McCabe signed former Kilmarnock Scottish Cup winner David Bagan and Stephen Dobbie on loan from St Johnstone.
Any chances of a loan extension were dashed when Dobbie signed permanently for Scottish First Division side Queen of the South.
McCabe succeeded in leading Dumbarton to a Scottish Cup 3rd round tie against SPL champions Celtic which they lost 4–0.
[6] McCabe also led Dumbarton to a League Cup clash against another SPL team, Inverness Caley Thistle eventually losing the match 3–1.
However, after a succession of players left the club, including popular goalkeeper Stephen Grindlay, defender Chris Boyle and winger Ryan Borris, McCabe found it hard to replace them.
Lack of goals was evident in the league when new signings Brian McPhee and David McFarlane failed to hit the net on a regular basis.