A Son of the Rock

It was not long after I started watching Dumbarton regularly – three seasons or so – that the team won promotion to the top division. Four seasons later we were gerrymandered down to the new second tier. We had a continuous run there for twelve years (apart from a brief elevated foray to the Premier Division for one season) until finally falling into the third level. We got promotion four years later, were gerrymandered down again after two seasons then won promotion to the present Division One at the first attempt for one season only before a disastrous couple of successive relegations and totally bottom finish the year after that. Then it was pretty much years of bumping along near the bottom.

It is probably that relatively successful 23 year period in the club’s history – along with being the first ever outright winners of the whole Scottish League way back in the 19th century and a former winner of the Scottish Cup – that lends me the ludicrous sense of entitlement I feel that we should be playing at least no lower than that level.

And historically that is our ranking.

However since 1997 we have been predominantly a fourth tier club (except for four seasons in Division Two between 2002 and 2006.)

Division Two again looms. I’m probably going to have to settle for that. Right now, and given the last 12 years, I’d be happy to.