1997–98 Dumbarton F.C. season
# 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.

## 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

Win  Draw  Loss

## League table

| Pos | Teamvte | 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 |

## Player statistics

### Squad

| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | Third Division | Third Division | League Cup | League Cup | Challenge Cup | Challenge Cup | Scottish Cup | Scottish Cup |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| | GK | SCO | Derek Barnes | 6 | 0 | 6+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| | GK | SCO | Kenny Meechan | 36 | 0 | 30+0 | 0 | 2+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 3+0 | 0 |
| | DF | SCO | Craig Brittain | 29 | 2 | 23+0 | 2 | 2+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 3+0 | 0 |
| | DF | SCO | Jamie Bruce | 27 | 1 | 21+1 | 0 | 2+0 | 1 | 0+0 | 0 | 3+0 | 0 |
| | DF | SCO | Tom Currie | 16 | 0 | 15+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 |
| | DF | SCO | Chris Dalrymple | 3 | 0 | 3+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| | DF | SCO | Billy Davidson | 6 | 0 | 4+2 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| | DF | SCO | Stevie Gow | 25 | 1 | 21+0 | 1 | 2+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 2+0 | 0 |
| | DF | SCO | Alex Grace | 32 | 4 | 23+5 | 4 | 0+1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 |
| | DF | SCO | Stephen Hamill | 1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| | DF | SCO | Stephen Jack | 12 | 0 | 11+1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| | DF | SCO | Martin Melvin | 3 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| | DF | SCO | David Reid | 17 | 0 | 15+1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| | MF | SCO | Jim Meechan | 41 | 5 | 36+0 | 5 | 2+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 3+0 | 0 |
| | MF | SCO | Adrian Mellis | 19 | 1 | 5+11 | 1 | 1+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| | MF | SCO | Billy Melvin | 7 | 0 | 7+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| | MF | SWE | Robert Prytz | 3 | 0 | 3+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| | MF | SCO | Willie Wilson | 38 | 1 | 30+2 | 1 | 2+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 3+0 | 0 |
| | FW | SCO | Chris Ewing | 2 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| | FW | SCO | Marc Falconer | 8 | 0 | 6+2 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| | FW | SCO | Paddy Flannery | 13 | 0 | 5+6 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 2+0 | 0 |
| | FW | SCO | Martin Glancy | 26 | 2 | 11+10 | 2 | 2+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 |
| | FW | ISL | Hrienn Hringsson | 2 | 0 | 2+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| | FW | SCO | Ross McCuaig | 18 | 1 | 12+4 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 2+0 | 1 |
| | FW | SCO | Colin McKinnon | 39 | 11 | 32+1 | 10 | 2+0 | 1 | 1+0 | 0 | 3+0 | 0 |
| | FW | SCO | Martin Mooney | 36 | 5 | 26+4 | 5 | 2+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 3+0 | 0 |
| | FW | FIN | Tommi Orismaa | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| | FW | SCO | Robert Reilly | 10 | 1 | 4+2 | 1 | 1+1 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| | FW | SCO | Lee Sharp | 40 | 8 | 34+0 | 7 | 2+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 3+0 | 1 |
| | FW | SCO | Hugh Ward | 26 | 3 | 9+11 | 3 | 0+2 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 1+2 | 0 |

## 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!
