Former Aberdeen youngster Michael Ruth credits Dumbarton for career revival

Michael Ruth says he would've been stupid to leave Dumbarton after committing his future to the club.

The former Aberdeen forward starred as Stevie Farrell's men won promotion to League One last season, netting 15 times - including a memorable playoff final brace.

And Ruth has delighted fans by turning down offers from elsewhere to sign a new season-long contract at The Rock last month.

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But the 22-year-old believes he would've been making a mistake by moving on - after loving his first season in white and gold, with the Sons set to do battle with the Dons in the Premier Sports Cup next month.

The youngster told the Lennox: "There was interest from a few teams. But I loved my season at Dumbarton; I loved working with all the boys, the staff, the gaffer.

"They were all brilliant with me, especially after the last few years where things have been a bit up and down. They gave me a platform to go and show what I can do.

"They trusted me. And that pushed my decision to stay and give it another year. There was interest and clubs were wanting to speak to me. But I didn't want to go somewhere so they could have a look at me.

"If I was going to move, I wanted it to be somewhere I was wanted right away. I didn't want to be waiting until the end of summer to see what was coming up.

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"When you find somewhere you love playing and where you're doing well, you'd be a bit stupid to jump right away."

Ruth arrived at The Rock 12 months ago on the back of a frustrating spell in League One with Queen of the South, which saw him start just one league match.

Now he's excited about the prospect of starting the season as one of the first names on Sons' teamsheet.

He continued: "You always want to be improving. And the best way to do that is by playing against better players and better teams.

"I had my time at Queen of the South and six months at Falkirk a few years ago; but to give it a proper crack with Dumbarton is something I'm really excited about.

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"We're going into League One confident. We're not going in to avoid relegation. We want to put a dent in it, and we're confident that we can do that.

"As a group we're feeling positive, we know what we can do and we're really looking forward to it."

And he's determined to further reward Stevie Farrell and his coaching team for their faith.

Michael added: "I've enjoyed my football so much this year. The final was an unbelievable night. Doing it for the gaffer, Franko and the staff who have done so much for us this year was special.

"They put so much faith in us and kept backing us. To reward them with promotion meant a lot."