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In little over a week Dumbarton fans have raised over half the total needed to save the club from financial meltdown.

The shutdown of Scottish football due to the Covid-19 pandemic left Sons chairman John Steele, inset, admitting that the historic club’s future was “hanging in the balance”.

However, things now look brighter. So far donations to the club’s official crowdfunding page total £12,703 - just over half their £25,000 target.

And that has led to praise from a former Sons player.

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Local lad Michael Dickie played over 120 times for Dumbarton between 1999 and 2003, and hailed those helping out his old side. He said: “Dumbarton have a really good support with people who are willing to do things to help the club, everyone is coming together at the moment to help out.

“There will be so many teams like Dumbarton who will be struggling. It’s great to see everyone clubbing together and helping each other.

“They have enough good people who want them to do well and they have a lot of things going on to try and support them.”

Dickie is one of few players to have played for the Sons at Boghead Park, Cliftonhill and the current C&G Systems Stadium – and he looks back fondly on his four years at the club.

He added: “My time with Dumbarton was brilliant. I was so fortunate to be given the chance to play for them. The club tweeted the last game at Boghead last week and it gave me a good laugh. I remember the day well.

“To go from growing up in Dumbarton and watching games in Boghead to playing for the club was a huge achievement for me and something I’m still incredibly proud of.”

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