1997–98 Dumbarton F.C. season

Season 1997–98 was the 114th football season in which Dumbarton competed at a Scottish national level, entering the Scottish Football League for the 92nd time, the Scottish Cup for the 103rd time, the Scottish League Cup for the 51st time and the Scottish Challenge Cup for the eighth time.

Dumbarton
1997–1998 season
ManagerIan Wallace
StadiumBoghead Park, Dumbarton
Scottish League Division 310th
Scottish CupThird Round
Scottish League CupSecond Round
Scottish Challenge CupFirst Round
Top goalscorerLeague: Colin McKinnon (10)
All: Colin McKinnon (11)
Highest home attendance465
Lowest home attendance310
Average home league attendance391

Overview

In Ian Wallace's first full season at the helm, Dumbarton's poor financial status meant that the team was almost unchanged from the one that had dropped from the Second Division the previous season. Nevertheless, initial results were promising, but this was soon to be replaced with that well known sinking feeling as the season went on. From January, Dumbarton registered just 3 league wins, and from the end of February till the end of the season propped up the rest of the league - easily Dumbarton's worst league performance in its history.

In the national cup competitions, however, the five-year wait for some progress was brought to an end. In the Scottish Cup, an uninspiring win over Highland League outfit Lossiemouth presented Dumbarton with a tie against Premier Division Motherwell in the third round. After holding their opponents to a home draw, they battled fiercely in the replay only to lose by a single goal.

In the League Cup, old rivals Queen's Park were dispatched in the first round, before Dumbarton found Premier Division Aberdeen too hot to handle.

Finally, however, in the Challenge Cup, it was the same old story - eight seasons and eight first round defeats - Falkirk would be the victors this time.

Locally, in the Stirlingshire Cup, the format reverted to group ties, but with only one win from three ties, Dumbarton failed to reach the final.

Results & fixtures

[1]   Win   Draw   Loss

Scottish Third Division

5 August 1997 Third Division Cowdenbeath 0–2 Dumbarton Central Park, Cowdenbeath
McKinnon
Reilly
Attendance: 232
16 August 1997 Third Division Dumbarton 2–2 Montrose Boghead Park
McKinnon
Ward
Winiarski
Taylor
Attendance: 395
23 August 1997 Third Division Berwick Rangers 5–3 Dumbarton Shielfield Park
Forrester
Walton
McKinnon
Mellis
Attendance: 304
30 August 1997 Third Division Dumbarton 0–1 Alloa Athletic Boghead Park
Wilson Attendance: 465
13 September 1997 Third Division Albion Rovers 2–1 Dumbarton Cliftonhill Stadium
Watters
Graham
Brittain Attendance: 495
20 September 1997 Third Division Arbroath 2–1 Dumbarton Gayfield Park
Cooper
Grant
Gow Attendance: 702
27 September 1997 Third Division Dumbarton 0–0 Queen's Park Boghead Park
Attendance: 436
4 October 1997 Third Division East Stirling 3–1 Dumbarton Firs Park
Neill
Hunter
McKinnon Attendance: 321
18 October 1997 Third Division Dumbarton 2–2 Ross County Boghead Park
Ward Golabek
Adam
Attendance: 452
25 October 1997 Third Division Dumbarton 1–4 Berwick Rangers Boghead Park
Glancy Fraser
Forrester
Walton
Attendance: 413
1 November 1997 Third Division Montrose 2–2 Dumbarton Links Park
McGlashan
Higgins
Brittain
Sharp
Attendance: 347
8 November 1997 Third Division Alloa Athletic 1–2 Dumbarton Recreation Park, Alloa
McAneney Sharp
Grace
Attendance: 424
15 November 1997 Third Division Dumbarton 1–1 Albion Rovers Boghead Park
McKinnon Watters Attendance: 425
22 November 1997 Third Division Queen's Park 2–3 Dumbarton Hampden Park
Edgar
Conroy
McKinnon
Sharp
Attendance: 548
29 November 1997 Third Division Dumbarton 1–2 Arbroath Boghead Park
Meechan Crawford
Spence
Attendance: 379
13 December 1997 Third Division Ross County 2–3 Dumbarton Victoria Park, Dingwall
Wood Meechan
Glancy
Attendance: 1,226
20 December 1997 Third Division Dumbarton 0–1 East Stirling Boghead Park
Watt Attendance: 323
27 December 1997 Third Division Berwick Rangers 1–1 Dumbarton Shielfield Park
Walton McKinnon Attendance: 449
10 January 1998 Third Division Dumbarton 1–2 Cowdenbeath Boghead Park
Mooney Holmes
Mitchell
Attendance: 338
31 January 1998 Third Division Arbroath 2–2 Dumbarton Gayfield Park
Burns
Tindal
Meechan
Grace
Attendance: 666
4 February 1998 Third Division Dumbarton 0–1 Ross County Boghead Park
Adams Attendance: 447
17 February 1998 Third Division East Stirling 1–0 Dumbarton Firs Park
Hunter Attendance: 181
21 February 1998 Third Division Cowdenbeath 2–0 Dumbarton Central Park, Cowdenbeath
Stewart
Winter
Attendance: 255
25 February 1998 Third Division Dumbarton 2–3 Montrose Boghead Park
Mooney
McKinnon
Taylor
McGlashan
Attendance: 315
28 February 1998 Third Division Dumbarton 0–3 Alloa Athletic Boghead Park
Cameron
McKechnie
Attendance: 396
7 March 1998 Third Division Albion Rovers 2–2 Dumbarton Cliftonhill Stadium
Watters
Donaldson
Sharp
Grace
Attendance: 417
14 March 1998 Third Division Queen's Park 0–2 Dumbarton Hampden Park
Sharp
Grace
Attendance: 528
21 March 1998 Third Division Dumbarton 1–2 Arbroath Boghead Park
Sharp Spence Attendance: 383
21 March 1998 Third Division Dumbarton 1–0 East Stirling Boghead Park
Wilson Attendance: 338
11 April 1998 Third Division Alloa Athletic 3–0 Dumbarton Recreation Park, Alloa
Haddow
Irvine
McKechnie
Attendance: 538
18 April 1998 Third Division Dumbarton 2–0 Albion Rovers Boghead Park
Mooney
Meechan
Attendance: 398
25 April 1998 Third Division Dumbarton 0–2 Berwick Rangers Boghead Park
Walton
Neil
Attendance: 310
2 May 1998 Third Division Montrose 2–1 Dumbarton Links Park
Henry
Higgins
Mooney Attendance: 305
25 April 1998 Third Division Dumbarton 2–3 Cowdenbeath Boghead Park
Mooney
McKinnon
Ritchie
Welsh
Murray
Attendance: 413

Coca-Cola Cup

2 August 1997 League Cup Round 1 Dumbarton 1–1 (a.e.t.)
(6-5 p)
Queen's Park Boghead Park
Bruce Edgar Attendance: 544
Referee: G Allison
9 August 1997 League Cup Round 2 Dumbarton 1–5 Aberdeen Boghead Park
McKinnon Jess
Miller
Newell
Attendance: 1,739
Referee: J McCluskey

Scottish Challenge Cup

12 August 1997 Challenge Cup Round 1 Dumbarton 0-2 Falkirk Boghead Park
Corrigan
McGraw
Attendance: 447
Referee: K Clark

Tennent's Scottish Cup

3 January 1998 Cup Round 2 Lossiemouth 0–1 Dumbarton Grant Park, Lossiemouth
McCuiag Attendance: 509
Referee: K Bisset
24 January 1998 Cup Round 3 Dumbarton 1–1 Motherwell Boghead Park
Sharp McSkimming Attendance: 2,412
Referee: B Tait
27 January 1998 Cup Round 3R Motherwell 1–0 Dumbarton Fir Park
Coyle Attendance: 4,202
Referee: B Tait

Stirlingshire Cup

22 July 1997 Group stage Dumbarton 0–2 Stenhousemuir Boghead Park
Banks  48' (pen)
Farrell  80'
Attendance: 181
Referee: M McGarry
26 July 1997 Group stage Dumbarton 1–2 Alloa Athletic Boghead Park
Glancy  90' McCulloch  28'
Mathieson  70'
18 August 1997 Group stage Dumbarton 4–1 Stirling Albion Boghead Park
Grace
Glancy
Ward

Pre-season/Other Matches

19 July 1997 Friendly Dumbarton 2–3 Morton Boghead Park
Ward  (pen)
Glancy
21 July 1997 Friendly Dumbarton 3–2 Norwich City Boghead Park
Ward  25', 67'
Mellis  82'
Simpson 60'
Marshall  83'
20 October 1997 Friendly Dumbarton 3–1 Vanguard Hao Doa Boghead Park
Grace
Glancy
McKinnon
Wu Wen Bing  50'

League table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
6 Berwick Rangers 36 10 12 14 47 55 8 42
7 Queen's Park 36 10 11 15 42 55 13 41
8 Cowdenbeath 36 12 2 22 33 57 24 38
9 Montrose 36 10 8 18 53 80 27 38
10 Dumbarton 36 7 10 19 42 61 19 31
Source: Soccerway
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.

Player statistics

Squad

No. Pos Nat Player TotalThird DivisionLeague CupChallenge CupScottish Cup
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
GK Derek Barnes 606+000+000+000+00
GK Kenny Meechan 36030+002+001+003+00
DF Craig Brittain 29223+022+001+003+00
DF Jamie Bruce 27121+102+010+003+00
DF Tom Currie 16015+000+000+001+00
DF Chris Dalrymple 303+000+000+000+00
DF Billy Davidson 604+200+000+000+00
DF Stevie Gow 25121+012+000+002+00
DF Alex Grace 32423+540+100+101+10
DF Stephen Hamill 100+000+000+100+00
DF Stephen Jack 12011+100+000+000+00
DF Martin Melvin 301+000+101+000+00
DF David Reid 17015+100+000+100+00
MF Jim Meechan 41536+052+000+003+00
MF Adrian Mellis 1915+1111+001+000+10
MF Billy Melvin 707+000+000+000+00
MF Robert Prytz 303+000+000+000+00
MF Willie Wilson 38130+212+001+003+00
FW Chris Ewing 201+100+000+000+00
FW Marc Falconer 806+200+000+000+00
FW Paddy Flannery 1305+600+000+002+00
FW Martin Glancy 26211+1022+001+000+20
FW Hrienn Hringsson 202+000+000+000+00
FW Ross McCuaig 18112+400+000+002+01
FW Colin McKinnon 391132+1102+011+003+00
FW Martin Mooney 36526+452+001+003+00
FW Tommi Orismaa 100+100+000+000+00
FW Robert Reilly 1014+211+101+000+10
FW Lee Sharp 40834+072+001+003+01
FW Hugh Ward 2639+1130+201+001+20

[2][3]

Transfers

[4]

Trivia

  • The League Cup match against Queen's Park on 2 August marked Hugh Ward's 100th appearance for Dumbarton in all national competitions - the 111th Dumbarton player to reach this milestone.
  • The League match against East Stirling on 20 December marked Martin Mooney's 200th appearance for Dumbarton in all national competitions - the 27th Dumbarton player to break the 'double century'.
  • For the third successive season Dumbarton matched the record fewest league home wins during a season - just two!

See also

References

  1. Scottish Football League Review 1998-99. The Scottish Football League. 1999.
  2. Scottish Football League Review 1998-99. The Scottish Football League. 1999.
  3. McAllister, Jim (2002). The Sons of the Rock - The Official History of Dumbarton Football Club. Dumbarton: J&J Robertson Printers.
  4. Litster, John. Record of Post-War Scottish League Players. Norwich: PM Publications.
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