2025–26 Dumbarton F.C. season
| 2025–26 season | |
|---|---|
| Chairman | Dr Neil Mackay |
| Manager | Stevie Farrell |
| Stadium | Marbill Coaches Stadium |
| League Cup | Group stage |
The 2025–26 season will be Dumbarton Football Club's first back in Scottish League Two, the fourth tier of Scottish football, having finished 10th in Scottish League One in 2024–25. Dumbarton will also compete in the Scottish League Cup and the Scottish Cup.
Story of the season
May
Preparations for the new season following relegation back to Scottish League Two started with David Wilson, Joel Mumbongo and Greig Young being released.[1] On May 21 Canadian businessman Mario Lapointe was announced as the administrator's new preferred bidder, and it was hoped that a takeover deal could be concluded by early June.[2] On the park, forward James Hilton left after two seasons - turning down a new deal to join League Two rivals Clyde.[3]
June
Midfielder Finlay Gray was the next player to leave, turning down a new deal to join Stenhousemuir after three seasons with the club.[4] The same week friendlies were confirmed with St Mirren and West of Scotland Football League side Irvine Meadow.[5] Carlo Pignatiello and Michael Ruth both left the club on June 12 to join Queen's Park.[6][7] At the same time it was announced that the club would be exiting administration following the formation of a Newco.[8] The club's first matches of the new season came in the Stirlingshire Cup - with a squad entirely made up of trialists losing 2-0 in 60 minute matches against Stenhousemuir and Stirling Albion.[9] On June 24 the club's takeover by Canadian businessman Mario Lapointe was officially confirmed.[10]
This was followed by a busy period of activity as the club's squad began to take shape. Skipper Mark Durnan was the first to agree a new deal,[11] and was joined in staying by Cameron Clark, Ryan Blair,Tony Wallace[12] and Aron Lynas.[13] New signings arrived in the shape of defender Morgyn Neill,[14] returning for a second spell at the club, former East Fife defender Gordon Walker[15] and goalkeeper Shay Kelly - who returned after a successful loan spell.[16]
The following days was busy too, with Chris Johnston,[17] Ally Roy[18] and Dominic Docherty[19] all joining the club on permanent deals. On June 27, a quadruple loan signing saw Carrick McAvoy, Thomas Falconer and Theo McCormick join from St Mirren, and Ollie Ecrepont sign from Ayr United.[20] The same day, former East Kilbride defender Adam Livingstone also joined the club.[21] However Michael Miller and Patrick O'Neil were joined by youngster Zak Queen in leaving the club on the same day.[22] The first home friendly of the Mario Lapointe era ended in a 4-0 defeat to Scottish Premiership St Mirren.
July
The first friendly of July ended in a 4-3 defeat to Irvine Meadow XI - Ally Roy and two trialists got Dumbarton's goals.[23] On July 4 Kalvin Orsi turned down a new deal and left the club for Alloa Athletic.[24] The same day winger Scott Tomlinson joined on loan for the season from Ayr United.[25] The club's final pre-season friendly on July 6 ended in a 3-3 draw with Queen of the South - with Tony Wallace, Ryan Blair and Ally Roy on target.[26]
First team transfers
- From end of 2024–25 season, to last match of season 2025–26
In
| Player | From | League | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morgyn Neill | Alloa Athletic | Scottish League One | Free |
| Gordon Walker | Free Agent | Free | |
| Shay Kelly | St Mirren | Scottish Premiership | Free |
| Chris Johnston | Free Agent | Free | |
| Dominic Docherty | Clyde | Scottish League Two | Free |
| Ally Roy | Stirling Albion | Scottish League Two | Free |
| Carrick McAvoy | St Mirren | Scottish Premiership | Loan |
| Thomas Falconer | St Mirren | Scottish Premiership | Loan |
| Theo McCormick | St Mirren | Scottish Premiership | Loan |
| Ollie Ecrepont | Ayr United | Scottish Championship | Loan |
| Adam Livingstone | East Kilbride | Scottish League Two | Free |
| Scott Tomlinson | Ayr United | Scottish Championship | Loan |
Out
| Player | To | League | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| David Wilson | Free | ||
| Joel Mumbongo | Annan Athletic | Scottish League Two | Free |
| Greig Young | Free | ||
| Craig McGuffie | Peterhead | Scottish League One | Free |
| James Hilton | Clyde | Scottish League Two | Free |
| Finlay Gray | Stenhousemuir | Scottish League One | Free |
| Michael Ruth | Queen's Park | Scottish Championship | Free |
| Carlo Pignatiello | Queen's Park | Scottish Championship | Free |
| Matthew Shiels | Queen's Park | Scottish Championship | Free |
| Mouhamed Niang | East Kilbride | Scottish League Two | Free |
| Michael Miller | Free | ||
| Patrick O'Neil | Free | ||
| Zak Queen | Free | ||
| Kalvin Orsi | Alloa Athletic | Scottish League One | Free |
Fixtures and results
Win Draw Loss Upcoming fixture
Stirlingshire Cup
| 21 June 2025 Ground stage | Stenhousemuir | 2 - 0 | Dumbarton | Ochilview Park |
| 10:00 | Michael Anderson 42' 44' |
| 21 June 2025 Group stage | Stirling Albion | 2 - 0 | Dumbarton | Ochilview Park |
| 12:00 | Dale Carrick 31' 49' |
Friendlies
| 28 June 2025 | Dumbarton | 0 - 4 | St Mirren | Dumbarton Football Stadium |
| 15:00 | Report | Mikael Mandron 37', Roland Idowu 52' 58', James Scott 85' | Attendance: 1,357 |
| 3 July 2025 | Irvine Meadow | 4 - 3 | Dumbarton | Meadow Park |
| 19:45 | Jojo Gillespie 26' (pen.), Shaun Gallagher 49', Ross McKenzie 84', Euan Baird 88' | Report | Ally Roy 29', Kemo Darboe (T) 71', Scott Honeyman (T) 77' | Referee: Ross Clark |
| 5 July 2025 | Dumbarton | 3-3 | Queen of the South | Dumbarton Football Stadium |
| 15:00 | Tony Wallace 48' (pen.), Ryan Blair 62', Ally Roy 68' | Report | Kemo Darboe (T) 51' 52', Reece Lyon 90' | Attendance: 387 Referee: Alastair Grieve |
Scottish League Two
| 2 August 2025 League Two | Dumbarton | – | Clyde | Dumbarton Football Stadium |
| 15:00 |
Scottish Cup
| - |
Scottish League Cup
Matches
| 15 July 2025 Group stage | Dumbarton | - | Stirling Albion | Dumbarton Football Stadium |
| 19:45 |
| 19 July 2025 Group stage | Dumbarton | - | Dunfermline Athletic | Dumbarton Football Stadium |
| 15:00 |
| 23 July 2025 Group stage | Hearts | - | Dumbarton | Tynecastle Park |
| 19:45 |
| 26 July 2025 Group stage | Hamilton Academical | - | Dumbarton | Broadwood Stadium |
| 15:00 |
Player statistics
- As of 23:53, 27 June 2025 (UTC)
All competitions
| # | Position | Player | Starts | Subs | Unused subs | Goals | Red cards | Yellow cards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | MF | Ryan Blair | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | Cammy Clark | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | MF | Dominic Docherty | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | Mark Durnan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | GK | Ollie Ecrepont | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | MF | Thomas Falconer | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | MF | Chris Johnston | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | GK | Shay Kelly | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | DF | Adam Livingstone | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 | GK | Brett Long | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | DF | Aron Lynas | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | MF | Carrick McAvoy | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | Theo McCormick | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | DF | Morgyn Neill | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | FW | Ally Roy | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | MF | Scott Tomlinson | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | MF | Tony Wallace | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | DF | Gordon Walker | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Captains
| No. | P | Name | Country | No. games | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | DF | Mark Durnan | 0 | Club captain |
Last updated: As of match played 23:53, 15 June 2025 (UTC)
Source: Competitive match reports.
Competitive matches only
Matches started as captain only
Country: FIFA nationality; No.: Squad number; P: Position; Name: Player name; No. Games: Number of games started as captain.
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Forfar Athletic | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 7 | Stirling Albion | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 8 | Stranraer | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 9 | The Spartans | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 10 | Dumbarton | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −5[a] | Qualification for the League Two play-off final |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-to head points; 5) Head-to-head goal difference; 6) Play-off (only for deciding promotion, play-off participation and relegation).[28]
Notes:
- ^ Dumbarton were deducted five points for entering administration during the previous season.
References
- ^ "MEN'S SQUAD UPDATE". dumbartonfootballclub.com. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
- ^ "Dumbarton takeover: Mario Lapointe close to buying club". BBC Sport. 21 May 2025. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
- ^ Hart, Sean (22 May 2025). "NEW SIGNING: James Hilton". Clyde F.C. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
- ^ Davidson, Louise (6 June 2025). "Finlay Gray is Our First Summer Signing". Stenhousemuir FC. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
- ^ "IRVINE MEADOW PRE-SEASON FRIENDLY". dumbartonfootballclub.com. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
- ^ Oliver, David (12 June 2025). "Queen's Park bring former Aberdeen striker back to join First team squad". Queen's Park Football Club. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
- ^ Oliver, David (13 June 2025). "Welcome to Queen's Park - Carlo Pignatiello". Queen's Park Football Club. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
- ^ "Dumbarton: SPFL club plan to exit administration by becoming new company and seek SFA approval". BBC Sport. 12 June 2025. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
- ^ "Dumbarton field entire team of trialists for pre-season game". BBC Sport. 21 June 2025. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
- ^ Marzella, Chris (24 June 2025). "Dumbarton FC sale finalised as Canadian businessman completes takeover". Daily Record. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
- ^ "SKIPPER STAYS ON". dumbartonfootballclub.com. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
- ^ "THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN". dumbartonfootballclub.com. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
- ^ "ARON LYNAS EXTENDS SONS STAY". dumbartonfootballclub.com. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
- ^ "MORGYN NEILL RETURNS". dumbartonfootballclub.com. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
- ^ "GORDON WALKER SIGNS". dumbartonfootballclub.com. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
- ^ "SUPER SHAY KELLY STAYS IN GOAL". dumbartonfootballclub.com. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
- ^ "CHRIS JOHNSTON RETURNS". dumbartonfootballclub.com. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
- ^ "ALLY ROY RETURNS TO THE ROCK". dumbartonfootballclub.com. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
- ^ "DOM DOCHERTY ARRIVES". dumbartonfootballclub.com. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
- ^ "FOUR LOANEES ARRIVE". dumbartonfootballclub.com. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
- ^ "ADAM LIVINGSTONE IS A SON". dumbartonfootballclub.com. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
- ^ "FINAL SQUAD UPDATE". dumbartonfootballclub.com. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
- ^ "MEADOW EDGE OUT SONS IN IRVINE". dumbartonfootballclub.com. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
- ^ "CLUB STATEMENT: KALVIN ORSI". dumbartonfootballclub.com. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- ^ "SCOTT TOMLINSON JOINS ON LOAN". dumbartonfootballclub.com. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- ^ "SIX-GOAL THRILLER AT THE ROCK". dumbartonfootballclub.com. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- ^ "League Two Table". Scottish Professional Football League.
- ^ "The Rules of the Scottish Professional Football League" (PDF). SPFL. pp. 38–39. Retrieved 20 October 2019.