Saturday 11th June 2022
STEVIE Farrell is off to the sun on Monday. His concern before then was bringing another player to the Sons.
Striker Ryan Wallace has become the latest addition to the squad – allowing the Dumbarton manager to work with a player who he has already seen score 10 goals in 23 games for his Stranraer team.
The manager flies off on a family holiday to Portugal on Monday, which he will stay on until the day of Sons’ first pre-season friendly, behind closed doors against Ayr United next Thursday.
Assistant Frank McKeown will be minding things until then, including the start of pre-season training this Thursday, which will now include Wallace.
Stevie said: “Ryan is somebody I know very well. I worked with him at Stranraer where he had a fantastic time before Arbroath paid a fee to sign him.
“I know what I am getting with him in terms of his hunger and desire. I know his quality and in terms of the full package, he is exactly they type of player I wanted to bring to the club.
“We need another two players at least, but we must also be conscious of the budget. We need another goalkeeper in the squad, and we have a lad coming into training on Thursday. He will have a look at us, we will have a look at him, and take things from there.
“We will also probably look at one more striking option. There are no promises on that, but talks have gone fairly well so far.
“You are always impatient to get deals done, but you come to realise that patience is the key. We have slowly built the squad up having had the nucleus of nine already signed.
“We have brought in seven, and there is a mix and balance there. We have been meticulous in our planning to bring those players in and the pre-season games will give us a chance to see the new squad in action.”
Stevie has no fears about leaving Frank in charge of the start of pre-season training from this week – but admits he won’t be switching off completely.
He added: “It is a chance to have some time with my family, so I will be there for eight or nine days with them, and I will fly back for the Ayr United friendly while they stay a bit longer.
“I don’t like to miss pre-season games, but Frank will be more than capable of taking the team through the first few pre-season training sessions.
“However, you just can’t switch off from football altogether – any manager will tell you that. You have got to enjoy your downtime but my phone will never be off.”
Dumbarton Football Club