Dumbarton manager Jim Duffy got every ounce of potential out of his squad as they finished ninth in League One but survived via a dramatic playoff.
The squad that the Sons approached the season with was not strong on paper, and it never got any stronger to a significant degree as the campaign went on. Duffy played to the team’s strengths, which meant that they leaned heavily on their defence and tried to pinch the occasional goal going the other way.
Only 38 goals were scored in their 22 league games, making them poor to watch but relatively effective in how they conducted their business. Indeed, their five home wins were secured by scoring just eight goals in 11 matches.
What little offensive talent they had largely came through Jaime Wilson, who arrived from Australian football and proved to be a valuable pick up. While Adam Frizzell showed flashes of potential, ultimately he was not effective, while PJ Crossan was much the same. Robert Jones, simply, was not good enough.
The midfield was primary defensive and was built around Stuart Carswell, who had a strong season. Nat Wedderburn was a solid partner for him but again was a player who had a focus on not letting much past him. This was ultimately a strength for the team due to their pragmatic style and the fact that Ross Forbes was able to create goals on a regular basis due to his set-piece quality.
Dumbarton’s strength was really in defence, where Ryan McGeever and Morgyn Neill were absolute rocks for the team. Without this central defensive partnership, which was not only reliable but capable of playing match after match in the most intense circumstances, Dumbarton would surely have gone down.
Indeed, even when the Sons were depleted in the full-back areas, they were strong. Losing goalkeeper Maciej Darowski, who had been on loan in the first half of the season, promised to be a huge blow, but the strength of the rearguard helped mitigate this.
Dumbarton will have new owners by the new season, and their fans will hope to see a more attractive approach, but the job of survival was accomplished this term.
