SFL Div 2, Excelsior Stadium, 16/4/11

With thirty minutes of this one to go we were safe, ten points ahead of Stenny with three games left. At the end of it we are far from that happy state; only six points ahead. And our goal difference is worse.

They have Alloa, Brechin and Peterhead to play – one in the top four. We have Ayr, Livingston and Forfar – all in the top four.

We need points somewhere in that lot. Two of theirs are away, though, and the only away win they have was against us.

We find ourselves in the unusual position of wishing the team immediately below us to win on Saturday.

SFL Div 2, The Rock, 9/4/11

A very good, important, win. The worst we can do now is finish ninth and be in the relegation play-offs. Still room for jitters, though.

But five goals is excellent. The last time we scored five was the all but promotion clincher against Elgin two seasons ago. Nice to see Jordan Halsman on the score sheet. And Michael White in goal again. Time to work on the clean sheets.

Four difficult games to go, but Livingston becoming champions means they don’t have much to play for. They might relax and be off the pace, which would be good for us. (Or they may be under so little pressure they hammer us.)

SFL Div 2, The Rock, 1/4/11

Another two points thrown away? Certainly one gained for Alloa.

So we could have been five points ahead of them but are only two.

From being unable to do anything except win or lose (mostly lose) we suddenly seem to be draw artists.

Those two draws in the last two games makes Saturday’s home match against Peterhead a biggie. (They all are, right now.)

Edited to add. Nice to see Michael White getting a game in goal.

SFL Div 2, Ochilview Park, 29/3/11

Two points thrown away. And, more importantly, for Stenny one point gained.

So instead of being seven points ahead of them with six games to go (Stenny have a game in hand) we are only four points in front.

A pretty uneventful first half with Pat Walker’s shot hitting the ourtside of the post and Jon McShane with an overhead kick attempt. Stenny hit the bar.

A goal out of nowhere early in the second after a good combination down the right from Walker and Gilhaney ended with a cross McShane couldn’t miss. The second was a wickedly whipped in free kick where the defence stood about looking for offside. McShane’s shot was parried by the keeper and three of our players could have had the tap in.

Jon McShane pulled an instinctive save from their keeper before Walker nearly chipped him but the clincher never came.

The second goal or the sending off of the Stenny defender for an exactly similar pair of late challenges on the same player (Walker) was the turning point.

We switched off. A Stenny guy ran almost from the halfway line before anyone challenged him and that was in the box. Penalty. 1-2. McShane was then obstructed in their box a minute or so later but no penalty. It would have been a foul anywhere else on the pitch.

They got inspiration form their goal but their second was very poor defending. Firstly the guy was allowed to cross the ball. Secondly, Stephen Grindlay was rooted to his line when he ought to have claimed it (he never does, though.) Free header from a bloke on the pitch only a few seconds.

This felt like a defeat.

I hope the lads’ heads are up for Saturday.

Our next three games are against those in and around us, our last three are against teams in the top four. If we need anything from those last three games let’s hope the play off positions are already decided.

SFL Div 2, Glebe Park, 26/3/11

Whatever Alan Adamson said to the boys at half time it didn’t work. We started it as slowly as the first and lost an equally quick, if not quicker, goal. After that any semblance of defensive organisation disappeared and it was like the early season again.

We were pretty much abject throughout. Only Ryan McStay – who somehow nearly always seems to create space for himself – and Jon McShane get pass marks, the rest looked like they’d never played together.

Brechin were by far the better team and thoroughly deserved the win. But…

They are the most annoying bunch of shameless whingers I’ve ever seen. While the game was still in the balance every time a decision went against them two or three would be in the ref’s face moaning. Ryan McStay’s booking apart* Dumbarton’s players by and large accepted decisions – even the offside goal (well; it looked offside to me) – but maybe that’s why we lost.

*Ryan had gone in to protect Martin McNiff after Brechin’s neddish no 7 had raised his hands to Martin. The Brechin player should have been sent off – and therefore not on the pitch to score their second, which may have been the critical goal as we more or less fell apart then.

Our day was summed up when Andy Geggan wasted our best chance. He lofted the ball over an absolutely open goal.

A lot of Brechin’s goals came from crosses (get your act together Stephen Grindlay) the last two from pinball melées. When there’s pinball in our area there’s only ever one result.

Nevertheless we could (should?) have had three penalties, two for handball in the first half and a third for a blatant push in the last few seconds.

But we deserved nothing from this game.

It’s getting tight at the bottom again. Alan Adamson has a big job getting the boys up for a crucial game at Stenny on Tuesday night. I’m not at all confident.

SFL Div 2, The Rock, 19/3/11

Matches between the Sons and the Fife are never dull it seems. That makes it 11-10 to us over this season’ s four games.

A good win, this.

I believe it’s the first time this season we’ve gone behind and subsequently won the game.

The three points give us a bit of daylight over Stenny (and Alloa.) Peterhead need to turn things round. At the minute they look in a bad way.

SFL Div 2, The Rock, 5/3/11

Comprehensive defeat. Since Livi became Livi we haven’t done well against them, though, and they’re at the top of the league so it’s to be expected. Plus our goals against is our weak point and our usual central defensive partnership was disrupted due to suspension.

It could have been worse; at least Stenny and Peterhead didn’t win.

We’re locked in a four way tie on 30 points with the worst goal difference and the most games played of the four. Two of those play each other midweek so we’ll be worse off after that.

The game at Ochilview on Saturday is a big one now.

SFL Div 2, Glebe Park, 1/3/11

Three (count them; three!) equalisers. When was the last time we did that? And against a top two team away.

I “watched” the game on the BBC website and teletext. Every time they scored I thought, “That’s it,” then cheered up considerably when we got back in it.

I think it’s the first time this season we have gone behind and not eventually lost the game. Progress.

But Stenny and E Fife both won so it’s tight again at the bottom. Alloa and Airdrie Utd might be in the mix too.

All to play for.

SFL Div 2, Station Park, 26/02/11

Ah well. Situation normal resumed. But if losing the first goal was a test I think we passed it.

Forfar are a big strong team. Ben Gordon and Jon McShane aside we are midgets in comparison.

They looked very good going forward in the first few minutes despite not carving us open the way East Fife did. When the goal came it looked a great strike. Stephen Grindlay had made a good save from an earlier effort but had knocked it back out, the guy just thumped it.

We barely registered until much later in the half then came into it. Jon McShane’s beautifully struck free-kick was finely placed but still should have been saved by the keeper who only turned it onto the post/bar and in. The ref looked as if he wasn’t sure it was a goal but eventually gave it. I briefly wondered if we had scored an equaliser in this season before yesterday then remembered we had – at Forfar, in the first game.

At half-time I thought we were lucky to be level.

Different story second half; we dominated and played some very good stuff. We had a fair few chances, Pat Walker desperately unlucky to have a curling shot go just wide, Mark Gilhaney electing to shoot first time twice when he had more time were the best of them.

We were pushing for the winner when Andy Geggan lost the ball three-quarters into their half and they broke upfield. Our cover had been sucked forward and the Forfar scorer had too much space available to him.

Alan Adamson withdrew two midfield players and threw on two more players in forward positions to go for it but the second equaliser wasn’t to be.

Had we won, and therefore equalled the 119 year old consecutive away wins record, I’d have felt obliged to go to Brechin on Tuesday night. As it is I’ll probably give it a miss.

It’s not over yet and those below us have games in hand, but we have enough in the team now to suggest we can beat the teams we have to, if not the ones pushing for the promotion play-offs.

Famous last words.

SFL Div 2, The Rock, 22/02/11

In the immortal words of Arthur Daley, “What is occurring, Terence?”

This is almost too good to be true. We even kept a clean sheet.*

Mind you, we were playing against ten men for most of the game. Yet earlier in the season that would have made no difference.

I can’t avoid the feeling that there’s a fall round the corner.

*Edited to add:- if there was a monkey on Stephen Grindlay’s back (and the defence’s) let’s hope it’s gone now.