Wednesday 2nd June 2021
TWELVE months ago, Andy Geggan was contemplating moving down through the gears of football.
Now he’s never been more ready to hit fifth – after becoming a League One champion for the third time.
It’s quite conceivable that had the Lowland League been played in full last season, the midfielder’s loan move from BSC Glasgow to Partick Thistle wouldn’t have happened.
It wasn’t played in full, the switch did happen, and it led to Andy rediscovering his desire to play senior football.
And now he is back where it all began in earnest in August 2006, when he made his debut for Dumbarton in a 1-1 draw at Montrose.
It was the first of 166 games he played over a five-year spell before full-time football with Ayr United came calling.
Over the years, he brought the League One title to Somerset Park in 2018, having done it with Dunfermline Athletic two years earlier.
And having lifted the honours with Thistle last season, he’s found that his appetite for senior football has not gone away.
He had several potential destinations this close season but when the club where he launched it all came calling, there was only going to be one outcome.
Speaking to www.dumbartonfootballclub.com, Andy said: “I’m very excited that it’s happened.
“I was at the club previously for five years and loved every minute of it. I loved playing for the club, I loved playing for the fans, and when I got the call to go back it was a bit of a no-brainer really.
“I had other options last summer, but it was my choice to go to BSC Glasgow, as I felt I was getting to a stage where I had to take a step back through the leagues, just to try and enjoy football again.
“But I got a taste of it when I went to Thistle and I thought ‘I want more’. This season I had a lot of options from League Two and the Lowland League but when Dumbarton came up I knew I couldn’t knock it back.
“Last season was the fourth league title I’ve won in my career, and the third in League One. I didn’t play as much as I’d have loved to, but that’s because the team was winning.
“The players there were really good and I really enjoyed working alongside them. Ian McCall had a big impact on my career as well, so it was good to work with him again.
“He gave me the opportunity to go and play when the Lowland League shut down, turning up at training and just getting involved again.
“I just knew I needed to have more of that, and the chance to join Dumbarton again came along.”
Those who saw Andy play for Dumbarton the first time will recall his tenacity and desire for the team to perform as well as they could.
That reached its peak in season 2008/09, when he was part of the squad that lifted the Third Division title.
He’s pleased to advise that his desire to be a winner is very much still there, and is something he hopes Dumbarton can use to full effect in the coming campaign.
He added: “We’ve let a number of players go, but my ambitions, no matter the team, is that I want to come in and compete and at least push for the top four.
“We don’t want it to be like last year when we were fighting to stay in the league – that’s not me. People know I’m a winner and I want to ensure the team goes in the right direction.
“I trust that Stevie Farrell will bring in the right players. I don’t want us to be in the same situation as last season – I want us to be right up there.”
Andy Galloway