SPFL Tier 3, The Rock, 1/3/25.

Another dispiriting result, Carlo Pignatiello’s goal after half-time possibly the only bright spot. Then again Stenny have had the upper hand against us for the past two seasons.

Next up, a home game versus the present league leaders, Arbroath, at home – and on the telly (BBC Alba) – on Tuesday night.

SPFL Tier 3, Balmoral Stadium, 22/2/25.

Another Saturday, another defeat.

We actually scored first, Carlo Pignatiello doing the honours, but losing a goal on the stroke of half-time  – and to ex-Son Mitch Megginson too – never helps.

At least we can console ourselves we lost to the league leaders (except they weren’t at the game’s start.)

SPFL Tier 3, The Rock, 15/2/25.

Well, we scored twice; Michael Ruth with a pen and Carlo Pignatiello with a second equaliser. But we lost three. And once again to a team who, if we’d won, we might have put a bit of fear into.

It’s getting depressing. We might at least look as if we were making a fight of it.

SPFL Tier 3, Galabank, 8/2/25.

Well, another away defeat.

And another failure to win a crunch game.

Relegation has been all but certain since the points deduction. The ‘all but’ can now be removed.

One noteworthy thing from today’s game though. Joel Mumbongo actually scored. His first for us. After 24 appearances. Mostly as sub; but still.

SPFL Tier 3, The Rock, 1/2/25.

Well. It’s not like us to score early (instead of conceding early) but we did Jinky Hilton doing the honours.

Then we lost an early goal in the second half.

It wasn’t a good day at all what with Annan winning at Kelty.

We’re down at Annan next week. Failure to win there and we’re definitely not going to overcame the 15 point deduction.

SPFL Tier 3, Palmerston Park, 25/1/25.

Another disappointing result though not quite a hammering like last week.

It seems we had a reasonably good first half, Mark Durnan getting the equaliser after our usual loss of an early goal, but the less said about the second half the better.

Alloa at home next up.

Scottish Cup*, Round Four, The Rock, 18/1/25.

Well; a hammering was not what we needed from this.

A win and the sponsor money for reaching the next round and the possibility of an away draw against a big team to also help the coffers was required.

Only Craig McGuffie’s goal right at the death spared us a whitewash.

The rest of the season is going to be brutal experience. (Unless the manager throws caution to the wind, which isn’t his MO.)

*Scottish Gas Scottish Cup

The Dumbarton FC website today contained the sad news that Sons’ great striker from the 1970/71 and 1971/72 seasons, and club legend, Kenny Wilson has died.

He scored 67 goals in his short time at the club including 38 in 36 league games in that memorable promotion season of 1971/72 and 4 in the top division the year after before he moved to Carlisle. He and Roy McCormack were the most potent striking partnership I have ever seen. Just sublime.

I noted part of Kenny’s contribution to our promotion in this post. In a later league game against Raith Rovers he scored all 5 in a 5-0 win. One of those he knew little about. He was standing with his back to goal a few yards out and the ball bounced off the back of his foot and over the line. When you’re hot, you’re hot.

My elder brother dubbed him “rubber legs” due to the way he collapsed when tackled illegally. He won more than a few penalties and free-kicks converted by Charlie Gallagher in those two seasons.

In a pre-season friendly against Carlisle United Kenny scored a cracker I always remember as the “£10,000 goal.” Before the game Carlisle were rumoured to be interested in signing him and willing to pay £10,000 as a transfer fee. When Kenny joined them a few months later they paid £20,000.

Sadly his career after he left the Sons was not as successful in terms of goals scored.

He returned to visit Boghead and the Dumbarton Football Stadium (the Rock) often in the years after he retired from football and always had time to spare for the fans.

And so another part of my youth has gone.

Kenneth Malcolm (Kenny) Wilson: 15/9/1946 – 17/01/2025. So it goes.

SPFL Tier 3, Caledonian Stadium, 04/01/25.

Back to business as usual.

Another game which we really had to win if there were to be any chance of avoiding relegation this year (there isn’t; but we can still dream) and so another loss.

From the comments on Pie and Bovril it seems we were never at the races here, not helped by the manager’s team selection.

Can we hope for better against the league leaders this Saturday? The head suggests not – but it did that when we up to their place in October and we won.

This photo appeared on the DFC website on Christmas Eve. I don’t know when it was taken as it doesn’t often snow in Dumbarton, it being on the confluence of two rivers, but it looks lovely.