Dumbarton new boy Blair Malcolm has described his switch to the Sons as “a no-brainer.”
The combative midfielder became Stevie Farrell’s first addition of the summer on Saturday, inking a season long deal at the Rock following his departure from Albion Rovers.
And Malcolm, who caught the eye against the Sons with some aggressive midfield displays, says he believes the club is the right fit for him at this stage in his career.
The 26-year-old said: “The gaffer had expressed interest a few weeks ago and it was quite an easy decision from there if I’m honest.
“Dumbarton are a well run club and, having played against them last season, it was a no-brainer.
“It’s always nice to be recognised by opposition managers.
“Dumbarton showed a lot of interest in me, so it was quite an easy decision in the end, and one I was happy to get done pretty sharpish.
“It’s a big part-time club, one with good ambition and drive, and they will be challenging at the top end of the table.”
Challenging for a title is a key aim for Blair, who is determined to put relegation heartbreak with Albion Rovers behind him.
The former Ross County and Alloa man continued: “It was a disappointing couple of weeks for myself with Albion Rovers being relegated. But I’m delighted to be here.
“Challenging at the right end of the league was an attraction for me. Hopefully this season we can go one better than next year.
“You want to look back on your career having won league titles and playoffs.
“That’s a big factor. We were fighting relegation at Albion Rovers and it’s a different style of pressure at either end of the table, but one I’ll relish.”
And the versatile new addition is happy to be Stevie Farrell’s odd-jobs man.
He added: “I like to get on the ball, I like to break up play and pass it to the guys who can do the magic.
“I’m happy to play anywhere. I’ve played centre-midfield, left-back, left-midfield and I’ve even filled in at centre-half as well.
“But I think being a deep lying midfielder is probably my best role.”
Trio return to The Rock
Dumbarton completed a triple signing coup as the Lennox went to press, bringing three former players back to the club.
Carlo Pignatiello leads the arrivals, with the 23-year-old returning to the club after a season with Morton.
He was followed by midfielder Callum Wilson, who had a brief spell at the club under Jim Duffy in 2020, and joins from Albion Rovers.
Delighted boss Stevie Farrell said: “When we found out that Carlo was going to be available it was a move we immediately wanted to make.
“He was a standout for us during his first spell here in the league above and with another year of full-time football under his belt he will only have improved.
“His versatility is something we think will be important to us and to have him back at the club is a real positive.”
The trio of ex-Sons was completed by Tony Wallace, a graduate of the club’s youth system and member of the playoff winning side of 2011/12 - who signed after being a key player for Annan Athletic in their promotion to League One earlier this month.
Faz added: “Tony is someone we have had our eye on for a while and we are really pleased to get him through the door. He has a lot of experience at this level.”
Durnan becomes fifth addition
Mark Durnan became the fourth signing of a hectic Bank Holiday Monday for Dumbarton.
The 30-year-old has joined the club after leaving League One Alloa Athletic, for whom he made more than 50 appearances.
Speaking about the deal, boss Stevie Farrell said: “Mark has great experience and will be an important player for us.
“He has played at a high level throughout his career and was very keen to get the deal done to become a Dumbarton player.”
Durnan could vacate the space made following the departure of captain Gregor Buchanan, who turned down a new deal at Dumbarton to join League Two rivals Stenhousemuir.
The 33-year-old, who has made 160 appearances across two spells at The Rock, inked a two year deal with Gary Naysmith’s Warriors - having won the Sons’ Players’ Player of the Year award last year.
The Lennox understands that boss Farrell was keen to try and keep the veteran centre-back at the club, but that Sons were unable to get near the offer Buchanan received from Stenhousemuir.
