Aitken’s warning: Stay up to stay on
DUMBARTON manager Stevie Aitken has told his players they are playing for their futures at the club, with not one of his men yet signed up on contracts for next season.
Aitken’s own contract also expires at the end of the current campaign, although talks with the board are ongoing and are unlikely to be affected by the club’s league status.
The same cannot be said for the playing staff though, and Aitken knows staying in the Championship is key to maintaining his playing budget near its current levels.
If his squad, who dropped into the relegation play-off position with last weekend’s defeat to Dunfermline, want to stay at the club, then they will have to earn it by keeping them in the division.
“I think that players at most clubs, even the full-time ones at our level, know that they are playing for their futures at this time of the season,” Aitken said.
“Obviously that is brought into sharper focus when you are fighting a battle against relegation with three games to go, and I’m sure that is on the players’ minds.
“We can’t allow ourselves to become distracted though by thinking about contracts or next year or whatever else, because if we aren’t in the Championship then offering deals may not be possible anyway”
“The players deserve huge credit for the fact we are still right in the mix, and I have absolutely no doubts they will be giving me and this club everything in the next few weeks.”
If Dumbarton can beat Queen of the South on Saturday, they could move above Raith Rovers, and Aitken sees the match as a chance to pile pressure on their rivals. He said: “Hopefully we can do that, and then we will see how they will respond.”