Dumbarton Football Club is a football club from Scotland. They come from the town of Dumbarton in West Dunbartonshire and play their home games at the Strathclyde Homes Stadium, next to Dumbarton Castle.

The club were one of the strongest of the nineteenth century, winning the Scottish Football League in the first two seasons of the competition. Since then the club have spent the majority of their history outside the top flight, and last played at the top level in 1985.

History

1872-1899

In 1872, a group of young men met on a wet Sunday afternoon in Dumbarton. This meeting does not appear in the history book but was of immense importance to the people of Dunbartonshire and to sport. For this group of men were founding a football club after seeing their first ever match on the Saturday when Vale of Leven traveled to the Old Recreation Ground at Crosshill, Glasgow to be beaten 3-0 by Queens Park.

These men were forging a team that was to carry the name of Dumbarton to wherever football was played or talked about.

In 1873 the Club became members of the newly formed S.F.A. By 1879 Dumbarton were in their home ground of Boghead Park and staring a run of victories that chalked up an astonishing record of not losing a home game for five years. They won the Scottish Cup in 1882/3 and five times were beaten finalists. As reigning Scottish Cup holders, they met the FA Cup winners, Blackburn Olympic, and thrashed them 6-1 to be hailed as champions of Great Britain.

Through the years, with the development of the S.F.A. and the Scottish League, it has become relatively straightforward to identify a football club with a particular 'Home' ground due to the imposed requirements. This was not always the case.

As members of the S.F.A., clubs were required to have permanent pitches. This requirement did not however cover the area outside the playing area and matches could be played under their auspices provided the pitch markings met with the requirements. It was only as crowds increased and fixtures were replayed due to spectator encroachment that the home club became responsible for spectator control and had to 'rope off the playing pitch. Then clubs with serious intentions began to look for a permanent home.

In the early years all clubs moved venue on a regular basis due to the availability of pitches. Football was totally amateur and relatively disorganised and club committees showed little forethought by seeking permanent accommodation, often living game by game. With little income, clubs could not afford to enter long term commitments for the lease of land. Dumbarton Football Club were one of the first to enter into a lease, securing Boghead Park on such an arrangement in 1879. After 121 years, the club had the longest occupancy of a ground in British senior football.

Match reports were vague regarding exact venues. For a fixture between Vale of Leven and Dumbarton the venue was listed as 'a field near Alexandria'. Indeed, the first fixture at Boghead Park was played 'in a field on Boghead Road, half a mile from the town. With such vagueness, it would be foolhardy to suggest the venues used by Dumbarton can all be identified.

Prior to Boghead, it is certain Dumbarton used a number of venues as a home, some only being used in isolated instances. In 1873, fixtures were played at Meadow Park, Broadmeadow, a site now replaced by an industrial estate. From there they moved to Ropework Lane although the dates are unknown. Early in 1875 it is recorded that Alclutha , another town club, were sharing Dumbarton's ground at Ropework Lane but it is unknown how long they had been there. In September of that year, Dumbarton moved to Broomfauld Park, moving again to Lowman's Park, Glasgow Road for season 1876/7 and then to Private Park Townend the following season before setting up base at Boghead in 1879.. It is known Dumbarton played the occasional fixture at Meadow Park, home of Dumbarton Athletic, and in February 1881, a friendly against Rangers was played at Levengrove, the ground of Lennox Amateurs, as the playing surface was much better than Boghead!

In 1884 the Dunbartonshire Football Association was formed and the Dunbartonshire Cup was contested annually thereafter. In its 50 year existence, Dumbarton were the dominant force, winning the trophy on no fewer than 23 times, including the first and last contests.

The Scottish League was formed in 1890 and the very first championship was shared between Dumbarton and Rangers who tied with 29 points from 18 fixtures. Had either of the subsequent methods of separating tying teams been in force (Goal Average and Goal Difference) Dumbarton would have been the outright Champions. But the following year, they made no mistake and won the championship outright with 37 points. At that time, the League consisted of 10 teams and the first President of the Scottish League was Alex Lawrence, the Dumbarton President.

In May 1892 inflicted Rangers heaviest ever league defeat when they thrashed the Gers 6-0. In a friendly played on New Years Day 1892, Dumbarton inflicted Celtic's record home defeat with an 8-0 win at Celtic Park. This was also the first game in which goal-nets were used.

From their inception to the turn of the century, Dumbarton were one of the premier clubs in the country. During that period, 18 players earned between them 60 international caps, the record being held by James McAulay with 9 to his credit. McAulay became the first goalkeeper to be tagged 'The Prince of Goalkeepers'. He earned the first of his international caps as a forward and the rest as a goalkeeper. He only tried his hand between the sticks when the regular 'keeper John (Diver) Kennedy lost form. McAulay had the astonishing record of NEVER being on a losing international team. These were the halcyon days when Scotland's international team revolved around Dumbarton players.

1900-1999

But just as empires rise and fall, so do football clubs, and the dark days were just ahead for Dumbarton. By the turn of the century, they were all but out of existence and only began to emerge from the shadows around 1905. The major contributory factor towards their decline was their reluctance to embrace professionalism, which led to the local talent heading elsewhere.

By 1911, Dumbarton had won the 2nd Division championship, but there was no automatic promotion and they remained in that division. Then war broke out and football took a back seat. By the early twenties, football had returned to normality and in 1921 it was decided to introduce automatic promotion and relegation between the first and second divisions. Unfortunately this worked against Dumbarton as they, along with Queens Park and Clydebank were relegated in the first season. It was to take Dumbarton 50 years to return to the top division.

There was a brief spark of hope, when in 1951 Dumbarton won the St. Mungo Quaich, a trophy contested to celebrate the Festival of Britain. That apart, Dumbarton largely languished in the doldrums. Again, the club reached a low ebb in 1954 when the formation of a new board of directors was required to save the club from extinction. Although the extensive fund raising activities kept the club alive, it did not produce tangible on the field success.

By the mid 1960's, the club was again in trouble, and at the invitation of the board, the chairman of the Hutchison Engineering Group of Companies, Robert Robertson joined the board and brought to the club the drive and knowledge of modern planning and financing. Hutchisons acquired the controlling interest in the football club which began to go from strength to strength. In 1968, John Hosie, who had been club secretary since 1954 became full time club secretary. In December of the same year, Jackie Stewart, who had made a success of being Albion Rovers manager, came to manage Dumbarton. And so the scene was set, with the combination of finance and a proven manager.

It was obvious to everyone that a new look and spirit had arrived in Dumbarton. The dreams of nearly half a century of returning to the 1st Division became a possibility. Working towards this end, Dumbarton started to buy players who could bring the necessary experience and steadiness.

June 1970 saw ex-Celt Charlie Gallagher come to Boghead to be followed three months later by Jack Bolton from Raith Rovers. Added to talent such as Lawrie Williams, Johnny Graham, Kenny Wilson and Roy McCormack, the squad began to take shape. In October of that year, Dumbarton succumbed 4-3 after extra time to Celtic in the semi-final of the League Cup, after a 0-0 draw, also after extra time. This was against a Celtic side which only months earlier had lost the European Cup final to Feyenoord.

Season 1971-2 proved to be THE season, with promotion secured by defeating Berwick Rangers in the final fixture of the season. After a poor start, it took as run of 10 wins from the last 11 league fixtures to secure the championship. Kenny Wilson scored an amazing 42 goals, a club record, to add to the 38 he had scored the previous season.

The first season back in the top flight was always going to be tough, but it was made even tougher when, midway through, Jackie Stewart resigned to become manager of St Johnstone. The reigns were taken up by Alex Wright who had been his assistant since the start of the season. Relegation was only avoided on the last day of the season, but this was the platform Wright needed to take the club to greater heights. In the years to come, Dumbarton were able to develop their own players, players who would go on to greater things. Murdo MacLeod and Graeme Sharp gained full international honours , Ian Wallace was transferred for £1m and the McAdam brothers played for The Old Firm, on different sides.

Only with the development of the three league set up did Dumbarton have to succumb to dropping down a division again, having finished just outside the top 10 required to play in the inaugural Premier League. In the first season of the new set up Dumbarton reached the semi final of the Scottish Cup, losing 3-0 to Hearts in a replay. The next few years were disappointing before in 1983/4 the club were promoted to the Premier League, a venture which would last for one season only.

From then on, the 1980s were a matter of survival as, through a set of unfortunate circumstances, the club changed hands on three occasions. The instability led to two relegations, taking Dumbarton back to the lowest division, a position they were forced to endure for four seasons before promotion was won again, under the leadership of Billy Lamont. Again league re-construction conspired against Dumbarton and they were demoted, only to win promotion in 1994/5 at the first attempt.

Unfortunately, promotion was followed by two successive relegations which saw Dumbarton take their place in the 3rd Division in 1997/8.

2001-Present

However, in season 2001/2002, Sons escaped the bowels of Scottish football, securing promotion to the 2nd division on the very last day of the campaign. The club stayed in the Second Division for 4 seasons until finishing bottom in 2005/06. The club were favourites to bounce straight back up the following season & were on course to do so by the mid-point in the season, however, their luck changed after losing 4-0 to Cetic in the third round of the Scottish Cup. The teams main goal scorer, Stephen Dobbie, returned to St. Johnstone after his loan deal finished in January, to add to that a series of matches were cancelled due to sever weather conditions meaning that throughout February & March Dumbarton, with their part-time squad, played every Saturday & Thursday for 8 weeks in a row. The club finished 5th, narrowly missing out on a playoff place. On Sunday the 11th of November 2007 Gerry McCabe left Dumbarton, after much talk at the start of the season of another promotion push the team had gained only 13 points in as many games (15 points behind league leaders East Fife ) & had won 4 out of 16 games in all competitions. on Wed 21 November former Rangers player John Brown was announced as McCabe's replacement. However a number of hours later it was announced that "due to personal reasons" Brown was unable to fulfil the appointment. John Brown was announced as Clyde F.C. manager a few weeks later. On Monday 31st December, the Board announced former player and ex-Albion Rovers boss Jim Chapman as new manager. On Thursday 10th April it was announced that the club had been purchased by a special purposes corporate vehicle named Brabco. Brabco is controlled by current club Director, Callum Hosie and funded by private equity. Alan Jardine replaced Ian MacFarlane as chairman of the club. Dumbarton finished the 2007/08 Third Division in 8th place, their worst in a decade.

Colours and Badge

Dumbarton play in gold & black strips, currently manufactured by Surridge. While these are the traditional colours of the club some of the most successful eras have seen the club play predominantly in white. In recent times the club have worn a brighter yellow, however, the new strip for the 2008/09 season sees the team return to a more golden hue.

The clubs' badge features an elephant with a castle on its back, this represents Dumbarton Rock with Dumbarton Castle upon it, Dumbarton Rock, a volcanic plug is said to resemble an elephant & the teams nickname 'The Sons' is derived from the phrase 'Sons of The Rock' a term used for those born in the town of Dumbarton.

Stadium

Main article(s): Strathclyde Homes Stadium, Boghead Park

Dumbarton play their home games at Strathclyde Homes Stadium (commonly referred to as "The Rock" by Supporters). The 2025 all seated stadium has been used since December 2000. The main (and currently only) stand is overshadowed by Dumbarton Rock & sits aside the banks of the River Leven, which makes it one of the most picturesque stadiums in the UK. Prior to that the team played at Boghead Park from 1879 until the end of the 1999/2000 season, 131 years is currently the longest a senior British club has stayed at the same grounds. in between May & November 2000 Dumbarton ground shared with Albion Rovers in Coatbridge.

Attendances

Season	League	Average	Highest
2002-03	Second Division	950
2003-04	Second Division	1039
2004-05	Second Division	900
2005-06	Second Division	946
2006-07	Third Division	709	1089
2007-08	Third Division	560	907

Supporters

Dumbarton were the first league club in Scotland to have a supporters trust, which works to strengthen the links between the club & the fans. The trust own a number of shares in the club & also has a representative on the board of directors. In recent years the club has gained a younger & louder support; the Sons Team Apache Army, who have adopted the Welsh St David's flag as their emblem.

Players

Current squad

As of 25 July 2008

Note: Squad numbers are not currently used in the Scottish Football League

Hall Of Fame

Recently, the club and its supporters named their all time best players. The full list is:

• Lawrie Williams
• Ray Montgomerie
• Murdo MacLeod
• Donald McNeill
• Colin McAdam
• Albert Craig
• Tom McAdam
• Johnny Graham
• Willie Wallace
• Kenny Wilson
• Charlie Gibson

Other famous players

Other famous players to have played for club include:

• Harry Chatton
• Finlay Speedie - former Scotland manager
• Alex Jackson
• Hughie Gallacher
• John Prentice - former Scotland manager
• Walter Smith - former Scotland manager
• Erich Schaedler
• Owen Coyle
• Paddy Flannery
• Neill Collins
• Jose Quitongo

Recent league history

Main article(s): Dumbarton F.C. League History

Season	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts	Pos	League
2003-04	36	18	6	12	56	41	+15	60	3	Second Division
2004-05	36	11	9	16	43	53	-10	42	7	Second Division
2005-06	36	7	5	24	40	63	-23	26	10	Second Division
2006-07	36	18	5	13	52	37	+15	52	5	Third Division
2007-08	36	9	10	17	31	38	-17	37	8	Third Division

Managerial history

Manager records for all league, cup & friendly games from 1995 As at 4 October 2008

Name	Nat.	From	To	Record
				P	W	D	L	%won
Jim Chapman		December 2007	present	39	14	12	13
Gerry McCabe		June 2006	November 2007	70	27	16	27	38.57
Paul Martin		December 2004	June 2006	69	12	15	37	17.39
Brian Fairley		March 2003	December 2004	75	33	11	31	44.00
David Winnie		June 2002	March 2003	36	12	6	18	33.33
Tom Carson		October 2000	June 2002	72	34	13	25	47.22
Jimmy Brown		March 1999	October 2000	71	27	10	34	38.02
Ian Wallace		November 1996	March 1999	105	30	26	49	28.57
Jim Fallon		September 1995	November 1996	51	3	6	42	5.88
Murdo MacLeod		1993	September 1995
Billy Lamont		April 1990
Jim George		1988	April1990
Bertie Auld		January 1988	April 1990
Mark Clougherty			January 1988
Alex Totten
Derek Whiteford		May	May
Davie Wilson			August 1985
Billy Lamont
Sean Fallon		1980	1981
Davie Wilson		May1977	1980
Alex Wright		January 1973	May1977
Jackie Stewart		November 1968	January 1973
Ian Spence			October 1968
Willie Toner		October 1964
Jackie Fearn		May 1962	September 1984
Bobby Campbell		April 1961	May 1962
Bobby Combe		May 1959	November 1960
Peter McGown		May 1954	April 1959
William Irvine		June 1950	May 1954
William Guthrie		August 1946	June 1950
Jackie Milne		June 1945	August 1946
Jimmy Smith		January 1939	June 1940
Donald Colman			1931
Pat Travers		May 1921	December 1920
James Collins		September 1920	May 1921
George Livingston		March 1919	September 1920
James Collins		May 1914	March 1919

Honours

• Scottish Football League:
• Winners (2): 1890-91, 1891-92

• Scottish First Division:
• Winners (2): 1910-11, 1971-72
• Runners-up (2): 1907-08, 1983-84

• Scottish Second Division:
• Winners (1): 1991-92
• Runners-up (1): 1994-95

• Scottish Third Division:
• Runners-up (1): 2001-02

• Scottish Cup:
• Winners (1): 1882-83
• Runners-up (5): 1880-81, 1881-82, 1886-87, 1890-91, 1896-97

• Festival of Britain St. Mungo Quaich:
• Winners (1): 1951-52

Club records

Biggest league win: 13-2 .v. Kirkintilloch (1888)

Biggest league loss: 1-11 .v. Albion Rovers (1926)

Biggest league cup loss: 1-11 .v. Ayr United (August 13 1952)

Biggest home attendance: 18,001 .v. Raith Rovers, (March 2 1957)

Most goals in a season: Kenny Wilson (38) , 1971-72

References

• ontherocks.org.uk
• dumbartonfootballclub.com

External links

• Official Website
• Supporters Trust Website