Dumbarton FC administrators getting 'lots of interest' from prospective investors

Just ten days after entering administration and following a near £90,000 fundraising campaign, the future of Dumbarton Football Club looks considerably brighter.

Last Tuesday, players and staff were told by administrators they had no way to pay their wages, and they had serious concerns over the long-term future of the more than 150-year-old club.

But in the intervening period, those in charge of sorting Dumbarton’s affairs have told STV News that interest in investing in the club is high

“There has been a lot of people contacting us expressing interest in the club, some we will be really interested to talk to when we are ready,” said Ian Wright from administrators Quantuma.

“At the minute, we are trying to establish the club’s financial position and once we have a clearer picture, hopefully, we can start some conversations.”

The GoFundMe organised for the club reached its initial £50,000 target in a matter of hours. The new £100,000 goal also looks set to be broken with the current total standing at more than £87,000.

Mr Wright said: “It’s incredible. Last Tuesday night was one of the worst nights of my career, telling the staff about the situation the club is in.

“But 24 hours later, the fans stepped up and we told them that this month’s wages were safe and here we are a week later – and we are probably good up to March time.”

On the pitch, manager Steve Farrell and his side face an uphill battle to survive in League One. A 15-point deduction for entering administration leaves them rock bottom of the table – four points behind Inverness Caledonian Thistle, who also have been deducted points following their financial woes.

Farrell, 51, said: “We certainly won’t be the last (side to go into administration). It’s a lesson, it’s a lesson for Scottish football in general, to take a look inside the part-time game and part-time clubs and hopefully it’s a lesson that can have a real learning outcome across Scottish football.”

Farrell’s career on the pitch and in the dugout has given him experience across the professional, part-time and junior game in Scotland and England, but he acknowledges nothing could prepare him for a situation like this.

“The harsh reality is this is the reality of football. These are the times in football that are unexpected and you don’t get them on the pitch, coaching a 4-3-3 or a 4-2-2.

“This is when you’ve got to go in deep into people’s characters and hopefully keep them with you because that was the crucial point last week, keeping these players with us and making sure everyone felt part of it and we came through it together.”

One of those players is captain Mark Durnan. He knows when he leads his players out on Friday night in the Scottish Cup against Alloa, there is a chance everyone in the crowd has contributed to both his and the club’s long term future.

He said: “We’ve just got to go out and hopefully it will be a packed stadium on Friday night with the lights on, and hopefully we can go and put on a performance and get the fans behind us. We know they’re behind us, so it’s up to us now to get them to cheer us on.”