Season 2003–04 was the 120th football season in which Dumbarton competed at a Scottish national level, entering the Scottish Football League for the 98th time, the Scottish Cup for the 109th time, the Scottish League Cup for the 57th time and the Scottish Challenge Cup for the 13th time.

Notwithstanding the improvement in performances towards the end of the previous season, manager David Winnie set about a considerable change in playing staff. Unfortunately, despite an initial burst, it would take longer than expected for the new players to settle in, and by the end of October, only one league win had been recorded. However, from then until the end of the season, the league campaign saw a vast improvement in results and in the end a 3rd-place finish was achieved - missing promotion by just 2 points.

In the Scottish Cup, it would be a first round exit for the third season in a row, with a heavy defeat to Gretna.

In the League Cup, following a win over Ayr United in the first round, it would be Premier Division Aberdeen that would bring Dumbarton's interest in the competition to an end.

Finally, in the Scottish Challenge Cup, it was back to old habits, with Ross County handing out a first round thumping.

Locally, in the Stirlingshire Cup, Dumbarton lost both of their opening group ties - however each tie was lost on a penalty shoot out.

^[1]   Win   Draw   Loss

Alloa Athletic v Dumbarton

9 August 2003 Scottish Second Division	Alloa Athletic	1–2	Dumbarton	Recreation Park, Alloa
	Smith 3'	BBC Report	Bradley 8' Flannery 46'	Attendance: 446 Referee: G Mitchell

Dumbarton v Arbroath

16 August 2003 Scottish Second Division	Dumbarton	1–1	Arbroath	Dumbarton Football Stadium
	Flannery 57'	Report	Cargill 84'	Attendance: 1,050 Referee: I Brines

Morton v Dumbarton

23 August 2003 Scottish Second Division	Morton	2–2	Dumbarton	Cappielow
	Williams 31' (pen) Weatherston 83'	BBC Report	Flannery 57' Boyle 58'	Attendance: 3,402 Referee: C Conroy

Airdrie United v Dumbarton

30 August 2003 Scottish Second Division	Airdrie United	2–0	Dumbarton	Excelsior Stadium
	Dunn 6' Glancy	BBC Report		Attendance: 1,468 Referee: C Allan

Dumbarton v Berwick Rangers

13 September 2003 Scottish Second Division	Dumbarton	1–1	Berwick Rangers	Dumbarton Football Stadium
	Dillon 17'	BBC Report	Hutchison	Attendance: 722 Referee: C Melville

Forfar Athletic v Dumbarton

20 September 2003 Scottish Second Division	Forfar Athletic	3–1	Dumbarton	Station Park, Forfar
	Tosh 4' Henderson 56' Shields 83'	BBC Report	Collins 66'	Attendance: 449 Referee: A Freeland

Dumbarton v Stenhousemuir

27 September 2003 Scottish Second Division	Dumbarton	0–1	Stenhousemuir	Dumbarton Football Stadium
		BBC Report	Harty 89'	Attendance: 747 Referee: C Murray

East Fife v Dumbarton

4 October 2003 Scottish Second Division	East Fife	1–0	Dumbarton	Bayview Stadium
	Lynes 81'	BBC Report		Attendance: 518 Referee: T Brown

Dumbarton v Hamilton

18 October 2003 Scottish Second Division	Dumbarton	0–3	Hamilton	Dumbarton Football Stadium
		BBC Report	Corcoran 26' Quitongo 46' Thomson 69'	Attendance: 890 Referee: C Boyle

Arbroath v Dumbarton

25 October 2003 Scottish Second Division	Arbroath	2–1	Dumbarton	Gayfield Park
	Cargill 42' McGlashan 69'	BBC Report	McEwan 57'	Attendance: 506 Referee: J Rowbotham

Dumbarton v Alloa Athletic

1 November 2003 Scottish Second Division	Dumbarton	1–0	Alloa Athletic	Dumbarton Football Stadium
	McEwan (pen)	BBC Report		Attendance: 742 Referee: E Smith

Berwick Rangers v Dumbarton

8 November 2003 Scottish Second Division	Berwick Rangers	1–4	Dumbarton	Shielfield Park
	McCutcheon 36'	BBC Report	Bonar 5' English 18' Dillon 21', 23'	Attendance: 722 Referee: E Mack

Dumbarton v Airdrie United

16 November 2003 Scottish Second Division	Dumbarton	2–0	Airdrie United	Dumbarton Football Stadium
	Dillon	BBC Report		Attendance: 1,361 Referee: M Sproule

Stenhousemuir v Dumbarton

6 December 2003 Scottish Second Division	Stenhousemuir	1–1	Dumbarton	Ochilview
	Brown 10'	BBC Report	Bradley 31'	Attendance: 588 Referee: M Ritchie

Dumbarton v East Fife

13 December 2003 Scottish Second Division	Dumbarton	3–1	East Fife	Dumbarton Football Stadium
	Dillon 18' Bonar 47' Russell 78'	BBC Report	McDonald 67'	Attendance: 653 Referee: C Boyle

Dumbarton v Morton

3 January 2004 Scottish Second Division	Dumbarton	1–0	Morton	Dumbarton Football Stadium
	Russell 5'	BBC Report		Attendance: 1,861 Referee: C Hardie

Dumbarton v Forfar Athletic

10 January 2004 Scottish Second Division	Dumbarton	2–1	Forfar Athletic	Dumbarton Football Stadium
	Dillon 43' Rodgers	BBC Report	Tosh 17' (pen)	Attendance: 803 Referee: J Downie

Alloa Athletic v Dumbarton

17 January 2004 Scottish Second Division	Alloa Athletic	3–0	Dumbarton	Recreation Park, Alloa
	Hamilton 7' Daly 82' Callaghan 90'	BBC Report		Attendance: 423 Referee: C Allan

Forfar Athletic v Dumbarton

24 January 2004 Scottish Second Division	Forfar Athletic	1–0	Dumbarton	Station Park, Forfar
	Tosh 24'	BBC Report		Attendance: 540 Referee: S MacDonald

Dumbarton v Berwick Rangers

7 February 2004 Scottish Second Division	Dumbarton	4–1	Berwick Rangers	Dumbarton Football Stadium
	McEwan (pen) Herd 6' Brittain Russell	BBC Report	Cowan	Attendance: 722 Referee: J Flemming

Airdrie United v Dumbarton

14 February 2004 Scottish Second Division	Airdrie United	1–1	Dumbarton	Excelsior Stadium
	Vareille 10'	BBC Report	Rodgers 88'	Attendance: 1,379 Referee: K Toner

Dumbarton v Hamilton

21 February 2004 Scottish Second Division	Dumbarton	2–0	Hamilton	Dumbarton Football Stadium
	Bonar 45' Russell 85'	BBC Report		Attendance: 1,046 Referee: C Conroy

Dumbarton v Arbroath

6 March 2004 Scottish Second Division	Dumbarton	1–0	Arbroath	Dumbarton Football Stadium
	Rodgers 22'	BBC Report		Attendance: 828 Referee: E Smith

Hamilton v Dumbarton

9 March 2004 Scottish Second Division	Hamilton	2–0	Dumbarton	New Douglas Park
	McPhee Gribben	BBC Report		Attendance: 949 Referee: J Gilmour

Morton v Dumbarton

13 March 2004 Scottish Second Division	Morton	3–2	Dumbarton	Cappielow
	Greacen Miller Williams	BBC Report	McEwan (pen) Bonar	Attendance: 2,705 Referee: C Richmond

East Fife v Dumbarton

16 March 2004 Scottish Second Division	East Fife	1–3	Dumbarton	Bayview Stadium
	Fairbairn 31'	BBC Report	Russell 9' Herd 85' Boyle 81'	Attendance: 439 Referee: M Tumilty

Dumbarton v Stenhousemuir

23 March 2004 Scottish Second Division	Dumbarton	4–0	Stenhousemuir	Dumbarton Football Stadium
	Russell 1', 13' Boyle 17' Bonar 75'	BBC Report		Attendance: 552 Referee: M Sproule

Dumbarton v Airdrie United

27 March 2004 Scottish Second Division	Dumbarton	1–2	Airdrie United	Dumbarton Football Stadium
	Herd 29'	BBC Report	Glancy 9' McLaren 62'	Attendance: 1,536 Referee: C Thomson

Berwick Rangers v Dumbarton

30 March 2004 Scottish Second Division	Berwick Rangers	1–2	Dumbarton	Shielfield Park
	Bennett 67' (pen)	BBC Report	Russell 23' Boyle 74'	Attendance: 354 Referee: C Boyle

Stenhousemuir v Dumbarton

3 April 2004 Scottish Second Division	Stenhousemuir	1–2	Dumbarton	Ochilview
	Brown 87'	BBC Report	Ronald 2' Dillon 71'	Attendance: 412 Referee: K Toner

Dumbarton v Forfar Athletic

10 April 2004 Scottish Second Division	Dumbarton	1–1	Forfar Athletic	Dumbarton Football Stadium
	Herd	BBC Report	Maher 23'	Attendance: 1,007 Referee: E Mack

Hamilton v Dumbarton

17 April 2004 Scottish Second Division	Hamilton	2–1	Dumbarton	New Douglas Park
	Thomson 55' Gemmell 89'	BBC Report	Collins 7' (pen)	Attendance: 1,343 Referee: C Murray

Dumbarton v East Fife

24 April 2004 Scottish Second Division	Dumbarton	1–0	East Fife	Dumbarton Football Stadium
	Russell	BBC Report		Attendance: 827 Referee: J Gilmour

Dumbarton v Morton

1 May 2004 Scottish Second Division	Dumbarton	3–0	Morton	Dumbarton Football Stadium
	Ronald Herd 57' Russell 85'	BBC Report		Attendance: 1,861 Referee: J Underhill

Arbroath v Dumbarton

8 May 2004 Scottish Second Division	Arbroath	0–3	Dumbarton	Gayfield Park
		BBC Report	Ronald 29' Herd 33'	Attendance: 531 Referee: S Duff

Dumbarton v Alloa Athletic

15 May 2004 Scottish Second Division	Dumbarton	3–1	Alloa Athletic	Dumbarton Football Stadium
	Herd 68' Skjelered Dillon	BBC Report	McGowan 44'	Attendance: 1,439 Referee: I Fyfe

Ross County v Dumbarton

13 August 2003 Scottish Challenge Cup round 2	Ross County	5–0	Dumbarton	Victoria Park, Dingwall
	Winters 29', 74' Hamilton 70'	BBC report		Attendance: 861 Referee: I Fyfe

Ayr United v Dumbarton

2 September 2003 Scottish League Cup round 1	Ayr United	1–2	Dumbarton	Somerset Park
	Smyth	BBC Report	Flannery Bonar 90'	Attendance: 1,048 Referee: E Mack

Aberdeen v Dumbarton

23 September 2003 Scottish League Cup round 2	Aberdeen	3–1	Dumbarton	Pittodrie Stadium
	Zdrilic 14', 45' Hinds 46'	BBC Report	Obedile 81'	Attendance: 3,944 Referee: W Young

Gretna v Dumbarton

22 November 2003 Scottish Cup round 1	Gretna	4–0	Dumbarton	Raydale Park
	Stevens 6' Skelton 74' Holdsworth 80' Gordan 86'	BBC Report		Attendance: 652 Referee: E Smith

Dumbarton v Stirling Albion

29 July 2003 Group stage	Dumbarton	1–1 (lost p)	Stirling Albion	Dumbarton Football Stadium
	Herd

Stranraer v Dumbarton

23 July 2003 Friendly	Stranraer	3–2	Dumbarton	Stair Park

Dumbarton v Queen of the South

26 July 2003 Friendly	Dumbarton	1–0	Queen of the South	Dumbarton Football Stadium

Sauchie v Dumbarton

27 July 2003 Friendly	Sauchie	3–2	Dumbarton	Sauchie

Dumbarton v Partick Thistle

8 September 2003 Friendly	Dumbarton	2–4	Partick Thistle	Dumbarton Football Stadium
				Attendance: 250

Stranraer v Dumbarton

9 October 2003 Friendly	Stranraer	0–2	Dumbarton	Stair Park
			Flannery Donald

Dumbarton v Vale of Leven

15 October 2003 Friendly	Dumbarton	5–1	Vale of Leven	Dumbarton Football Stadium
	Flannery Russell English Christie

Queen's Park v Dumbarton

27 December 2003 Friendly	Queen's Park	0–3	Dumbarton	Hampden Park
			Rodgers Mallan

Stirling Albion v Dumbarton

8 January 2004 Friendly	Stirling Albion	1–2	Dumbarton	Forthbank Stadium
			Mallan

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		Second Division		League Cup		Challenge Cup		Scottish Cup
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
	GK	SCO	Stephen Grindlay	38	0	34+0	0	2+0	0	1+0	0	1+0	0
	GK	SCO	Kris Robertson	2	0	2+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
	GK	SCO	John Wight	2	0	0+1	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+1	0
	DF	SCO	Craig Brittain	36	1	32+0	1	2+0	0	1+0	0	1+0	0
	DF	SCO	Neil Collins	34	2	29+1	2	2+0	0	1+0	0	1+0	0
	DF	SCO	Ian Dobbins	20	0	12+5	0	2+0	0	0+0	0	0+1	0
	DF	SCO	Neil Duffy	11	0	8+1	0	1+0	0	1+0	0	0+0	0
	DF	SCO	Craig McEwan	25	4	19+4	4	1+0	0	0+0	0	1+0	0
	DF	SCO	James McKinstry	40	0	36+0	0	2+0	0	1+0	0	1+0	0
	DF	NGA	James Okoli	2	0	2+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
	DF	SCO	Steve Renicks	18	0	7+11	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
	MF	SCO	Steven Bonar	39	6	35+0	5	1+1	1	1+0	0	1+0	0
	MF	SCO	Chris Boyle	32	4	17+11	4	2+0	0	0+1	0	1+0	0
	MF	SCO	Mark Bradley	28	2	18+6	2	2+0	0	1+0	0	1+0	0
	MF	SCO	John Dillon	39	8	31+5	8	0+1	0	1+0	0	1+0	0
	MF	SCO	Barry Donald	28	0	24+2	0	1+1	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
	MF	SCO	Steve Laidler	6	0	0+6	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
	MF	NGA	Emeka Obidile	13	1	8+2	0	2+0	1	0+0	0	1+0	0
	MF	SCO	Danny Smith	7	0	4+1	0	1+0	0	1+0	0	0+0	0
	FW	SCO	Isaac English	11	1	8+1	1	0+0	0	0+1	0	1+0	0
	FW	SCO	Paddy Flannery	13	4	8+2	3	1+1	1	1+0	0	0+0	0
	FW	SCO	Gordon Herd	21	8	11+9	8	0+0	0	0+1	0	0+0	0
	FW	SCO	Stevie Mallan	5	0	3+2	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
	FW	SCO	Andy Rodgers	11	4	7+4	4	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
	FW	SCO	Paul Ronald	14	3	13+1	3	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
	FW	SCO	Iain Russell	36	10	26+7	10	0+1	0	1+0	0	0+1	0
	FW	NOR	Bjorn Skjelbred	8	1	2+6	1	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0

^[1]

^[2]

Players in Player From Date Mark Bradley Berwick Rangers 6 Jun 2003 Steve Renicks Queen of the South 6 Jun 2003 Chris Boyle Kilmarnock 11 Jun 2003 Gordon Herd Bo'ness United 7 Jul 2003 James McKinstry Partick Thistle 7 Jul 2003 Danny Smith Linlithgow Rose 7 Jul 2003 Isaac English Bo'ness United 19 Jul 2003 James Okoli York City 9 Aug 2003 Ian Dobbins Hamilton 29 Aug 2003 Kris Robertson St Mirren 27 Sep 2003 Stevie Mallan Stenhousemuir 5 Dec 2003 Andy Rodgers Falkirk 19 Dec 2003 Paul Ronald Airdrie United 31 Jan 2004 Steve Laidler Reading 11 Mar 2004 Bjorn Skjelbred FK Tønsberg 31 Mar 2004

Players out Player To Date Andy Brown Stenhousemuir 6 Jun 2003 Dave Stewart Forfar Athletic 2 Jul 2003 Craig Lynes East Fife 3 Jul 2003 Neil Scally Falkirk 8 Jul 2003 Kevin McCann East Stirling 15 Jul 2003 John McKeown Cowdenbeath 19 Jul 2003 Gary McCutcheon Berwick Rangers 16 Aug 2003 Kris Robertson Queen of the South 3 Dec 2003 Paddy Flannery Stenhousemuir 4 Dec 2003 Tom Brown Bellshill Athletic Michael Dickie Maryhill Neil Duffy Sauchie Stevie Mallan Glenafton Athletic Emeka Obidile Buckingham Town James Okoli FC Ismaning Danny Smith Linlithgow Rose Isaac English

• The League match against Forfar Athletic on 20 September marked Craig Brittain's 200th appearance for Dumbarton in all national competitions - the 28th Dumbarton player to break the 'double century'.

• 2003–04 in Scottish football

• Kris Robertson (Dumbarton Football Club Historical Archive)
• John Wight (Dumbarton Football Club Historical Archive) Archived 1 April 2017 at the Wayback Machine
• Steve Laidler (Dumbarton Football Club Historical Archive)
• Danny Smith (Dumbarton Football Club Historical Archive)
• Gordon Herd (Dumbarton Football Club Historical Archive)
• Scottish Football Historical Archive