What a strip off!

Blimey, Dumbarton's new Surridge strips have been ripped off before they have even made their way into the Club shop. Showing, no doubt, what a hot property the Mighty DFC are these days, as they prepare to take the Scottish League Third Division by storm in a few weeks time... including new boys Annan Athletic (a warm welcome lads - just to remind you of the etiquette... that's be three points a game to us, please.)

Surridge have been in touch to alert everyone that strips bearing the Sons' crest (illustrated) which recently appeared on "a well known internet auction site" (*cough*) are in fact stolen goods. The tops appeared on the site for sale earlier this week and attracted a number of bids. However the goods, which have not been listed on the company's website yet, came from a batch of strips that were stolen en-route to Glasgow, reports Alan Findlay on the DFC news page.

A spokesman from Surridge said : "The strips should not have ended up on the internet and it would be an offence to buy one of the stolen tops. The Dumbarton strips were part of a larger batch including other Scottish teams products which were stolen prior to arrival at Surridge and that the police are undertaking an investigation."

Incidentally, Annan are another team playing in yellow (or gold, you might say) and black. Indeed, their strip is very similar to a Dumbarton one of the 1960s, immortalised in the Subbuteo team that many of us still cherish in our attics...
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¡Venido el Sons!

Well, España, actually. But Spain are thoughtfully wearing Dumbarton colours for their Euro 2008 semi-final clash with Russia tonight... an absorbing, positive encounter between two skilled, technical and tactically aware sides. A few more fireworks are coming from the Spanish, though not with sharp enough finishing. Arshavin is very quiet for the Russians as the end of the first half approaches. But he could certainly explode into life at any moment. Update 21.33: Fabulous football from the Spanish and a deserved 3-0 victory, taking them to their first major international final in 24 years. [Pic: Two more for Jim Chapman?]
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Withdrawal symptoms...

These mainly consist of looking obsessively at the TV guide to see when the next Euro 2008 match is, and figuring (for the sixth time in two hours) that it isn't until tomorrow night, then Thursday, then Sunday... then a big, fat nuffink for, I dunno, two weeks or more. More, given that I'll be in the USA at the end of July. How on earth will I cope? I'll just have to get a life, I guess. Actually, I have one of those. I just don't like to admit it when I'm in the company of fellow footie addicts. (On the bright side, I'm finding that every time I blink, Jim Chapman signs a new player for Dumbarton... Mainly from Partick, it seems. Thanks, Kenny. I hope.)
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It's Holland, then

In, er, a totally scientific and representative online opinion survey, of the kind for which football is renowned, the thronging hordes of Dumbarton fans are apparently plumping for Holland to win Euro 2008. By 68 per cent, no less, with Spain next in line on 15 per cent. What with the aura of Cruijff, several Dutch friends, Scotland manager George Burley and my trade paper The Guardian all plumping for the mighty Orange, the writing is surely on the wall. One way or the other. My nails may not get through the Netherlands -v- Russia match tomorrow night -- and this isn't even the semis, let alone the final. [Picture: Holland's destined players... or possibly a Dumbarton team from the early '70s. Those were the days...]
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Lucky for some?

Flashes of inspiration up front, periodically confused in midfield, occasionally woeful at the back. Sounds like some past Scottish international performances we can think of all too readily, huh? Actually, I'm referring to Poland in Euro 2008 tonight, losing 2-0 to a couple of comedy goals against Germany when they should have stuck in at least two themselves. Then again, the Tartan Army had recently decided to give its official support to the Poles, on account of local links and (for some) Artur Boruc. This, frankly, was bound to be the kiss of death. Almost as bad as having me deciding to support you -- which could be bad news for Holland in the 'group of death', as it is they I am throwing my lot in with for this tournament. That's partly on account of Johan Cruijff's famous but unconsummated fling with Dumbarton (you always need one daft reason), but mostly because, on their day, the Dutch can still be the Brazil of Europe. Plus I've spent some rather happy times on vacation and on work assignments in the Netherlands. Go Orange!
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Flowing football

Dumbarton fan George McVicar is taking part in the 'WaterAid Trail 100' on Saturday 7 June 2008 to raise money for WaterAid - an excellent development agency dedicated exclusively to the provision of safe domestic water, sanitation and hygiene education to the world's poorest people. The 'WaterAid Trial 100' aims to put teams of walkers on one hundred of Britain's best loved peaks between noon and 2pm. George writes: "I'm part of one of several Scottish Water/Scottish Water Solutions teams attempting to climb in Glencoe. Our team is tackling Bidean nam Bian. Please take a moment to sponsor me. It's really easy - you can donate online by credit or debit card at the following address: http://www.justgiving.com/georgemcvicar."
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Investing in Dumbarton's future

The Sonstrust has handed over a cheque for £6,000 to Dumbarton FC Chief Executive Gilbert Lawrie (also a member and long-term fan) as part of its agreement to keep an elected representative on the football club board at Strathclyde Homes Stadium. (Full story here.) The payment represents an acceleration of three years worth of contributions and says something about the steady growth of the Trust.

Sonstrust and DFC Commercial Director Stephen Lynch commented: “The Sonstrust are committed to the future of Dumbarton FC. With more and more Scottish clubs recognising the value of supporter involvement in the boardroom, we will continue leading from the front.”
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Sons bag Accies friendly

As part of the official announcement of Dumbarton's pre-season friendlies (sorry, to Alan Findlay - slipped my eye when I looked for this post yesterday!) - and as recorded in the the Daily Record, on the 23 July the Strathclyde Homes Stadium will host Hamilton Accies, newly promoted to the SPL. Four days later it's an away trip for Sons to Airdrie United in the Challenge Cup, for the first competitive game of the new term. The competition was introduced in 1990 to celebrate the centenary of the Scottish Football League. Entry is open to all 30 SFL member clubs, divided into two geographical zones, North East and South West. [Friendlies latest here]
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Verging on success

When you're a wee team, every blade counts. Donald Fullarton (who also took the (c) photo) writes: Dumbarton Football Club's grass-cutting machine has been sponsored by a local firm.

A new state of the art mower sponsored by blacksmiths Archibald McAulay & Sons Ltd., of Broadmeadow Industrial Estate, was unveiled at the Strathclyde Homes Stadium this morning.

Groundsman Andrew Melville is delighted with it, and was happy to pose with manager Jim Chapman and the sponsor, Harry McAulay. Said chief executive Gilbert Lawrie: “This is all part of a new and exciting season for the club. We are also currently undertaking major work on improving the pitch.”

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Keegans' run

Oh, I almost forgot. Dumbarton have also signed up Paul Keegans, whose last club was Partick Thistle (thanks, Kenny), to start his coaching career "with a hands-on role with our growing youth development programme," says manager Jim Chapman. The Dublin-born forward has also played for Motherwell and St Patrick's of the Irish League. Here he is in action for Bohemians, performing a rather nifty bicycle kick. Hopefully these will be second nature to Sons' forwards next season.

Sons strike again

Dumbarton boss Jim Chapman's busy summer has continued with the recruitment of goalkeeper David McEwan from Derry City, together with striker Derek Carcary signed from Raith Rovers on a one-year contract. (The BBC site isn't quite right. Jim's first major capture was Mick Dunlop from Queens Park.) Robert Ryan - Big Rab - has drawn my attention to this video on his site. Carcary is the scorer of the second goal (around 2 mins 15 secs in) and provider of the third (2 mins 40 secs). As Rab says, "things could be looking up!" Time to reach for those season tickets...

Freed: the Pellie One

How nice to report on a successful animal rights campaign for a rare cross-breed feared to have been made extinct. Pellie the Elephant, otherwise known as Dumbarton FC's legendary mascot, who was cruelly canned after a 2005 'incident' involving Morton supporters, some shorts and the moon (well, something like that) will re-appear at Strathclyde Homes Stadium next season, it has been announced. This is part of the Sonstrust's continuing and noble efforts to root the Club in the local community - whose love of young men masquerading as furry animals is well established.

Pellie (whose name, for the benefit of international readers, derives from the Scottish pronunciation of a world famous footballer) is believed to be dusting off his trunk as I write. According to a senior source formerly associated with West Dunbartonshire Council, in discussion with me some weeks ago, the lovable footie fur-ball was rather unjustly accused in his decisive indictment - recorded with loving attention to detail by The Times. His restoration to respectable society will be welcomed by all right-thinking people... and lets face it, some of the mascot opposition is, well, a bit rubbish. Pellie also features in an online BBC quiz (which, for the benefit of the less-than-lightning-witted, I should point out ended four years ago.)
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A triumph for the trusts

As Dumbarton's Sonstrust (of which I'm a proud member) has rightly noted on its website, the promotion of my locals Exeter City to League Two in England, and of Stockport County to League One -- the old Fourth and Third Divisions, respectively -- is great news for fans who are claiming a stake in their clubs through provident societies, otherwise known as supporters' trusts.

What's more, this season has been a great one for the "little teams" all round. Queen of the South put up a fine display at Hampden in the Scottish Cup final the other day, and will compete in Europe next season. Cardiff's Welsh wizards made it to the 'English' FA Cup final, losing out to Portsmouth who, while hardly small, are outside the self-defining elite of English football. AFC Wimbledon, who rose out of the ashes of "Franchise FC" (MK Dons - who correctly handed the rights to the '88 Cup win to AFC, and duly got promoted too) are now only two steps away from League Status. FC United of Manchester (the non-Glazer MUFC) are now just below the Conference, and fans of those other Reds who can't afford the ticket prices have formed AFC Liverpool.

Meanwhile, Aldershot are back in the English League again, 12 years after they dissolved and reformed; Accrington Stanley are surviving there (just); and Barrow are back in the Blue Square Premier following their depressing double demotion which began in 1972. The big bucks and publicity may still be with the favoured few, but the minnows are striking back. Next it's the Mighty DFC for the climb, I hope.

[Pic : (c) Sonstrust and Donald Fullarton - Dumbarton fans. What a handsome crew, eh?]

Preparing at the Rock

The summer's international football action is about to get underway - and the Sons have a role to play, as eatsleepsport.com reports: "The Scotland squad will train at Dumbarton this week and depart for Prague [to face the Czech Republic] on Thursday, with [manager] Craig Burley already without Rangers trio Barry Ferguson, Lee McCulloch and Allan McGregor, and Celtic's Scott Brown." It's going to be a tough one...
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For the love of the game

Interesting Times article on ex-Sons loan player Stephen Dobbie, who will appear for Queen of the South in the Scottish Cup Final on Saturday 24 May, hoping to upset the Rangers applecart still further this season. He says he has fond (as well as less enticing) memories of his time at Dumbarton -- and might even return one day.

Dobbie is a footballer who lost his way; who went from rubbing shoulders with Barry Ferguson at training, to playing in front of 500 souls for Dumbarton in the Irn-Bru Scottish League third division. Now his stock is rising again, just like Queen of the South, and he is the perfect symbol for the first division side to prove that by upsetting the odds and leading them to their first significant honour in their 89-year history.

“I realised a lot of things about myself when I was at Dumbarton,” Dobbie, who has scored 24 goals in just 51 appearances for Queen of the South since joining them from St Johnstone in January 2007, said. “I went there on loan because I had been out with an injury at St Johnstone and needed games to get fit. Gerry McCabe had just taken over as manager of Dumbarton and he was the assistant manager when I had been at Hibernian.

“I really enjoyed my time at Dumbarton and maybe I’ll go back when I’m older, but I remember going to places like Stenhousemuir on a Wednesday night and thinking, no disrespect to Stenhousemuir, that I should be playing at a higher stage than this. Gerry was also on at me, saying that I should not be at that level.

“It taught me, however, that full-time footballers are lucky. At Dumbarton, I was sharing a dressing-room with part-time guys who turned up for training from their work on a building site. They are doing that for the love of the game and I took it all for granted.
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A gold scarf too far

Somehow mental colour confusion always sets in. As with last May, I was planning to wear some modest piece of Sons garb to Wembley on Sunday, this time fancying a quick picture under the Arch to match the (incredibly sad) snap I have from the Great Wall of China in late 2004. Though with a decent DFC scarf this time. For some reason I had it in my head that Cambridge would be wearing blue, so no problem. But of course, that's Cambridge City. As for United, they'll be in their customary gold and black against Exeter, my locals - whose red sea I'll be swimming in. Ah well. I'll just have to hope that my blue DFC away shirt (the Grecians' usual away colour too, though this time it's white -- er, are you following this?), courtesy of sponsoring now-departed Chris Gentile this past season, arrives in tomorrow morning's post. Somehow I doubt it. So I'll just have to sneak that atrocious piece of knit ware (left) into my bag and hope that if I quickly whip it out in the interests of photographic art (*cough*), it will not be held against me by anyone in red and white.
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A day out at the Rock

Here's the picture from the 29 March 2008 Dumbarton -v- Stranraer game at Strathclyde Homes Stadium -- which I sponsored jointly with the Sonstrust to celebrate my 50th birthday. Unfortunately, Sons lost 1-0 and it wasn't a great game (it's been that kind of season), but the day as a whole was fabulous. Thanks to everyone involved. Left to right : Denise Currie (chair of the Trust), Tim Rhead (Dumbarton & Lomond Amnesty), Carla Roth (to whom I am married!), Simon Barrow, Stephen Lynch (DFC director - Sonstrust and commercial).

[Picture (c) DFC/Sonstrust 2008]
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Tight at the top

Yes, I know, I shouldn't really... being a 'real football' aficionado, the lure of the Big Four in England should be kept at bay. But I will shortly be down the pub watching the travails of Manchester United and Chelsea. Since Munich and '68 were among my earliest major football impressions, I want United to win the Champions League. But it would be quite satisfying if Chelsea pipped them for the Premiership, not least because I told my friend Jim Smith that they were still in with a shot weeks ago, and he dismissed the idea. {He was right. But only just}

Talking of the millionaire set, Rangers gained a mightily undeserved win over Dundee United yesterday, much as I shall be rooting for them in the UEFA Cup final against Zenit (managed by ex-'Gers boss Dick Advocaat) on Wednesday - my goodness, they're even showing it (a match featuring a Scottish team!) on telly down here in England. There's a refreshing change. Even if it is ITV, and something called "contractual obligation".

But I digress. I share Lorraine Kelly's phone-in outrage at the penalty and offside decisions going against Dundee United. Let's hope Hibs get a better rub of the green, so to speak, against Celtic. It's 0-0 on 13 minutes, as I write.

Now, back to fitba'-type football. Congrats to Dumbarton's U-15s. I'd rather be watching them. Honest.
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Field of dreams?

While attention in southwest England turns to Wembley this coming week, some of us are looking forward to other pastures next season. Well, OK. I am. Let's hope the Strathclyde Homes Stadium (or the Rock, as Sons fans prefer to call it) proves more amenable to dreams than nightmares in season 2008-9. Fitba Daft has some good shots [scroll down] of the ground, taken on the occasion of the 1-1 home tie against East Fife on 22 September 2007: a match I was at,as it happens. These things are worth noting when you live the other end of the country - and, indeed, in a different country. Meanwhile, the Scottish Football Archive has a nifty arial photo, presumably sourced from Google Earth [Hat-tip to Freelunch for this thumbnail, too.]

In the top flight

People who know I support Dumbarton, but who know little about the Sons, are often a bit surprised to discover that we were briefly in the Scottish Premier League, in season 1984-5. I saw the last SPL match at Boghead, a 2-0 defeat to Dundee United. This YouTube footage is of an earlier match against Aberdeen. Given the enormous odds stacked against them, Sons had a creditable stab at competing - and let's not forget that these were the great Dons and Arabs sides who were turning heads in Europe as 'the New Firm'. Those were, as they say, the days...