This comes around quickly doesn’t it?

Our League Cup opponents will be St Mirren, Dunfermline Athletic, Cove Rangers and East Kilbride.

The games will be played between July 11^th and 26^th.

However, due to the installation of a plastic pitch over the summer, our “home” games will take place away from the Rock.

Details are still to be provided.

The Design, Meaning and Symbolism of World Football’s Most Famous Club Badges, Bloomsbury Sport, 2018, 255 p. First published by Pintxo Förlag, Sweden, 2016.

This book does exactly what its subtitle suggests, exploring the history of football club crests (that is what are called badges in the UK) or club emblems used on shirts, programs and stationery.

The contents are divided by country. There are 27 English club emblems discussed in detail, 12 each from Spain, Italy and Germany, 9 from France, 20 from the rest of Europe, 6 US clubs, 3 Australian and 5 South American. The entries give a potted history of the badge and (some of) its variations – many clubs have not kept a history of the changes – that club’s date of founding, its present stadium and capacity, its nicknames plus names of selected historic players, along with illustrations and descriptions of the relevant badge’s evolution.

As an addendum 126 “notable crests” are illustrated with the relevant badge, founding date, stadium and capacity, nicknames and country.

Sadly, despite its historical importance as the first outright winner of the Scottish League* and its badge depicting an elephant with a castle on its back Dumbarton FC’s striking emblem is not included. I note that Coventry City’s badge also has an elephant and castle and is given as one of the notable crests.

Manchester United’s historic players’ list contains Bobby Charlton and George Best but does not include Denis Law (though he appears with Derek Dougan in a photo on the Wolverhampton Wanderers pages) Sunderland’s list misses out Len Shackleton (I know a Mackem whose favourite, oft-repeated, football tale relates to him.)  Tottenham’s omits Danny Blanchflower. I first supposed the author is perhaps too young to be aware of these illustrious forebears but Charlie Buchan is in Sunderland’s list and he predates Shackleton by twenty plus years.

One of Aberdeen’s nicknames – along with ‘the Dons’ and ‘the Reds’ – is said to be ‘the Dandies’. I must confess that I had never heard of this though it does appear on the club’s Wikipedia page.

This is an agreeably idiosyncratic way of discovering something of the histories of the various clubs discussed.

*Neither is that of the first winners of the (English) Football League, Preston North End, though that too is fairly distinctive.

Pedant’s corner:- The author is Swedish and the book’s first publication was in Sweden so it is perfectly understandable that some infelicities should occur. No translator is listed so the author may have performed that function himself.  I noted a misplaced comma, “the claret and blue colours was the main motive” (the claret and blue colours were the main motif,) “the 1997 Champions’ League sinal” (final,) “forceably relegated” (forcibly,) “(1963/640” (1963/64,) “the Ukraine” (just ‘Ukraine’.) Arguabaly (Arguably,) “one star resembles ten titles” (one star represents ten titles.)

The administrators of Dumbarton FC have announced they have agreed terms of a deal to sell the club to a “Canadian entrepeneur and business owner,” Mario Lapointe, who “has a passion for sport, particularly football.”

From comments on Pie and Bovril on this page it seems the club’s history and iconic location played a large part in Mr Lapointe’s decision to invest in the club.

He also seems to have no illusions  about the club’s present place in the Scottish football landscape and its likely future one.

His main saving grace though is that he doesn’t appear to be interested in selling the ground for housing.

Dumbarton FC’s administrators have given an update on the status of the process.

It seems they have identified a preferred bidder.

This is not quite the good news it may appear as in effect if this goes ahead the club would still be under the ownership of the same company which was in charge when it went into admin – a company moreover not interested in being in charge of a football club but only in the land on which the ground sits as a site for house building. (The fact that the land is not actually suitable for building houses on being neither here nor there apparently.)

And what is to prevent Pendragon Group from further running down the club after the administrators hand it back?

Since the creditors are to be paid in full the administrators will have done their duty to see the best deal for them but a settlement like this is not in the best interests of the club for the future.

Minor Art Deco style, Wallace Street, Dumbarton:-

I can’t ever have walked down Wallace Street before as I don’t remember seeing this building until this visit in April.

Doorway detail:-

I had seen this one many times: the former Co-op on the corner of Greenhead and Glasgow Roads. The date above the lintel is 1922, a bit early for true deco:-

We also took a stroll along the quay in the town and spotted this children’s slide (chute) in the shape of an elephant, with a wooden play elephant behind. An elephant appears on the crest of the town and of the mighty Sons, Dumbarton FC. It’s a nice nod to that heritage to have these play objects reflect it:-

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.

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.

SPFL Tier 3, Links Park, 21/12/24.

A welcome win – all the better for us being without our main two front players and first choice goalkeeper. I was more than a bit nervy, though, watching the results show after they got one back with about ten minutes to go. Still, we held on for the draw.

Finlay Gray did us the honours scoring both goals at what is not often a happy hunting ground for us.

We’re now at the dizzy heights of four points.

Sons fan Robert Ryan (also known as Big Rab) has been in various bands over the years and has performed pre-match in the bar area at The Rock on occasion. He also composes songs.

His latest composition is in response to the recent administration event at our beloved Dumbarton FC. I’ve had a listen and it’s not bad. (Translation note: in Scotland the description “not bad” is a commendation.)

The song is called Stand Up For The Sons and is on sale here.

The proceeds will go directly to the Sons GoFundMe campaign.

I saw this picture posted on a friend’s Facebook page a while back, and now I’ve shamelessly appropriated it. Superb.

Dumbarton FC Stadium and Dumbarton Rock:-