Dumbarton FC skipper prepares for busy period

Feb 5 2010 by Andy Galloway, Lennox Herald (main ed)

DUMBARTON skipper Michael Dunlop fears that the forthcoming heavy schedule of fixtures could cause him the baby blues.

Sons were again out of action on Saturday when their trip to Peterhead was called off, meaning they now have five midweek matches ahead in March.

Those include a trip to Brechin as well as a visit to Peterhead, something Michael admits will impact on his working hours.

And although the 27-year-old came through a similar schedule last March, he now has another factor to deal with – his seven-month-old son, also named Michael.

But on the pitch, the captain has no fears over the heavy workload.

He said: “I don’t think it will affect us greatly, as every team is in the same position. If it was just us it would maybe be a bit tougher.

“But, while I am of course looking forward to playing the games, I’m not looking forward to the long journeys in midweek.

“I’ll have to take the Tuesday afternoon off to go to Brechin, and the Wednesday as well when we’re at Peterhead because we’ll be home so late.

“My son hasn’t been sleeping very well through the night recently, so I could miss out on even more sleep myself!

“But I’m loving fatherhood. You just have to take everything as it comes and take the rough with the smooth.”

However, Michael actually wasn’t too disappointed at Saturday’s postponement – as he was a doubt with a thigh injury.

He’s adamant, though, that he will be fit for this Saturday’s visit to East Fife.

He added: “We gathered at Crowwood on Saturday morning, but weren’t intending to go any further as it was pretty much certain the game would be off.

“But the bus arrived, and we got about 10-15 minutes up the road before we got the confirmation.

“We’ve now had an extra week’s rest, and I’ll be fine to face East Fife on Saturday, which will be a difficult game.”