WHAT was it Ant and Dec used to sing?
About being ready for something?
It’s set to be a season like no other for Dumbarton.
Where their schedule was filled with Third Division opposition only six years ago, now they have some of Scotland’s most established names.
It’s the league line-up you may have thought you’d never see only years ago. Rangers, Hearts, Hibernian…Dumbarton. And others.
So in the words of two famous men from Newcastle, let’s get ready to rumble. Big time.
Here’s the lowdown ahead of a season like no other.
ALLOA ATHLETIC
Finished last season: 8th
Manager: Barry Smith (in charge since February 2014)
Dumbarton’s record against them last season: Formidable. Of the five meetings between the sides, four in the league and one in the cup, Sons only failed to win one of the league matches, which was instead drawn 1-1. The last two league meetings ended in 5-1 (away) and 4-1 (home) victories, while the cup tie was won 1-0 at Recreation Park. The other two league games ended in a 2-1 win (away) and a 1-1 draw (home). If Dumbarton are to have another successful season, the Wasps must again be prey.
Results so far this season: Alloa are still in both cups after a 4-1 victory at Arbroath in the Petrofac Training Cup first round, which was followed by a 1-0 League Cup first round victory at home to Stirling Albion. They play the Binos again in the Petrofac Training Cup second round, while round two of the League Cup sees them travel to Hamilton.
Trivia: Sons have never lost at Alloa’s Recreation Park since the all-weather pitch was installed there. Of the seven matches they have played on the synthetic surface, they have won six and drawn one.
Key players: Greig Spence has returned to the club where his career began before his big-time move to Celtic, which ultimately didn’t work out. He has been joined in the striking ranks by experienced strikers Liam Buchanan and David Weatherston, while Kevin Cawley scored past Sons twice last season. John Gibson is expected to replace Dundee-bound Scott Bain in goal while ex-Dumbarton captain Ben Gordon is signed on again at the Wasps.
Analysis: Alloa should score more goals than they did last season, with the experience they have in their forward line. However, there will still be question marks over their ability to keep them out, with Bain having departed for Dundee. After last season’s dramatic finish, which saw the Wasps avoid the play-off on the last day, they’ll be glad to stay up again. They may need a play-off to do that, but having won the play-offs two minutes ago, they’d have no fears if it came to that.
Verdict: 9th.
COWDENBEATH
Finished last season: 9th (won play-offs)
Manager: Jimmy Nicholl (in charge since December 2013)
Dumbarton’s record against them last season: Started shakily with a 3-2 defeat at Central Park that should never have been. However, in the four remaining matches against them, including one Scottish Cup tie, Sons were unbeaten against the Blue Brazil and indeed have won the last three meetings. The best was saved for last, with a 5-1 demolition job at the Rock in March.
Results so far this season: Cowdenbeath failed where Dumbarton succeeded by losing to Brechin City in the first round of the Petrofac Training Challenge Cup. The tie at Central Park ended 1-1 after 90 minutes before Brechin won it in injury time. Cowden then left it late to beat Clyde 2-1 in Saturday’s League Cup first round tie. Their reward for winning that match is a trip to Falkirk in round two.
Trivia: Even allowing for the 10 goals conceded by Morton at Hamilton on the last day, Cowdenbeath had the Championship’s worst defensive record last season, conceding 72 goals.
Key players: It remains to be seen how well Cowdenbeath will replace Kane Hemmings, who has left the club for Barnsley, upfront. Sean Higgins and Craig Sutherland are the main men tasked with scoring goals upfront. Midfield duo Jon Robertson and Nat Wedderburn are expected to perform again in the centre while the highly-rated Thomas Flynn has been retained in goal.
Analysis: Losing Hemmings has been a major blow for Cowdenbeath and the new-look strikeforce is still very much an unknown quantity. Cowden showed real steel in the battle to stay up last season, when they beat Ayr United and then Dunfermline Athletic in the play-offs. However, barring some serious strengthening during what remains of the transfer window, it’s hard to see them not being up against it this season.
Verdict: 10th.
FALKIRK
Finished last season: 3rd (lost to Hamilton in play-offs)
Manager: Peter Houston (in charge since June 2014)
Dumbarton’s record against them last season: Unbeaten over the first three games, with a 1-1 draw at the Rock followed by 2-1 wins away and at home. A disappointing 2-0 defeat at the Falkirk Stadium – Dumbarton’s first-ever reverse there – finished the series.
Results so far this season: A 7-1 hammering of East Stirlingshire kicked off the season in the Petrofac Training Challenge Cup, with the Bairns set for a second round tie at Dunfermline. They are also still in the League Cup after a 3-1 first round victory at Montrose. They host Cowdenbeath in round two.
Trivia: Dumbarton’s 2-1 victory at Falkirk way back on Saturday, October 19 was the last time the Bairns lost a league fixture at home. Their only defeat in any competition on their own territory since was to Rangers in the Scottish Cup.
Key players: Rory Loy was the Championship’s top scorer last season and is set for another promising campaign with the club. He’s been joined on the books by experienced professionals like defender Alan Maybury and goalkeeper Jamie MacDonald, while the Bairns’ youth products like Blair Alston and Craig Sibbald continue to progress.
Analysis: Nine times out of ten, Falkirk’s squad would make them favourites for the title – unfortunately for them, this is the 10th occasion. Manager Houston, a Scottish Cup winner with Dundee United in 2010, has assembled a very promising side which should win far more than it loses. However, with more established top-flight opposition in the division, a play-off place is the target. Falkirk should be right in the running this season and may even have a chance to finish third if they can get the right results when it matters.
Verdict: 4th.
HEARTS
Finished last season: 12th in Premiership (relegated)
Manager: Robbie Neilson (in charge since June 2014 with Craig Levein director of football)
Last meeting with Dumbarton: Was in August 1994 in the League Cup second round at Boghead Park. Hearts were 4-0 winners on the night. John Millar and John Robertson had them 2-0 ahead at half time and a second half double by Allan Johnston completed the scoring as Premier Division Hearts proved too strong for Second Division Sons.
Results so far this season: Hearts’ only match so far was a 3-1 win at home to Annan Athletic in the Petrofac Training Cup first round. They will go to Livingston in round two. As a result of a bye through the League Cup first round, another away tie, against Stenhousemuir, awaits Hearts in round two.
Trivia: Despite all their difficulties last season, Hearts won four of the five Edinburgh derbies against city rivals Hibernian.
Key players: Hearts’ squad is full of players with extensive experience, including goalkeeper Neil Alexander and midfielder Morgaro Gomis, as well as defender Danny Wilson. However, there are also young players who have spent a year playing in last season’s top flight and are set to develop further this time. They include defenders Calum Paterson and Kevin McHattie, midfielder Jamie Walker and striker Sam Nicholson.
Analysis: Hearts, by all accounts, have had a highly impressive pre-season and their exit from administration will be a major boost to all at the club. Many people feel they have a decent chance of winning the league title and much will depend on the outcome of their four league fixtures against Rangers, and to a lesser extent the results of the Edinburgh derbies. Hearts should be in the thick of the title race this season but should the play-offs be their fate, they’d be favourites.
Verdict: 2nd.
HIBERNIAN
Finished last season: 11th (lost to Hamilton in play-off final)
Manager: Alan Stubbs (in charge since June 2014)
Last meeting with Dumbarton: In the 1988 Scottish Cup third round, the teams drew 0-0 at Boghead before Hibs were 3-0 winners at Easter Road in the replay. Neil Orr, Joe Tortolano and an own goal saw them through. The teams, of course, met in a friendly at the Rock last season which ended in a 1-1 draw.
Results so far this season: Hibs’ season started on Tuesday night with a 2-1 defeat at Rangers in the Petrofac Training Cup first round. They will host Dumbarton in the League Cup second round after being given a bye in round one.
Trivia: Hibs’ last season in the second tier of Scottish football, 1998/99, saw them lose just three games. The last one of those was a 2-0 reverse against Clydebank…which was played at Dumbarton’s home ground of Boghead Park.
Key players: Hibs’ squad is a young one, with up-and-coming prospects including striker Jason Cummings, who scored twice at Hamilton in the play-off final first leg, defender Callum Booth and midfielder Alex Harris. They have also signed some promising young Scottish players, like ex-Manchester United defender David Gray and former Dundee United midfielder Scott Allan. More experienced members of the squad, like midfielder Scott Robertson, will be crucial.
Analysis: At the halfway point of the play-off final, many would have thought that Hibernian had one foot in this season’s Premiership, leading Hamilton 2-0. They took it out of the league again by losing the second leg 2-0 at Easter Road, and then losing on penalties. With Terry Butcher dismissed as manager, Alan Stubbs has a rebuilding job on his hands and doesn’t have the experience available that Rangers and Hearts do. Hibs surely will be in the play-offs this season, but a tilt at the title is unlikely.
Verdict: 3rd.
LIVINGSTON
Finished last season: 6th
Manager: John McGlynn (in charge since September 2013)
Dumbarton’s record against them last season: Didn’t win either game at home (see below), losing 2-1 and drawing 2-2 on that famous night when a spectator ran the line for most of the second half after an injury to the referee. However, full points were taken at Almondvale, with Sons winning 3-1 in November and 2-1 on a dramatic afternoon in March.
Results so far this season: Two wins out of two so far for Livi, although they haven’t been achieved easily. A 4-3 victory at Queen of the South, coming back from 2-0 down, saw them through in the Petrofac Training Cup first round, earning them a second round tie at home to Hearts. They needed penalties to beat Albion Rovers on Saturday after a goalless draw in the League Cup first round at Cliftonhill. Their reward is a second round home tie against Queen of the South.
Trivia: It is nearly 20 years since Livingston last lost in Dumbarton – so long ago that they were known as Meadowbank Thistle. Their last defeat in the town was a 4-0 victory for Sons in February 1995. Of their last 10 away matches against Sons, Livi have won eight and drawn two.
Key players: Experienced midfielder David Robertson will be expected to have a more successful spell with Livi than he did with struggling Morton last season, while Jordan White was a regular goalscorer with Stirling Albion in League Two. The Jacobs brothers, Keaghan and Kyle, are again set to be a threatening presence for many defences.
Analysis: It is a changed squad at Livingston, with White expected to take over from Marc McNulty, who has joined Sheffield United, as the club’s main source of goals. Striker Andy Barrowman has also left Livi for Morton. McGlynn’s experience as a manager should stand Livingston in decent stead for the campaign to come but they are unlikely to trouble the top four.
Verdict: 7th.
QUEEN OF THE SOUTH
Finished last season: 4th (lost to Falkirk in play-offs)
Manager: Jim McIntyre (in charge since June 2013)
Dumbarton’s record against them last season: The difference between fourth and fifth places. After Sons won the first meeting 2-1 at Palmerston, Queens won all three of the other clashes, including a 3-0 win at the Rock in April on what was judgement day for Dumbarton’s promotion chances. Before that, the Dumfries men were also 1-0 winners at Dumbarton in December and saw off Sons 3-1 at home in March.
Results so far this season: Queens were eliminated from the Petrofac Training Cup in the first round after leading 2-0 – sound familiar? They were beaten 4-3 at home by Livingston. They had better fortunes in the League Cup first round, winning 5-0 at home to Elgin City. They get the chance to exact revenge on Livi with a second round tie at Almondvale.
Trivia: Queens are another team who haven’t done much wrong in Dumbarton. They’re unbeaten in G82 since February 1992 – a spell taking in seven matches, the last five of which Queens have won.
Key players: Iain Russell is set for another four rounds of the fixture he seems to love – playing against Dumbarton, against whom he so regularly scores. He’ll be re-joined upfront by Gavin Reilly, a product of Queens’ youth system, while John Baird, last year’s Challenge Cup-winning goalscorer for Raith Rovers, has joined the ranks. Queens also have a strong and physical midfield and defence, containing the likes of Mark Kerr and Steve McKenna in midfield while Mark Durnan and Andy Dowie help keep goals out.
Analysis: As much as it hurt Dumbarton to lose to Queens in what was billed as the fourth place decider, the Dumfries men were always likely to challenge. They are a good all-round side and with many of last season’s squad retained, should do well again. They would gladly take another fourth-placed finish but in a tougher division, it will be a big ask. Another promising season ahead but it just might not be enough.
Verdict: 5th.
RAITH ROVERS
Finished last season: 7th
Manager: Grant Murray (in charge since July 2012)
Dumbarton’s record against them last season: Started off with consecutive defeats, 4-2 at home followed by 2-1 away. However, fortunes improved in the New Year, with a 3-3 draw at the Rock followed by a 3-1 win in Kirkcaldy the week after Raith won the Challenge Cup.
Results so far this season: Raith needed extra time to beat Forfar in Saturday’s League Cup first round tie, eventually seeing the Loons off 4-2. They will visit Dundee in round two. Their Petrofac Training Cup defence ended at the first hurdle on Tuesday night as they lost 1-0 at Dunfermline.
Trivia: This season marks 20 years since Raith Rovers won the League Cup, beating Celtic on penalties after a 2-2 draw.
Key players: Mark Stewart and Christian Nade have been two high-profile signings upfront and will be expected to be among the goals. Rovers’ midfield has also been added to by the creativity of Martin Scott and Ryan Conroy, while keeper Kevin Cuthbert was a reliable presence in goal for Hamilton Accies as they won promotion last season.
Analysis: Going by the sounds coming from Kirkcaldy so far, it is hard to credit that Raith were Challenge Cup winners only four months ago. Concerns are being expressed by Raith fans about the strength of the squad and the prospects for the coming season. The players are there to suggest that Raith could be banana-skin opposition for the title chasers, especially with Conroy and Nade moving from Dundee. However, it could be a tough season which sees them at the wrong end of the table.
Verdict: 8th.
RANGERS
Finished last season: 1st in League One (promoted)
Manager: Ally McCoist (in charge since May 2011)
Last meeting with Dumbarton: Was in the Scottish Cup third round in January 1994. Rangers were 4-1 winners at Ibrox, with a Martin Mooney penalty registering a consolation for Sons. Mark Hateley, Trevor Steven, David Robertson and Gordon Durie did the damage for the home side.
Results so far this season: Rangers kicked off their season on Tuesday night by beating Hibernian 2-1 at Ibrox in the Petrofac Training Cup first round. They will be at home to Clyde in round two in a fixture which will see Bully Wee manager Barry Ferguson return to the ground where he had his most famous playing days. Rangers have still to play their League Cup first round tie, away to Queen’s Park, where a home game against Inverness CT awaits the winners.
Trivia: Rangers’ last two league defeats have involved five ex-Dumbarton personnel. Jim Chapman managed Annan Athletic to a 2-1 win at Ibrox in March 2013 while Martin McNiff, Iain Chisholm and Scott Chaplain all played. The following month, Andy Rodgers was on the Peterhead side which won by the same scoreline at Ibrox. Also on the Peterhead side was Ross Smith, who was later on trial with Sons but was not offered a deal.
Key players: A few years ago you may never have expected to see Kenny Miller and Kris Boyd pairing up in Scottish football’s second tier – but the former Scotland strikers are doing just that for Rangers. Fellow internationals Lee Wallace, Lee McCulloch and Ian Black are other key parts of the squad.
Analysis: Since being placed in the bottom division in 2012, Rangers have eased their way through the Third Division (now League Two) and then League One last season. This time they are up against tougher opposition, including many full-time teams and Hearts are thought by some to be a threat to their title ambitions. Rangers won’t have it all their own way over the campaign, but if they can get the results against their main rivals, it should see them to a third consecutive championship.
Verdict: 1st.
DUMBARTON
Finished last season: 5th
Manager: Ian Murray
Results so far this season: A disappointing 3-2 loss to Stranraer in the Petrofac Training Cup first round, after leading 2-0, was followed on Saturday by a nervous 1-0 win at Brechin City in the League Cup first round. Manager Murray has a bonus trip to his former home ground of Hibernian’s Easter Road in round two as a result.
Trivia: Similarly to Raith Rovers, Dumbarton are marking a very special 20-year anniversary this year – when they won promotion to the First Division at Stirling in that unforgettable last day decider. Read all about that season in Sons View, the club’s matchday magazine.
Key players: There’s no such thing as a player at Dumbarton who isn’t key. Every single one, from the experienced David Van Zanten and Lee Mair to the exciting Archie Campbell and Mitch Megginson, will muck in to ensure aspirations are met.
Analysis: Last season’s Dumbarton side was felt by many to be the best for a generation. If Sons manage to match, or better, last season’s fifth-placed finish, it’s difficult to imagine just how high praise will go this time around. The retention of Murray as manager on a new two-year deal in May was a crucial piece of business – but this season is set to be a test for him, not just in terms of the league, but in terms of personnel, with Guillaume Beuzelin replacing Jack Ross as assistant. There will be highs and lows, perhaps some matches off any scale set before – and if Sons live up to their potential, it should end with another satisfactory conclusion. Are you ready?
Verdict: 6th.
The Dumbarton Terrace 