts. The Sons returned to winning ways on November 16, with a 2-1 success against Queen of the South. Michael Ruth ended a 10 game goal drought with the opener, and Tony Wallace won the game with a stoppage time penalty.
On 19th November, the club entered administration and received a 15 point deduction, placing them last in the table.[40][41] Two days later, Police Scotland said that they were investigating suspected fraud at the club.[42] A fundraiser launched by the Sons Supporters Trust raised more than £75,000 towards wages and running costs within just a few days.[43] On November 23 the club's planned game with Alloa Athletic fell victim to the weather.
- From end of 2024–25 season, to last match of season 2024–25
In
| Player | From | League | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matthew Shiels | Cove Rangers | Scottish League One | Free |
| Cameron Clark | Stirling Albion | Scottish League One | Free |
| Michael Miller | Broomhill | Lowland Football League | Free |
| Craig McGuffie | Queen of the South | Scottish League One | Free |
| Mouhamed Niang | Cove Rangers | Scottish League One | Free |
| Joel Mumbongo | Hamilton Academical | Scottish Championship | Free |
| Ethan Brown | Kilmarnock | Scottish Premiership | Loan |
Out
| Player | To | League | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marc Kelly | St Cadoc's | West of Scotland Football League | Free |
| Harry Broun | Stranraer | Scottish League Two | Free |
| Luca Vata | Civil Service Strollers | Lowland Football League | Free |
| Blair Malcolm | Forfar Athletic | Scottish League Two | Free |
| Callum Wilson | Cumbernauld Colts | Lowland Football League | Free |
| Ross MacLean | Forfar Athletic | Scottish League Two | Undisclosed |
| Sean Crighton | Retired | N/A | N/A |
Win Draw Loss Upcoming fixture
Friendlies
| 29 June 2024 | Dumbarton | 2–3 | Falkirk | Dumbarton Football Stadium |
| 14:00 | Jinky Hilton  5' 9' |
Report | Calvin Miller 36', Aidan Nesbitt 66', Jordan Allan 70' |
Attendance: 532 |
| 2 July 2024 | Glenafton Athletic | 0–4 | Dumbarton | Loch Park |
| 19:45 | Trialist 22', Carlo Pignatiello 29' 36', Jinky Hilton 38' |
Attendance: 200 |
| 6 July 2024 | Hebburn Town | 1–6 | Dumbarton | Hebburn Sports & Social Ground |
| 15:00 | Amar Purewal 42' |
Carlo Pignatiello 25', Trialist 31', David Wilson 61', Michael Ruth 65' 84', Finlay Gray 86' |
Scottish League One
| 3 August 2024 1 | Inverness Caledonian Thistle | 1–1 | Dumbarton | Caledonian Stadium |
| 15:00 | Danny Devine 44' |
Report | Carlo Pignatiello 59' Mouhamed Niang  55'  80' |
Attendance: 1,439 Referee: Dan McFarlane |
| 10 August 2024 2 | Dumbarton | 3–3 | Alloa Athletic | Dumbarton Football Stadium |
| 15:00 | Michael Ruth 5' 76', Jinky Hilton 65' |
Report | Luke Donnelly 10', Kevin Cawley 27', Scott Taggart 84' |
Attendance: 505 Referee: Ross Hardie |
| 17 August 2024 3 | Cove Rangers | 1–1 | Dumbarton | Balmoral Stadium |
| 15:00 | Adam Emslie 64' |
Report | Mark Durnan 90+1' |
Referee: Colin Whyte |
| 24 August 2024 4 | Dumbarton | 2–2 | Arbroath | Dumbarton Football Stadium |
| 15:00 | Michael Ruth 74', Matthew Shiels 79' |
Report | Scott Stewart 5', Ryan Dow 50' |
Attendance: 688 Referee: Greg Soutar Man of the Match: Matthew Shiels |
| 31 August 2024 5 | Dumbarton | 2–2 | Kelty Hearts | Dumbarton Football Stadium |
| 15:00 | Mark Durnan 43' 89' |
Report | Luke McCarvel 10', Craig Johnston 59' |
Attendance: 471 Referee: Dan McFarlane Man of the Match: Mark Durnan |
| 14 September 2024 6 | Annan Athletic | 1–1 | Dumbarton | Galabank Stadium |
| 15:00 | Jinky Hilton 9', Brett Long  18' |
Report | Paul McGowan 90+2' |
Attendance: 375 Referee: Sean Murdoch |
| 21 September 2024 7 | Dumbarton | 0–1 | Montrose | Dumbarton Football Stadium |
| 15:00 | Report | Kane Hester 6' |
Attendance: 626 Referee: Graham Grainger |
| 28 September 2024 8 | Queen of the South | 2–0 | Dumbarton | Palmerston Park |
| 15:00 | Lewis O'Donnell 14', Mikey Hewitt 50' |
Report | Mark Durnan 70' |
Referee: Gary Hanvidge |
| 5 October 2024 9 | Dumbarton | 1–3 | Stenhousemuir | Dumbarton Football Stadium |
| 15:00 | Carlo Pignatiello 42' Cammy Clark 70' |
Report | Blair Alston 11' (pen.), Matthew Aitken 35' 80' |
Attendance: 620 Referee: Steven Maclean |
| 19 October 2024 10 | Arbroath | 1–3 | Dumbarton | Gayfield Park |
| 15:00 | Thomas O'Brien 11' |
Report | Carlo Pignatiello 19', Ethan Brown 47', Finlay Gray 90' |
Attendance: 1,159 Referee: Greg Soutar |
| 26 October 2024 11 | Dumbarton | 3–1 | Inverness Caledonian Thistle | Dumbarton Football Stadium |
| 15:00 | Jinky Hilton 14' 72', Ryan Blair 63' |
Report | Jake Davidson 28' |
Attendance: 872 Referee: Graham Grainger Man of the Match: Jinky Hilton |
| 2 November 2024 12 | Dumbarton | 0–3 | Cove Rangers | Dumbarton Football Stadium |
| 15:00 | Report | OG 50', Mitch Megginson 55', Adam Emslie 89' |
Attendance: 568 Referee: George Calder |
| 9 November 2024 13 | Kelty Hearts | 2–0 | Dumbarton | New Central Park |
| 15:00 | Ross Cunningham 51', Scott Williamson 65' |
Report | Attendance: 507 Referee: Alex Shepherd |
| 16 November 2024 14 | Dumbarton | 2–1 | Queen of the South | Dumbarton Football Stadium |
| 15:00 | Michael Ruth 73', Tony Wallace 90+5' (pen.) |
Report | Kyle Doherty 83' |
Attendance: 708 Referee: Steven Kirkland |
| 7 December 2024 15 | Stenhousemuir | v | Dumbarton | Ochilview Park |
| 15:00 |
| TBC TBC | Alloa Athletic | v | Dumbarton | Recreation Park, Alloa |
| 19:45 |
Scottish Cup
| 29 November 2024 Third round | Dumbarton | v | Alloa Athletic | Dumbarton Football Stadium |
| 19:45 |
Scottish League Cup
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | PW | PL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | ABE | AIR | QOS | EKB | DUM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aberdeen | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 1 | +14 | 12 | Qualification for the second round | — | 2–1 | — | — | 6–0 | |
| 2 | Airdrieonians | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 5 | +10 | 9 | — | — | 2–0 | 8–0 | — | ||
| 3 | Queen of the South | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 6 | −1 | 6 | 0–3 | — | — | — | 2–0 | ||
| 4 | East Kilbride | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 16 | −14 | 2 | 0–4 | — | 1–3 | — | — | ||
| 5 | Dumbarton | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 13 | −9 | 1 | — | 3–4 | — | 1–1p | — |
Source: [44]
Rules for classification: 1) goal difference, 2) goals scored, 3) away goals scored, 4) matches won, 5) away matches won, 6) drawing of lots.[45]
Rules for classification: 1) goal difference, 2) goals scored, 3) away goals scored, 4) matches won, 5) away matches won, 6) drawing of lots.[45]
Matches
| 13 July 2024 Group stage | Dumbarton | 1–1 (2–4 p) | East Kilbride | Dumbarton Football Stadium |
| 15:00 | Kalvin Orsi 16' |
Report | OG 7' |
Attendance: 370 Referee: Joel Kennedy |
| 16 July 2024 Group stage | Queen of the South | 2–0 | Dumbarton | Palmerston Park |
| 19:45 | Leighton McIntosh 7', Kieran McKechnie 57' |
Report | Referee: Stuart Luke |
| 20 July 2024 Group stage | Dumbarton | 3–4 | Airdrieonians | Dumbarton Football Stadium |
| 15:00 | Finlay Gray 27', Jinky Hilton 47' 51' (pen.) |
Report | Lewis McGrattan 33', Rhys Armstrong 67', Terrell Agyemang 85', Ben Wilson 88' |
Attendance: 659 Referee: Lloyd Wilson |
| 27 July 2024 Group stage | Aberdeen | 6–0 | Dumbarton | Pittodrie Stadium |
| 15:00 | Jack MacKenzie 46' Ester Sokler 48', 61'Peter Ambrose 84'James McGarry 86'Slobodan Rubežić 90+2' |
Report | Attendance: 8,450 Referee: Craig Napier |
Scottish Challenge Cup
| 13 August 2024 Second round | Dumbarton | 4–0 | Berwick Rangers | Dumbarton Football Stadium |
| 20:00 | Craig McGuffie 7' 31', Michael Ruth 23', David Wilson 37' |
Report | Attendance: 240 Referee: Gary Hanvidge |
| 7 September 2024 Third round | Peterhead | 1–0 | Dumbarton | Balmoor Stadium |
| 15:00 | Max Barry 66' |
Report | Attendance: 586 Referee: Stewart Luke |
- As of 20:35, 16 November 2024 (UTC)
All competitions
| # | Position | Player | Starts | Subs | Unused subs | Goals | Red cards | Yellow cards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | MF |  Ryan Blair | 9 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 4 | DF |  Ethan Brown | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 24 | DF | Cammy Clark | 10 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| 5 | DF | Mark Durnan | 16 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| 17 | MF | James Hilton | 15 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 3 |
| 10 | MF | Finlay Gray | 14 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 16 | FW |  Panagiotis Grivas | 0 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 | GK |  Brett Long | 17 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2 | DF | Aron Lynas | 6 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | MF | Craig McGuffie | 13 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | MF | Michael Miller | 17 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 18 | FW |  Joel Mumbongo | 1 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 20 | MF |  Mouhamed Niang | 17 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 19 | GK | Paddy O'Neil | 3 | 1 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | MF | Kalvin Orsi | 11 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 12 | DF | Carlo Pignatiello | 17 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 23 | FW | Michael Ruth | 17 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| 14 | FW | Jacob Shields | 0 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | GK | Luke Smallwood | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | DF | Matthew Shiels | 15 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | MF | Tony Wallace | 6 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| 8 | MF | David Wilson | 8 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 3 | DF | Greig Young | 2 | 2 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Captains
| No. | P | Name | Country | No. games | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | DF | Mark Durnan | |
15 | Club captain |
| 11 | MF | Tony Wallace | |
2 | Vice-captain |
| 31 | DF | Michael Miller | |
1 | Game versus East Kilbride on July 13 when Mark Durnan was suspended and Tony Wallace was a substitute. |
| 2 | DF | Aron Lynas | |
1 | Game versus Stenhousemuir on October 5 when Mark Durnan was suspended and Tony Wallace was injured. |
Last updated: As of match played 23:53, 9 November 2024(UTC)
Source: Competitive match reports.
Competitive matches only
Matches started as captain only
Country: FIFA nationality; No.: Squad number; P: Position; Name: Player name; No. Games: Number of games started as captain.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Montrose | 15 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 14 | 12 | +2 | 20 | |
| 7 | Queen of the South | 14 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 12 | 15 | −3 | 18 | |
| 8 | Annan Athletic | 15 | 4 | 2 | 9 | 10 | 26 | −16 | 14 | |
| 9 | Inverness Caledonian Thistle | 14 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 4[a] | Qualification for the League One play-offs |
| 10 | Dumbarton | 14 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 19 | 24 | −5 | 0[b] | Relegation to League Two |
Updated to match(es) played on 23 November 2024. Source: [48]
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-to head points; 5) Head-to-head goal difference; 6) Play-off (only for deciding promotion, play-off participation and relegation).[49]
Notes:
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-to head points; 5) Head-to-head goal difference; 6) Play-off (only for deciding promotion, play-off participation and relegation).[49]
Notes:
- Inverness Caledonian Thistle were deducted 15 points for entering administration.[46]
- Dumbarton were deducted 15 points for entering administration.[47]
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