Sons captain Mikey Doyle believes leadership extends far beyond simply wearing the armband as we prepare to face Kilmarnock B in the KDM Trophy on Tuesday night.
Doyle was named club captain over the summer and says his experience can be used to help bring the best out of the younger members of our squad.
“When you play football for as long as I do, you realise that you need 11 captains on the park. You really need a full squad of captains,” he explained to our young reporter Zoli McFarland.
“So even though I have the armband, everybody needs to be a captain in the park. It’s a great honour and I hope I do the club proud.”
The skipper believes his experience throughout his career is one of the reasons he has been entrusted with the responsibility, but insists every player has a role to play in leading the team.
“Because of my experience. I’ve been up and down my football career so I can help the younger guys,” he said.
“You can be having a stinker but as long as you can talk to other people and get you through it. I think there’s different things about being a good captain. You need to be a leader, you need to set the example, you need to be willing to sacrifice so that, for the good of the team, it’s not all about you.
“It’s for the good of the team and that’s what I’m willing to do for the team.”
Doyle also recognises that different players require different forms of encouragement, with his own actions on and off the pitch intended to set the standard.
“It depends on the scenario. Different players need different things. For me, just set an example.
“Being a leader, being disciplined, and in training just helping people. As I say, everybody needs something different. Some people need a kick up the backside; some people need a cuddle.
“So, if you can identify these things and be something that people want to follow. I think the boys would follow me, I’d hope, but as I say, I wouldn’t ask them to do something I wouldn’t do. When I tell them and give them advice, it’s because I want them to be the best they possibly can.”
That desire to help younger players develop is something Doyle takes particularly seriously, with the Dumbarton captain hoping to see some of the club’s emerging talent go on to reach the highest levels of the game.
“I said that to them at the start of the season. I want to be looking in ten years at some of these young boys playing in the English Premier League and say, I played with these guys. I just wanted the best for them.”
Doyle has enjoyed a career across the Scottish football pyramid, experiencing success at several clubs and playing alongside many of the players he now considers close friends.
“Listen, I’ve had a lot of success at clubs. My time at Alloa, starting off my career with a proper first team, we had a lot of success. Simmy and Sparky were part of that squad.
“So that’s how long I’ve known them. So, you get that success. With St Johnstone, in the Scottish Premier League was amazing as well because we were playing at fantastic places.
“I met Tommy [Robson] at Queen’s Park and me and him have been best mates in football as well. I met Matty Shiels at Hamilton. So, I’ve met all these people associated with the Sons.
“But I’m enjoying my time with Dumbarton. I really am enjoying my time here and I hope I can give them the success that I’ve had at other clubs and let the fans enjoy that.”
The opportunity to represent his local club has added another dimension to Doyle’s current spell with Dumbarton, with the captain highlighting his connection with the club and its supporters.
“I’ve always been a big supporter of the Sons. I’m a local boy. I’m not far away from here.
“Getting to talk to the fans as well. I think the club is really well supported, and you can see how much people care about it and how honest they are when you talk to them. I love that.
Doyle’s durability has also been evident throughout his career. During the 2024/25 campaign with Cove Rangers, he played every minute of the season, something he puts down to his ability to keep going despite the demands of the game.
“No, I don’t get tired. You can ask the staff. One thing about my legs, they keep going,” he joked.
“That was a good season. We just missed out on the play-off final. The thing about that that was quite amazing, I think I was 33 or 34 at the time, and about 31 when I was in the Morton at pre-season, I dislocated my kneecap down in Annan on a pre-season friendly.
“I was lying on the park. It took me three tries to get my knee back into place, and I honestly thought that was the end of my football career. Two years later, to be playing every minute of every game and getting to a play-off final, I can only thank my family and my friends, and my wife especially, who helped me through that time.”
With the KDM Trophy providing an opportunity for the squad to continue building momentum and for younger players to gain valuable experience, Doyle’s leadership will once again be important as we head into Tuesday night’s meeting with Kilmarnock B.