RYAN STEVENSON has said this year’s pre-season with Dumbarton is “one of the best” he’s ever done.

The 31-year-old midfielder became Stevie Aitken’s fourth summer signing, and the former Ayr midfielder spoke highly of the way his new boss and coaches had handled summer training with the Sons. And the former Scotland international said the manager was one of the big draws for him coming to the club.

He said: “It’s been brilliant. To be honest with you it’s probably been one of the best pre-seasons I’ve ever done – and I’m coming into my 17th pre-season just now.

“Everything we’ve done has been done with a purpose towards what we’re trying to achieve this season, how we’re going to play. Everything is totally structured towards that, so it’s been absolutely first class.”

Aitken is someone Stevenson rates highly and the former Hearts winger thinks his new boss at the Cheaper Insurance Direct Stadium is one to watch out for in the future.

He added: “It’s just the way he comes across and you can see he is hungry for success.

“Outside of (Aberdeen boss) Derek McInnes he’s probably the hottest young manager in the country, as well as (Hearts manager) Robbie Neilson and I’d say they are the top three.

“He’s hungry to do well, he’s hungry for Dumbarton to do well and he’s hungry to do well for himself and I just felt that I wanted to be a part of that. It just drew me towards him and I’m really looking forward to this season.”

Aitken has played Stevenson in a holding midfield role during pre-season but says that won’t mean he’s playing there all season.

He said: “No, not at all, I think as the games go and the seasons go things change and I think its quite flexible in there with whoever plays.

“I’m obviously getting to know the boys as well and they’ll get to know my position and I’ll get to know there’s so, as I said, its been excellent.

The Ayr United fan took the tough decision to leave his boyhood club to join the Sons – and moving to become a part-time player was a key part in his thought process.

He added: “I’m obviously getting older. I’m 31 so I’m not stupid enough to think it’ll last forever. Sometimes these things can creep up quite quickly on you.

“I’ve had friends who have gone into depression, leaving football quite late on and then not having anything else in the outside world.

“So I had the chance to still stay full-time but I had a long hard think about it. I thought that maybe being 31, I’ve still got a lot more years in me. But maybe it’s the right time to step back and have a look at the big bad world outside of me.

“And While the former Hearts player has not fully decided what he wants to do after his football career has finished, he’s sure it was the right move to make.

He said: “I think when you take that sort of leap everybody thinks that maybe you’re a bit silly. A lot of my mates and ex-players are saying you should stay in the game as long as you can.

“It’s what I’m doing and to be fair I’m enjoying it a lot more now than I have been for a long time. It’s like leaving school again – what do you want to do? I’ve never done anything, I left my mum and dad’s when I was 13 to go to London.

“I’m not going to just dive into anything but I’m going to take my time and hopefully I can find something out there for me.”