Loyal Dumbarton fans have raised more than £4,500 for the club by taking part in an online auction with Sons memorabilia up for grabs.

Items ranging from signed shirts to a five-a-side game against members of the playing squad were on offer until midnight on Friday.

The extra boost to the club’s coffers comes at a welcome time and follows the £25,000 that was raised by supporters via an online crowdfunder recently.

Paying tribute to the fans, vice-chairman Colin Hosie said: “A massive ‘thank you’ to everyone who took part in our auction, which has raised more than £4,500 for the club.

“Every penny matters right now, in order to be able to survive and hopefully come out of lockdown in a positive way.”

Meanwhile, Dumbarton’s board has been urged not to “sell the club’s soul” if the idea of colt teams being introduced into the SPFL set-up should rear its head again in future.

Sons Supporters Trust has urged the DFC board not to ‘sell its soul’ over the idea of colt teams being introduced into the SPFL setup.

The idea of Rangers and Celtic entering youth teams in the bottom division from next season onwards as part of a revamped league set-up was thrown out at an SPFL board meeting last week.

Member clubs are now mulling over plans for league reconstruction with a 14-10-10-10 set-up and without the involvement of colt teams from larger clubs – however, SPFL chief Neil Doncaster has suggested the option is always there.

The idea of youth sides from Rangers and Celtic joining the bottom tier of Scottish football is one which rears its head often, with some supporters claiming it will allow further development for Scottish players from the Old Firm sides.

Critics of the plan argue the Glasgow giants should send their players out on loan to influence their development by playing in a competitive league, and say the current set-up should not be changed just to appease Celtic and Rangers.

The Sonstrust said in a statement: “We believe the democratic principle of ‘one club, one team’ should be upheld, and to see the lower tier devalued into little more than a development league for the top two sides in Scotland to test their youth against is something we could not support under any circumstances.

“This opportunistic attempt to use the crisis in Scottish football to shoehorn their development sides into the lower leagues, with the promises of guaranteed ticket sales and joining fees, should be recognised as no more than a bribe – one that compromises the integrity of the competition.

“We believe that whatever financial benefit can be obtained by admitting colt teams into the league will be outweighed by the loss of revenue and goodwill from our supporters who overwhelmingly oppose the idea.

“The low attendances and boycotts at Challenge Cup fixtures involving colt teams both at the Rock and at many other grounds across Scotland show that there is little appetite to see the introduction of colt teams into the league.

“The Sonstrust will therefore be making firm representations to the club in opposition to any reconstruction proposal involving colt teams being introduced into the league set-up.

“No matter the financial gain, the club should not sell its soul by voting for such a proposal and risk antagonising its supporters who have been incredibly generous to the club over the past few months, rallying around and contributing financially to help ensure the future of our club.”