Our History
While the team continue to write our new history on the field our club historian, Jim McAllister, has put together some of the highlights (and a few lowlights!) from over 150 years of club history.
While our walk down memory lane will include lots of stats, the best place to head is The Sons Archive which has a treasure trove of information from past and present. It really is a one stop shop for all our stats.
You can also pick up a copy of Jim’s book The Sons of The Rock: 150th Anniversary Edition from the club shop.
1870s
1872 Dumbarton FC formed on 21st December 1872.
1873 Joined newly formed Scottish Football Association.
1873 Lost to Renton after a replay in the first round of the inaugural Scottish Cup.
1879 Club signs lease for Boghead Park. One of the first clubs to secure a permanent home.
1880s
1881 Dumbarton play outside Scotland for the first time when they play a friendly against Blackburn Rovers.
1881 Dumbarton lose the Scottish Cup Final to Queen’s Park, 1-0.
1882 Dumbarton lose the Scottish Cup Final to Queen’s Park, 4-1 after a 2-2 draw.
1883 Dumbarton win the Scottish Cup following a 2-1 victory over Vale of Leven after a 1-1 draw. This was the first all Dunbartonshire Scottish Cup Final.
1883 Dumbarton and Rangers play a charity match in aid of the families who suffered as a result of the SS Daphne disaster.
1887 Dumbarton lose the Scottish Cup Final to Hibernian 2-1.
1888 Defeat Kirkintilloch Central 13-1 in a Scottish Cup tie to record the club’s record victory.
1890s
1890 Dumbarton play their first fixture in Northern Ireland when they travel to play Belfast Distillery.
1890/91 Dumbarton and Rangers share the first ever Scottish League Championship. The sides finished level on points. The Scottish League ordered a play-off to decide the champions. When that finished 2-2 they decided the league should be shared.
1891 Dumbarton lose the Scottish Cup final to Heart of Midlothian.
1891/92 Dumbarton become the first outright champions of the Scottish League.
1895/96 Voted out of the Scottish League First Division.
1896/97 Voted out of the Scottish League Second Division after finishing bottom.
1897 Lose the Scottish Cup final to Rangers 5-1.
1900s
1905/06 Win the Scottish Combination League. Voted back into the Scottish League Second Division.
1907/08 Dumbarton lose the Consolation Cup final to Alloa Athletic 2-0.
1910s
1910/11 The first Dumbarton fixture goes to extra time v Galston in a Qualifying Cup replay. Galston were victorious 3-0.
1910/11 Dumbarton lose the Consolation Cup Final to St Johnstone 2-1.
1911/12 Dumbarton lose the Qualifying Cup final to Dunfermline Athletic 2-1.
1913 Dumbarton FC becomes a limited company.
1914 James Collins is appointed the first manager of Dumbarton.
1920s
1922 Dumbarton relegated to the Second Division in the first season of automatic relegation in the Scottish League.
1922 Dumbarton embark on their first tour of Europe when they play in Norway and Sweden, playing 11 matches.
1926 Lose 11-1 to Albion Rovers at Cliftonhill, a club record defeat.
1930s
1930/31 Manager Donald Colman leaves the club after a record 344 games in charge.
1935 Johnny Haddow becomes the first Dumbarton player to score 100 goals for the club.
1950s
1951 Dumbarton win the St Mungo Festival of Britain Quaich by defeating Ayr United 2-1 after extra time.
1952 Lose 11-1 to Ayr United at Somerset Park to equal record defeat.
1955/56 Hugh Gallacher scores 46 goals in all competitions, a club record.
1957 Raith Rovers are the opponents a Scottish Cup tie which sees the largest attendance at Boghead, 18,001.
1960s
1961/62 Hugh Gallacher scores the last of his 205 goals for the club, a club record, from 231 games.
1966 John Kelly is the first player to be selected as a substitute. Substitutes were only permitted in the event of injury and Kelly wasn’t required
1966 Jimmy Veitch becomes the first Dumbarton substitute to be used
1967 Andy Jardine plays the last of his 297 league games for Dumbarton, a club record.
1967 Full Backs Tommy Govan and Andy Jardine both leave the club. They played together on 254 occasions.
1970s
1970 A second game is required for Celtic to defeat Dumbarton 4-3 in the League Cup semi final replay after a 0-0 draw. Both games went to extra time. Celtic had played Feyenoord in the European Cup final earlier in the year.
1970/71 Kenny Wilson scores 40 goals in the season.
1970/71 Johnny Graham completes a club record of 125 consecutive games which started in season 1967/68.
1971/72 Kenny Wilson scores 43 goals in the season, Charlie Gallagher and Roy McCormack both reach 20 goals for the season. Wilson is the only player to score 40 goals in a season twice.
1972 Dumbarton secure promotion back to the top flight of Scottish football after an absence of 50 years as champions.
1975 The Scottish League Is re-organised and Dumbarton take their place in the second of three tiers.
1976/77 Johnny Graham plays his 385th game in all competitions, a club record.
1980s
1980 Lawrie Williams plays his 372nd and last game for the club, a record for a goalkeeper.
1980 Graeme Sharp transferred to Everton for a club record transfer fee of £125,000.
1984 Dumbarton win promotion to the Premier League.
1985 Relegated form the Premier League after only one season.
1985 The first Dumbarton fixtures is settled by penalty kicks v Stirling Albion in the League Cup. Stirling won 4-3 on penalties.
1989 Charlie Gibson joins the club from Stirling Albion for a record fee of £50,000.
1990s
1991/92 Ian McFarlane sets an individual club record of 666 minutes without conceding a goal.
1991/92 Promoted from Division Two to Division One.
1996/97 Relegated from Division Two to Division Three.
1998 Alan Brown, at 16 years and 37 days is the youngest player to play for the club.
2000s
2000 Dumbarton play their last fixture at Boghead after 121 years, against East Fife.
2000 Dumbarton play fixtures at Clftonhill Stadium, Coatbridge until the new stadium is ready.
2000 New stadium opens against Elgin City, named the Strathclyde Homes Stadium.
2000 John Wight becomes the first substitute goalkeeper to be used when he replaced the injured John Hillcoat.
2001/02 Promoted from Third Division to Second Division.
2008/09 Mark McGeown and David McEwan set a club record of 757 minutes without conceding a goal.
2008/09 Dumbarton promoted from Division Three to Division Two as champions.
2010s
2011/12 Dumbarton promoted to the Championship from the Second Division after beating Airdrie United 6-2 over two legs in the play-off final.
2013 Squad numbers introduced for the first time.
2015 The crowd v Rangers is 1,978, the highest attendance at the current stadium.
2016 A crowd of 48,568 watch Dumbarton play at Ibrox Stadium, the highest crowd to watch a Dumbarton match.
2018 Dumbarton lose the final of the Irn Bru Challenge Cup to Inverness Caledonian Thistle 0-1.
2020s
2021/22 Dumbarton relegated from League 1 to League 2 after losing to Edinburgh City in the play off semi final.
2022/23 Brett Long and Harry Broun set a club record of 19 shut-outs in a season. Long sets the individual record with 17.
2023/24 Dumbarton promoted from League 2 to League 1 after defeating The Spartans in the play off final.
2024 Dumbarton FC enter administration on 19th November and are deducted 15 points in season 2024/25 and 5 points for season 2025/26. Quantuma appointed as joint administrators
2024/25 Relegated from League 1 to League 2 after failing to overcome the 15 point deduction.
2025 Dumbarton FC exits administration on 24th June and is ready to begin a new era.