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.

Scottish League Cup,* Group A, The Rock, 19/07/22.

I confess I thought we would lose this. (Well we did lose the shoot-out for the extra point.)

But they are two divisions higher than us now so a draw isn’t a bad result.

A goal would have been nice.

It’s our acquaintance with this competition over for another season though.

*Premier Sports Cup

Scottish League Cup,* Group A, Balmoor Stadium, 16/7/22.

Well.

A win!

And against a team we couldn’t buy a result against last season. Plus it’s a competition in which we have a dreadful recent record.

Mind you, I understand Peterhead are having severe team problems at the moment.

Still, a win’s a win.

Not that it means anything. I doubt we’ll do something similar at home versus Raith on Tuesday.

The big test will be the first league game. But Stirling Albion, whom we play at home on the 30^th, seem to be going well.

*Premier Sports Cup.

The League Cup group match dates have been announced.

Saturday July 9 – Dumbarton v Stirling Albion

Wednesday July 13 – Aberdeen v Dumbarton

Saturday July 16 – Peterhead v Dumbarton

Tuesday July 19 – Dumbarton v Raith Rovers

So the potentially closest to me (Raith) won’t be – and the two away games are at the two grounds furthest away. I doubt I’ll bother.

This has come around very quickly. I’m still depressed about being relegated.

But the draw for next season’s League Cup has been made.

Do we have to?

Not that it’s called the League Cup anymore. It’s the Premier Sports Cup.

Whatever.

Our group includes Aberdeen, Raith Rovers, Peterhead and Stirling Albion.

Two potentially travellable venues for me if we play them away. Two others not quite so much.

SPFL Tier 3, The Rock, 29/2/20.

A collector’s piece, this one. Carsy scored. Only the fifth time for us I believe. Possibly only his fifth ever. The last time was I think was also against Raith, in the home game one year ago on 26/2/19.

So that’s two wins in a row – last achieved in December, again against Raith.

That the winner came in injury time means the home fans must have left the Rock buzzing.

Another win on Tuesday night against Forfar would go a long way towards making sure we avoid relegation – indeed all but make that a certainty.

No doubt that means it won’t happen.

SPFL Tier 3, The Rock, 25/2/20

That’s a relief.

Not only is it a welcome win – our first since the Saturday before Christmas – but we also stretched the gap over every team below us.

I had been planning to go through to this but the weather we’ve been having put me off the trip. It doesn’t seem to have been a good game though.

Still; a win’s a win.

Can’t see another against Raith on Saturday however. (But I’d be delighted to be wrong about that.)

SPFL Tier 3, The Rock, 3/8/19.

And so it begins….

A defeat in which we didn’t score. Though apparently we should have had a penalty.

I can’t see us improving on that in our next two games – both away, against Falkirk and Peterhead.

Unless the manager can pull off another Dom Thomas-like loan signing I suspect we’re going to struggle badly.

The new league season starts today at 3.00 at the Rock.

This must be the least I’ve looked forward to “the big kick-off” in years. The manager’s signings of new players (only three remain from last season) have not been inspiring to say the least. We look particularly light at centre back and up front. (The midfield’s not so promising either.)

I know we won at Annan but they weren’t very good on the day and we’ve been comprehensively thumped twice since.

I note taht today’s opponents Raith Rovers haven’t been setting the world on fire either but that’s no guide.

I hope to be proved wrong but at the moment I can only see a long, hard season – and struggle to avoid tenth and automatic relegation – ahead

SPFL Tier 3, Station Park, 13/4/19.

The scoreline tells you all you need to know about this game.

Sometimes you get an entertaining 0-0 draw. Sometimes you don’t. Today we didn’t.

The nearest we came to scoring was with long distance efforts by Ross Forbes and Dom Thomas but they were fired down the goalkeeper’s throat. Calum Gallagher had a couple such off target as did the two previously mentioned.

Not that Forfar were any better. Grant Adam only had two shots to save all day.

Mind you I’d feared the worst as just when the teams were coming out the announcer said that due to an injury in the warm-up Stuart Carswell was being replaced by Boris Melingui. Carsy is so important to our midfield. It’s really an obvious miss when he’s not there. The announcer still gave out Carsy’s name as playing when he read the teamsheets again at half-time, though.

Boris was up front with Calum Gallagher pulled back into midfield where he put a good shift in (he’s like a modern day Chissie*) but his attacking partnership with Dom Thomas was therefore missing. Boris ran about well and pressed with a will but there was no spark to our play. Dom Thomas had few opportunities to run with the ball, they doubled or trebled up on him at times and his control got away from him too often. Plus he needs to play folk in when they’re better placed.

Looking at this Forfar side I’m amazed they’re pushing Raith for second spot. They looked as bad as us, with very little in the way of creativity.

So it’s all squeezed up again at the bottom. We could have done without the wins for Stranraer and Stenhousemuir. We’re four clear of ninth and the dreaded relegation play-off spot with three to play but the bottom two play each other on the last day. The highest either of them could reach is 44 points. They could both reach 42. We’re on 39.

*Ian Chisholm, late of this parish.