Wednesday 6th October 2021
CALLUM WILSON started life with Dumbarton a few weeks away from his 18th birthday, without having played for over a year.
Even now, he’s only started six senior games in his life.
But today’s events have made him living proof of how, with hard work, things can turn around so quickly.
With only those half dozen starts on his CV, he is a player of the month, as revealed earlier today.
And now he is committed to Sons until 2023, with manager Stevie Farrell looking to take advantage of his great start with the club by giving him a longer term deal.
He admits that finding out about his cinch League One player of the month award for September took him by surprise.
He thought the trophy would end up in the Dumbarton dressing room. Just not in his hands.
Today’s two bits of good news round off a first quarter of the season which have given him back his love of football.
Speaking to www.dumbartonfootballclub.com, Callum said: “It’s all a bit weird – I wasn’t expecting to win it at all.
“I actually thought that Gregor Buchanan would win it, but it’s good to get it and I’m delighted.
“It was Antonia Love (general manager) who told me I’d won. I think my words were asking whether she was winding me up, but she told me no, it was entirely serious. I couldn’t really believe it when I found out.
“My phone has been busy since the news broke. Everybody’s been on to say congratulations and well done, and it’s been really good.
“I’ve enjoyed it since I’ve been here and talks about my contract have gone on for a couple of weeks. I just wanted to get it done because I enjoy my football here, and to have signed for two years is even better.
“No matter how we’d been doing I wanted to get it done. I just enjoy it here and even if we hadn’t been doing so well of late, it would have been just as easy to say yes and stick in to help the team.
“One hundred per cent, it’s got me enjoying football again. I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed my football so much in my life.”
Callum with his player of the month award for cinch League One for September. Copyright Andy Scott Photos 2021.
There remain another three quarters of the season for Callum and the rest of the Sons squad to keep pushing on.
At least in theory, they could go top of cinch League One in 10 days’ time when current leaders Queen’s Park visit the moreroom.com Stadium.
Targets as a team stay in the dressing room, but Callum knows what he wants to do on a personal level over the rest of the campaign.
He added: “The gaffer has set us targets for the season, which we keep to ourselves.
“But for me, my target is to add a few more goals, keep up the assists, and keep myself in the starting XI for as many games as I can.
“If somebody had said that we’d come out of the first quarter with 14 points, and I’d be player of the month and have been in the SPFL team of the week, I’d have thought that was incredible. I’ll certainly take it.
“We could and should have had more points, but if we’d been told we’d beat Falkirk away, and be on that points total a quarter of the way through, we’d have taken that.”
Andy Galloway