Midfielder Ryan Blair had more than just three points to celebrate in Saturday’s victory against Rangers B, with the match marking his 125th game as a Dumbarton player.
Blairzo joined the Sons back in the summer of 2022 from East Fife, and has gone on to be a mainstay for Stevie Farrell – as well as playing a key role in promotion of 2023/24, including netting a memorable brace of free-kicks against Spartans in a remarkable 6-2 victory.
Reflecting on his time at The Marbill Coaches Stadium, the 29-year-old said: “It’s obviously good to hit the milestone. I’ve enjoyed my time here, and that’s why I signed on again in the summer. So long may it continue.”
Only two players have now played more matches for us during Stevie Farrell’s tenure, with Ryan just three behind Finlay Gray – albeit some way off the 159 games clocked up by Kalvin Orsi, prior to his departure for Alloa Athletic over the summer. Carlo Pignatiello is tied with Ryan on 125 matches across his two spells as a Son.
Teammates Aron Lynas and Brett Long are the only two other players to have been with the club for the same length of time meanwhile, with Aron on 111 appearances – and Brett, currently on loan to Beith Juniors as he recovers from a serious injury – on 81.
Ryan however is now fully focused on this Saturday’s clash with William Hill League 2 pacesetters Spartans, which kicks off the second quarter of the campaign.
He continued: “I think we’ve seen with all the games this season that everybody can beat everybody in this league. We’ve clawed our five points back, we’re sitting in a good position and hopefully we kick on to earn as many points as we can.
“After that we have Tayport in the Scottish Cup, but we treat that no differently to any other game. We’ll treat them with plenty of respect and do our best to get another positive result.”