So that’s it then, we’ve reached the end of the season. No more Sons matches for, oh, about six weeks or so. A damn long six weeks too.
Thankfully however we will be entertained as always by the opening of the lower league transfer window. The time of year where Scotland’s jobbers, hot prospects and meh merchants trade clubs, getting the fans all excited. Few clubs have been as active as Dumbarton under Stevie Aitken, with 40 players joining the club during his four windows to date. How many have been successful however? That’s a matter of opinion, but I’m writing this, and you’re not...so here’s my take on the, erm, lucky 40. Mark Brown (32 appearances, 0 goals) - MISS Mark Brown always had big gloves to fill following Danny Rogers’ departure. Unfortunately, despite a promising start, he struggled at the Rock, losing his place to Jamie Ewings and then Alan Martin. He left the club in February 2017 to pursue a career in the Police. Fraser Wright (36 appearances, 1 goal) - HIT Few defenders are as hard as Frazer Wright, not that many people thought that of him following a disastrous first few games in the white and gold. Fortunately he got his act together, and formed a very sturdy defensive partnership with Gregor Buchanan. At 37 years of age he played almost every minute of his first season, before soldiering on through injuries during the Betfred Cup last year where we only had about 12 fit senior players. Left in January 2017 and is now with Stirling Albion - having collected a couple of Player of the Year awards during his 16 months at the club. Steven Saunders (27 appearances, 4 goals) - HIT I’ll be honest, I wasn’t Saunders’ biggest fan. It wasn’t that he was a bad player, it was just that he knocked Scott Taggart out the side - and I felt that was harsh following some impressive performances by the former Hibs’ man. Despite being a defender, Saunders had a knack of grabbing crucial goals. He scored a double inside three minutes in the incredible 3-3 draw with Raith Rovers in November 2015, and then grabbed a priceless injury time equaliser against Livingston the following month. Now with Welsh Champions The New Saints, he was sent off against St Mirren in the Challenge Cup semi-final. Calum Waters (21 appearances, 1 goal) - MISS Since leaving Sons Calum Waters has quickly became one of League One’s hottest assets. The left-back joined on-loan from Celtic in the summer of 2015, but struggled to make anywhere near as big an impact as fellow ‘tic loanee Jamie Lindsay. His game time was limited by Mark Docherty’s form, despite looking promising during his short outings on the pitch. Played a key role in the 3-2 victory over Hibernian in February 2016 on the left side of midfield, setting up Darren Barr’s winner with a pinpoint corner. Now with Alloa Athletic, but looking destined to move on to bigger things. Willie Gibson (21 appearances, 2 goals) - … Where do you start? In terms of talent Gibson is right up with the best to have been brought to the club by Stevie Aitken. His ability to create something out of nothing was lacking once he left, however few fans shed a tear. When he was good he was very, very good. Memorable moments include grabbing the winner on the opening day of the season against Hibernian in Aitken’s first league game - a wonderful free-kick that still cheers me up - scoring again from a free-kick the following week in the victory against St Mirren, or completely changing the game against Raith Rovers in November 2015 - grabbing two assists, winning a penalty and hitting the post inside nine minutes. Unfortunately his impact beyond that was minimal, and he returned to Stranraer in January 2016 for personal reasons. He’s quietly going about becoming somewhat of an icon at Stair Park these days too. Jon Routledge (38 appearances, 0 goals) - HIT Hit. Hit. Hit. Routledge was one of Sons’ key players during the 2015/16 campaign, with his tireless, disciplined defensive performances in midfield one of all too few consistent factors. The Liverpudlian made a massive impact at the Rock, and it was an absolute joy to watch him fly into tackles all over the pitch (most of the time…) often single handedly controlling midfields. Routledge left in May 2016, joining up with Steven Saunders at TNS where he appears to have finally found out how to score! Darren Miller (0 appearances, 0 goals) - MISS Undoubtedly going to be met with confused looks from many, Miller did actually make a few appearances in friendlies against Edinburgh City, Clydebank, Partick Thistle and (I think) Hearts. Having been let go by Queen’s Park he was a strange signing on paper, and certainly lived up to that in reality. I’ve no idea what sort of player he was, but in the friendly against Thistle he told Calum Booth (in no uncertain terms) to consider standing up, and not falling over so easily. Which was quite amusing. Miller’s now playing amateurs with Colville Park having left DFC in August 2016, following spells with Kilbirnie, a return to Queen’s Park and Clyde. Scott Brown (16 apps, 0 goals) - MISS It wasn’t that Scott Brown was a bad player, it’s just that he played almost half a season without anyone really knowing what sort of player he was. Meh summed him up perfectly. He was ok at most things, ran like he was holding a shinty stick and blazed a few shots out the stadium during his time at the Rock. His best game came at right-back against Alloa Athletic in December. Returned to St Johnstone in January 2016, playing a couple of Premiership games, before joining Peterhead in the summer. Jamie Lindsay (28 apps, 0 goals) - HIT One of Stevie Aitken’s best bits of business, Lindsay played a key role in our survival last year. He added an abundance of energy to a midfield otherwise lacking it once he got up to speed, and rarely looked like a guy playing senior football for the first time in his career. He found himself shunted wide all too often however, where he plainly wasn’t comfortable, whilst his lack of a single goal all season did highlight a definite weakness in his game. Now on loan at Morton, if he can add a clinical edge to his performances then he’ll be a real star of the future. Tom Walsh (16 apps, 1 goal) - HIT Walsh was a strange one. Initially signed with a big hype he struggled to make any sort of impact in the first-half of his loan spell from Rangers. In fact his most notable attribute was how ridiculously two footed he was. He could take a corner from the left with his right foot, then jog over to the other side and stick in the same delivery with his left from the right! Just as he looked set to be cast into the meh loans pile he produced a Man of the Match performance against Queen of the South at the Rock in a 4-2 win - where he grabbed his first goal for the club. He wasn’t officially given Man of the Match because a certain fan may have picked a certain French striker…but we’ll gloss over that. Walsh really kicked on from there, playing a big role in the remaining games of the campaign - including grabbing two assists in the 2-3 home defeat to Raith Rovers. Joined St Mirren on loan from Rangers in the summer, along with Ryan Hardie, but failed to settle despite scoring three times in ten appearances. Left both the Buddies and the Gers in January, and is now with Limerick. Kler Heh (5 apps, 0 goals) - MISS I dare say that most Sons fans have a lot of time for Sheffield United loanee Kler Heh. The Myanmarian grew up in a refugee camp for the Karen in Thailand, prior to being resettled in the UK when he was 10 years of age. A potentially inspiring story for others stuck in a similar situation. Unfortunately on the pitch things didn’t go to plan, with him making just a solitary start (in a 5-0 defeat to Dundee in the Scottish Cup), and four sub appearances in the league. His league game time totalled just 49 minutes, which tells its own story. He played a bit for the Dumbarton U20s, but left at the end of his loan spell and appears to now be without a club. Hopefully football hasn’t heard the last of Kler though, if his past is anything to go by he certainly won’t have just given up hope. Steven Craig (14 apps, 1 goal) - MISS Steven Craig was actually a better player than most people gave him credit for, unfortunately his body language and low workrate meant that few Sons’ fans had any time for him. Viewed as a decent bit of business when his move from Wycombe was finally complete, Craig made his debut on the opening day of the league season in a 2-1 victory against Hibernian. He played well too, winning the free-kick from which Gregor Buchanan opened the scoring after just four minutes with some typically clever play. Craig’s game had never really been about goals, it was always more about winning fouls, holding play up and occupying defenders. That suited Partick Thistle during his time there, however with Sons struggling going forward his lack of energy saw him drop out the picture. A goal just seconds after coming on summarised an excellent showing against Hibernian in a 4-2 defeat at Easter Road in October. However it was only for 20 minutes, and it was form he couldn’t carry on. Joined Forfar Athletic in January 2016, where his six goals in 13 starts couldn’t save the club from relegation, before joining Worcester City. He’s now on loan at Stafford Rangers. Apparently. Sebastian Osei-Obengo (0 apps, 0 goals) - MISS Seb then. A cult hero. No doubt about it. Signed from Gibraltarian second division (I know, I didn’t think they had two leagues either) side Europa Point, he played a total of zero minutes during his, erm, week with the club. He was never officially registered as a player due to the fact he had never played professionally before, and so we were denied the chance to see the Ghanaian pull on the strip other than in his signing photo. He did have a shirt number, 28, though, so he deserves his place on this list. Now with Stenungsunds Idrottsförening in the Swedish Division 2 Norra Götaland. Be honest, you didn’t even try and pronounce that, did you? Paul Heffernan (8 apps, 0 goals) - MISS When the Osei-Obengo deal collapsed, Aitken had to act quickly to bring in an underwhelming striker to cover for the often injured Christian Nadé and Garry Fleming. Former Kilmarnock, Hibernian, Dundee and Queen of the South striker Heffernan was the man he turned to - with the Irishman having scored the winner against Sons for Queen of the South in November. His spell at the rock was instantly forgettable. In fact aside from hitting the post against St Mirren on hashtag Survival Saturday I can’t really remember him doing anything. His movement was decent, but his finishing continually let him down. Now retired by the looks of things. Kevin Cawley (39 apps, 3 goals) - MISS Cawley was a likeable wee guy, who was seen as an enormous coup following his signing from Alloa Athletic. He had scored plenty against Dumbarton in the past - including a truly magnificent strike just months before joining the club at the Indodrill Stadium. Despite his hardworking nature he only showed glimpses of the player we hoped we’d be getting. He spent much of the season out on the wing where he didn’t look comfortable, and only played through the middle very, very briefly in the 3-2 victory against Hibernian. A match he marked with a fantastic opening goal. His final action of note in a Sons’ shirt was to score a quite outstanding lobbed own goal from the edge of the box against Hibs in April 2016. It summed up his luck during his time at the club. Released in May 2016, he rejoined Alloa where he appears to have settled back down again. Gordon Smith (4 apps, 0 goals) - MISS The first thing that strikes you about Gordon Smith’s time at the Rock is how many games he played. I genuinely cannot remember watching him playing in four competitive matches for us. Left the club early in the 2015/16 season to join Cowdenbeath on loan, where he was a hit, and now plays for ECU Joondalup in Australia. Apparently he’s scored 19 in 20 games there too, so maybe did have something we missed last season. Stevie Ross (5 apps, 0 goals) - MISS Did Stevie Ross actually exist? Are we all Stevie Ross? Was he played by a different guy each week? So many questions, so few answers. What we do know is that he was prolific on-loan in the Highland League, scored against Aberdeen for Ross County and joined us in late August 2015. Very brief appearances (and a start against Queen of the South in November) ended with him vanishing, never to be seen again. Stevie joined Elgin City briefly towards the end of the season, and is now back in the Highland League with Brora Rangers. Apparently. Eamonn Brophy (10 apps, 1 goal) - HIT Brophy was an odd one. A proven goalscorer for Hamilton’s U20s, and for Queen’s Park during his brief loan spell there, he looked exactly what we were missing. A nippy finisher, to hang about the last defender and give us something different upfront. Despite looking handy in his appearances, he only made five starts during his three month loan, with Aitken preferring to go for Garry Fleming upfront, with Grant Gallagher in behind in a 4-4-1-1 formation. His only goal was a crucial one however, a late winner against Livingston in October 2015, that gave Aitken his first victory since August. Now back at Hamilton, where he has became a first-team regular this season. Jamie Barclay (0 apps, 0 goals) - MISS It seems harsh to include Barclay as a miss when he only played in one friendly. He did alright too, in a 2-0 defeat to Clydebank. Signed as cover for Jamie Ewings he played backup to Mark Brown and then Alan Martin before leaving in August 2016. Now with East Stirlingshire in the Lowland League. Craig Pettigrew (19 apps, 0 goals) - MISS Signed to replace Steven Saunders and Scott Taggart at right-back, Pettigrew was far from an inspired signing. Stranraer fans claimed he wasn't up to the step-up, and they weren't wrong. An excellent crosser of the ball, he seemed to lack the positional sense needed to play in the Championship. Pettigrew was an ever present in the side up until October, when he was dropped to the bench in favour of David Smith. It was an opportunity Smith seized, making the right-back position his own and signalling the end of Pettigrew’s time at the Rock. After only a handful of appearances following that, he rejoined Stranraer in January 2017. Ryan Stevenson (24 apps, 4 goals) - MISS I spend a good chunk of my time at Uni with an Ayr United fan *waves to Ryan*. Said Ayr United fan spent near enough the entire second-half of last season grumbling about Stevenson’s performances back at Somerset Park. When he signed for Sons therefore I wasn’t overly optimistic. Especially after being lauded as a ‘big signing’. Stevenson wasn’t horrendous. He was capable of spraying some stunning passes, scoring some long range thunderpeaches and playing some clever little balls that only he could see. Unfortunately however he’d do one or two highly impressive things a game, and little else. He left the club in January to team up with Gary Locke again at Raith Rovers, with Lewis Vaughan coming the opposite way. I think we all know who got the better deal there...After briefly retiring he signed for Troon, and is now playing in the Australian 5th tier. Combine that with playing 90 minutes in goals for Raith against Ayr United, and it’s not been a dull season for the midfielder. Josh Todd (27 apps, 0 goals) - MISS Perhaps saying that Todd was a miss is harsh, however his failure to score in 27 games for the club represented a frustrating time with the club. Having joined in the nearest thing you’ll get to a ‘transfer saga’ in lower league Scottish football Todd, predominantly a striker or attacking midfielder for Annan Athletic, spent almost the entirety of his time at the Rock on right-wing. He worked hard, never let the team down, and his attitude was highly professional. There was just one issue, he wasn’t hugely effective. Signed as an amateur it became clear that we’d actually paid Annan a fee in the region of £5000 for his development. That meant he wasn’t being paid by us, yet had still cost a reasonable amount. He played regularly right up until leaving the club to join St Mirren in January 2017, with Calum Gallagher coming to the CID Stadium in return. Finally broke his duck this season with a goal against Dundee United at April. After hearing about the travelling he did to play for us (for little reward) I genuinely hope he goes on to have a successful career in football. His dedication and attitude is something few players can match. Joe Thomson (19 apps, 2 goals) - HIT Brought in just a day before the start of the League season, ‘J.Thomson’ immediately looked at home in the Sons’ midfield. A tenacious, hard working player, he became an ever-present in the side playing the box-to-box ‘Jamie Lindsay role’ - whilst also managing to score two crucial goals (something Lindsay failed to do). His first senior strike was the opener in a 2-2 draw with Dunfermline Athletic, his second came directly from a corner, in the incredible 4-4 draw with Ayr United on Christmas Eve. Those goals were interspersed with numerous Man of the Match performances - few better than in his final apperance, a 1-0 home victory over Dundee United. Despite this he wanted to progress to a full-time loan, and so switched to Queen of the South in January where he found a prolific touch - scoring 4 times in his first 8 games. Grant Gallagher (46 apps, 5 goals) - MISS Considered one of Aitken’s most impressive signings during his first summer, ‘the white Yaya Touré’ started his career in the best way possible, scoring in the manager’s first home game (a 2-0 victory against Hearts), and then grabbing a double in his first competitive game (a 3-2 victory against Morton). That form wasn’t to last however, as Gallagher - originally signed as a centre-defensive midfielder - found himself shunted absolutely all over the shop. He played as a number ten, a right-back, a striker, a right-winger and only occasionally slotted into his natural central midfield berth. Perhaps unsurprisingly therefore his performances dipped and, whilst his work rate was always commendable, he simply lacked the natural ability for many of the roles he found himself in. Started this season with the first competitive goal of the campaign again (in a 2-2 draw with Forfar Athletic in July), before missing two games through suspension after a silly red card in the Betfred Cup defeat to East Fife. Some quietly effective performances followed in his natural role, before a nasty ankle injury sustained in September ended his season. Darren Barr (71 apps, 3 goals) - HIT Proof, if it were needed, that I really don’t have an agenda against him. After an injury plagued few years, Barr became Aitken’s highest profile signing of his first transfer window, joining in June 2015 from Ross County. Less than a fortnight later he was announced as the club’s new captain, replacing the hugely popular Andy Graham in a move which surprised pretty much everyone. Fans feared the worst when he was forced off in just his second game for the club, and then missed the following week’s opening day victory against Hibernian. Fortunately it wasn’t a sign of what was to come, as (barring a brief spell out at the start of this season) he became an ever-present in the team. Deployed mainly in central midfield during his first campaign he put in some really rugged performances in a team that was more hard to break down than it was free-flowing going forward. None were better than in the 3-2 victory against Hibs in February 2016, a performance marked with the winning goal. This season he displaced Mark Docherty at centre-back to form a consistent partnership with Gregor Buchanan. He is still prone to moments of clumsiness, and certainly isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, however he has won over most of the doubters. Mark Docherty (75 apps, 6 goals) - HIT Up until March I doubt you would’ve been able to find a Dumbarton fan with a bad word to say about Sparky. Strong performances at left-back during the 2015/16 season, combined with a battling attitude, strong Twitter game and ability to score directly from corners made him a firm fans’ favourite at the Rock. Things changed on that miserable March afternoon however, when he found himself in an on pitch battle with teammate Stuart Carswell. Carswell was forced off with a bleeding nose, Docherty was suspended for two matches and duly lost his place in the team. Since then he has been limited to substitute appearances and, certainly on a personal level, I wouldn’t be shocked to see him move on in the summer. If that is to happen then I hope he’s remembered more for scoring two winners against Dundee United this season, than for anything else. We’d certainly be losing a big character and a lot of heart. Gregor Buchanan (77 apps, 3 goals) - HIT Stevie Aitken’s first signing, and arguably his most consistent. Buchanan has been a virtual ever present under Aitken, and must be one of the most sought after part-time players in the country. The big centre-back rarely puts a foot wrong, and formed impressive partnerships with Frazer Wright, Darren Barr and Mark Docherty during his time at the Rock. He’s growing into more of a leader every week and, should he be as settled as he appears to be, could quite easily go on to have a very long and successful career in G82. Then again he could move on in the summer, such are the joys of supporting a part-time team! If he is to leave however, it will take a big player to replace him. Literally and metaphorically. Christian Nadé (29 apps, 11 goals) - HIT The Prince. One of the most popular Dumbarton players in recent years; a cult-hero, a goal threat, the ideal hold-up man and a stupidly cool finisher who absolutely loves playing against Hibernian almost as much as he loves his current club. A nomadic career that took in the English Premiership, Ligue 1, the Πρωτάθλημα Α΄ Κατηγορίας (that’s, erm, Cypriot 1st Division to us, apparently), SPL and ไทยลีก (that’s Thai League, apparently) Nadé found himself at Dumbarton on the final day of January 2016. His signing was an inspired one, and his bond with the fans immediate. He spoke about his desire to enjoy playing football, and under Stevie Aitken he was certainly doing that. Ten starts yielded seven goals, including a first career hat-trick (and a perfect one at that) against Alloa Athletic in March 2016. Despite this he turned down a deal in the summer, and joined League 1 Stranraer. His time at Stair Park was desperate however, with Nadé clearly not enjoying working under Brian Reid’s managerial style. He left the club in November, sparking rumours of a January return ‘home’ to the Rock. After a brief trial period to keep his fitness up at Annan Athletic, he joined Dumbarton on the first of the month. Scoring a further four in ten starts, and playing a crucial and unique role in the team's renaissance since January. A role that included yet another trademark goal against Hibs! Alan Martin (39 apps, 0 goals) - HIT Simple question, Alan Martin or Danny Rogers? The two most talented Sons’ goalkeepers in my lifetime, no question, however to choose between them is no easy task. Based on his staggeringly strong performances this season however, and the fact Rogers wasn’t the finished article during his loan spell a few years ago, it has to be Martin. It came as a surprise to absolutely nobody when he cleaned up the Player of the Year awards, picking up every gong he was eligible for. Capable of pulling off some sublime reflex stops, strong in one-on-ones, dominant at dealing with high balls and hugely impressive with his feet, Martin has everything you need in a modern goalkeeper. It’s difficult to pinpoint just a number of his best performances, however his penalty saving heroics in the 2-2 draw at Easter Road - where he was the best player on the park - and in the crucial 1-1 with St Mirren were especially notable. He seems like he wants to stay at the club too, and so ‘the powers that be’ should be doing everything they can to keep him in the, erm, luminous yellow next season. Tom Lang (6 apps, 0 goals) - HIT Those of you who know me, know how highly I rate Lang. He may have only started one game since joining in January, but what a game it was. His pace and quality on the ball complemented Darren Barr’s ruggedness perfectly, and they both put in a dominant display in a 4-0 victory against Raith Rovers. Still only 19 he’s got plenty of time to develop into an outstanding modern defender, and for that reason I hope we see much, much more of him in the future. Ross McCrorie (9 apps, 0 goals) - HIT McCrorie was one of the most difficult to assess. Considered one of the brightest young players to come through Rangers’ youth system in recent years, he was signed with high, high hopes. In reality he did fine, without ever really showing why he is so highly thought of. He only featured nine times, six of which were starts. Of those two were at right-back, and the rest in central midfield. His finest game was undoubtedly at Easter Road in the 2-2 draw with Hibernian, where he absolutely controlled the game. A perfect athlete; strong, quick, sensational in the air, his distribution was his real weakness, especially in central midfield. Given Rangers’ current predicament however first-team football at the Ibrox club probably isn’t far away. Daniel Harvie (34 apps, 3 goals) - HIT If ever you needed a reason not to judge a player based on his first game, then Harvie was it. His Sons’ debut, just over 48 hours after signing, was also his full senior debut, and it showed. Nervous in possession, uncomfortable defensively and timid going forward, it was the sort of experience that requires a lot of character to recover from. Recover he did though, and in some style, scooping the club’s Young Player of the Year award at the end of the season. His importance was underlined by the games he was unavailable for. Bonnyrigg twice and Ayr United away were some of the worst performances of the season, and they all came without him. Another loan spell next season would do him the world of good, and a return to the Rock could suit both the Drumchapel native, Aberdeen and Dumbarton. Andrew Stirling (41 apps, 3 goals) - HIT No single player encapsulates the change in the team post-Bonnyrigg quite as well as Andy Stirling. The winger was totally ineffective during the first few months of the season. His final ball was horribly erratic, he looked scared to take players on and defensively he was shaky. Then everything changed. In the first 18 games of the season he managed one goal and one assist. In his next 18 he scored twice and contributed seven assists. His performances ranged from the impressive to the sublime; he tore teams to shreds, scored an absolute screamer against Falkirk and gave more than a few fullbacks a really torrid time. An absolute joy to watch when he’s in full flow, he’ll be a big loss with a move to Queen of the South on the horizon. David Smith (43 apps, 1 goal) - HIT One of only two players to feature in every single game this season, Smith enjoyed the best year of his career. And it was all down to a clever switch in position. More than a few people were surprised to see him line up at right-back against Dundee United in October. Craig Pettigrew had been poor, very poor in fact, however moving Darren Barr across and putting Mark Docherty into centre-back looked like the more obvious option. Any doubts were dispelled immediately though, as he immediately looked very much at home in his new position. Smith made it his own and, despite the negative comments from Falkirk fans, developed into a very accomplished second-tier player. He’s sure to be interesting other clubs in the summer, however having finally been given a regular run of games at the CID Stadium I’m confident he’ll stick around. Stuart Carswell (16 apps, 0 goals) - HIT Stuart Carswell has played over 150 competitive games of football, and has still to score his first goal. It’s therefore very, very difficult not to have a soft spot for him. Signed in January from Icelandic side Knattspyrnudeild Keflavík he allowed the change in formation that was so key to our success in the second half of the campaign. The former Motherwell midfielder is stupidly disciplined positionally, highly efficient in possession and wins plenty of 50/50s. His role isn’t stylish and impressive, but he is one of the key cogs in the team, and without him we’d have been in the relegation playoffs. Without a shadow of doubt. Getting him signed up over the summer could be a massive boost for the club, as few players can perform the role he does as effectively. Sam Stanton (27 apps, 4 goals) - HIT Probably second to Alan Martin in the Player of the Year stakes, the Hibernian loanee became one of the Championship’s standout playmakers when he eventually settled down at the Rock. Signed seemingly as a winger, his initial performances looked like those of a guy with absolutely no confidence. Gradually however this built up, and a move into central midfield saw him really thrive. At his best in a deep role alongside Carswell, his ability to evade challenges, drive forward and pick out a killer pass mark him out as a special player. There’s not a chance he’ll be back next season, and I think a few Premiership clubs could do worse than take a punt on him, should he not be back in Hibs’ plans. Calum Gallagher (7 apps, 0 goals) - MISS SeaGal’s rating is based more on his lack of game time than his usually decent, if too brief, appearances. Swapped for Josh Todd in January he went on to make just three starts for the club. His first came against Raith Rovers in March’s 4-0 victory. It was an opportunity he marked with an assist for the opener after just six minutes in a highly impressive display. That was followed by another decent showing against Hibernian, before he struggled in an unfamiliar lone striker role against Ayr United in his final start for the club. If he’s offered a new deal this month then he has an opportunity to cement a starting place on the wing following Andy Stirling’s departure. I for one hope he’s given the chance. Robert Thomson (43 apps, 12 goals) - HIT Top goalscorer, leading assister, most bookings and all round bantz merchant. Thomson took a while to get going, but when he did he became the best wide targetman in the league...not that I imagine competition for that role is too high. When it was revealed in January that he would be joining Greenock Morton at the end of the season few fans shed a tear. He had became hugely frustrating to watch. Ungainly, lacking composure and seemingly un-subbable. That move changed everything however, as he scored seven goals and registered three assists in his next 13 games. Those goals included an absolutely unbelievable hooked volley against Raith Rovers, and crucial strikes against St Mirren, Queen of the South and Dundee United. To say he looked a different player would be putting it all too mildly, he was absolutely sensational. If Aitken elects to stay, then replacing Thomson will be the biggest task facing him in the summer. Lewis Vaughan (15 apps, 4 goals) - HIT If you need any evidence of just how mental Raith Rovers’ season has been, then Vaughan is the perfect place to start. Starved of game time due to Gary Locke’s inability to see beyond Declan McManus and Rudi Skácel, Vaughan arrived on-loan at the Rock in January, with Ryan Stevenson going the opposite way. He played a massive role in the club’s rise up the table and, therefore, Raith’s drop into the relegation playoffs. Vaughan’s goals were worth six points to the club, and his commitment in hugely difficult circumstances was never in doubt. A hugely talented player, with a fantastic attitude to the game, he’ll go on to have a big career. His contribution to Dumbarton meanwhile is unlikely to ever be forgotten. Joe Nuttall (2 apps, 0 goals) - MISS Signed on an emergency loan from Aberdeen in March, former Manchester City youth Nuttall played just twice as a late sub for Dumbarton. During that time he held play up well once, and knocked a pass out of play. That’s pretty much all I can remember. Released by Aberdeen last month, he’s set to move back to Lancashire to continue his career closer to home.
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April 2020
CategoriesAuthorI'm Fraser, 22, Sons fan who is now living the dream of reporting on Dumbarton for the Lennox Herald. |