SFL Div 1, Central Park, 27/4/13

Firstly, congratulations to all the players and staff at the club. This result means we have finished in a higher position in Scottish Football than at any time since 1987. It is a magnificent achievement for the club. Special thanks to the manager Ian Murray who has dragged us from certain relegation to safety with a game to spare.

Arguably we have overachieved this season. Most Dumbarton fans hoped to finish eighth but expected to be no higher than ninth and in the play-off spot.

I ought to have taken my camera. I’d forgotten last away game was dress-up day. The zombies were good; and the two women with t-shirts that said “Murray’s Angels.”

We had the best of the early play and Stephen Grindlay had nothing to do beyond goal kicks. He hadn’t had a save to make before they scored – and we donated that one with a loose pass in their half allowing a break with three men on two. They had a brief spell in charge after that as they took confidence from the goal but then the game swung in the space of five minutes.

Or was it five seconds? For the equaliser was an absolute belter, Scott Agnew nipping the ball off an opponent’s toe in the centre circle, striding forward into space and chipping the goalkeeper from at least 35 yards. Not quite as good as Paddy Flannery’s along-the-ground strike from a little further out at the same end at the same stadium (too many years ago now) but getting on for it.

The second came from a floated in cross that was on Jim Lister’s head from the moment it left Garry Fleming’s boot and then rapidly into the net.

When the penalty was awarded – right at the extreme corner of the box, a penalty for a foul there is a bit ridiculous really but those are the rules – when Steven McDougall beat his man almost on the bye-line and fell over the trailing leg (he didn’t dive, he couldn’t avoid the outstretched leg and fell as a result) I remarked to Simon Barrow, “We don’t have a good penalty record here.” (I’ve seen too many games.) Simon predicted where it would go though, Scott Agnew unerring from the spot.

The second half was ridiculous.

We must have had about 7 chances to add to the score, Agnew, twice, Garry Fleming, Steven McDougall, substitute Brian Prunty twice – he may have been trying too hard as he didn’t start the game – and Mark Gilhaney all not scoring from good opportunities. To be fair their keeper had three good saves in that lot.

As is the way (as is the Dumbarton way) the last minute or two – where did the added time come from? – were made more nervous for the fans by their second, which came just after the substitution of Alan Lithgow by James Creaney meant a reshuffle in the defence.

The final whistle saw mutual congratulations between the players and fans. A remarkable season will end happily.

I’ll bask in it for now, knowing that I don’t have to face next Saturday with trepidation. Crucial last day games are always the worst.

But next season may be harder. There is likely to be one fewer part-time team in Div 1.

Scottish League Cup*, The Rock, 4/8/12.

A win and a clean sheet. It took us some time last season to achieve either of those – and this was a cup match, where our record has been none too strong for too many seasons now.

Still, this was against lower league opposition and we didn’t look that much better than them. I suspect the Wee Rovers will struggle in Div 2 as they didn’t look to have much of a cutting edge. We will struggle in Div 1, ditto.

We started off well but didn’t create much in the way of clear-cut chances then let them into it and they had a fair bit of possession in the first half. Our midfield seemed non-existent at times. Perhaps we’re making too much of Jim Lister’s ability with the high ball. The opener just before half time came from a corner, Brian Prunty reacting to the knockdown in the box – which may have come off their keeper or a defender (it was up the other end and difficult to make out.)

We were more in control in the second half. Jim Lister was one on one with the keeper after a horrible defensive mistake but shot it straight at him. Rovers have one of the smallest goalkeepers I can remember but he made a brilliant reaction save from Prunty a few minutes before we scored again. Another defensive mistake was pounced on by sub Mark Gilhaney (Scott Agnew had had a poor game before being hoiked) who squared it into Jim Lister’s path for a nice controlled finish.

Jamie Lyden was given the right back berth. He had an encouraging start last season at Brechin and East Fife, scoring in both games before losing his way and not featuring again. His confidence looked low to begin with here but I thought he came onto a game.

Andy Graham and Alan Lithgow were more solid at centre-back than last week but will be tested more severely when the league starts.

On to the real stuff next week.

*Okay: it’s the Scottish Communities League Cup now.

SFL Challenge Cup, The Rock, Round 1, 29/7/12.

Why do we bother entering this competition? We’ve only ever won about two games in it in its entire existence. Even newish boys Annan Athletic have a better record in it than us. East Stirlingshire and Elgin City too.

The first half was dominated by QoS. Stephen Grindlay made three good saves in the first fifteen minutes and QoS had another good chance which the boy volleyed wide. Their keeper didn’t have a save to make until just about the last kick of the half when an Agnew special made him work.

The second half was more even but our two best openings fell to James Creaney and the keeper was up to both of them. Otherwise there was a slow motion scramble on their goal line after a corner and that was about it for us. Midway through the half the game lost all cohesion with both sides resorting to balls over the top and it was from one of these that QoS scored, their tricky no 11 cutting out Grindlay with a ball back for an unopposed header. A similar incident earlier had seen their player miss what amounted to an open goal.

We lacked penetration and punch though Jim Lister can hold the ball up and win headers. I liked the look of Phil Johnston when he came on for Mark Gilhaney, willing to take on the defender and run.

The new strip is cracking though.

QoS have just been relegated from the Division we’re now in and we looked way off them.

It says it all that Stephen Grindlay won man of the match. I wouldn’t disagree.

I can console myself with the thought that we usually start slowly. We night need our usual post-Christmas good run desperately.

Edited to add:- I meant to put in that the new centre back pairing (Alan Lithgow with Andy Graham) was a bomb scare throughout. In particular Andy Graham looked very uncertain and it seemed to infect Lithgow.

SFL Div 1 play-off, second leg, Gayfield Stadium, 12/5/12. (Aggregate 1-2.)

Why do we do this to ourselves?

This was torture. As Onebrow said to me at the end, “That was the best and the worst 0-0 draw I’ve ever seen.”

Arbroath are the best footballing side I’ve seen this season (in the game at Gayfield on 10^thMar; Cowdenbeath, though, were the most effective.) In the first half here however they abandoned their measured approach and were much more direct.

The omens were clear inside five minutes. Alan Lithgow made a mistake allowing an attacker in on Stephen Grindlay, who forced him wide, but he still got his shot in. Lithgow had recovered to head it off the line. A goal then might have sunk us.

We were barely in it for twenty minutes, Arbroath having several shots/headers on goal – a one-on-one save by Stephen Grindlay and other efforts put wide, but gradually we managed to foray upfield. Craig Dargo was through on their keeper but took it just too far past him and had to turn it back from the bye-line but his cross in was poor. Prunty was then right through but the keeper deflected it for a corner.

Arbroath came out for the second half much more settled and started to stroke the ball about. There followed a succession of chances for them. It didn’t feel like backs to the wall stuff, though, we just couldn’t seem to pass the ball to our own players. Stephen Grindlay had a very good save from a free kick and then an unbelievable one from a close range header. He without doubt saved the jerseys, Dumbarton’s man of the match, no question. He rode his luck a few times, though, when coming for the ball.

The second half was excruciating, with us mostly not able to get out of our own half and unable to keep it for long when we did.

Edited to add:- I forgot to say Lithgow had one magnificent tackle when an Arbroath forward seemed right through.

Late on, in one of our few flurries, sub Pat Walker nutmegged a defender by the bye-line, crossed it in and Mark Gilhaney forced the keeper into a save.

There was still time after that for Arbroath to force a couple of corners. The final whistle was a relief and a release.

Given our defensive record this season it’s a minor miracle we managed to keep a clean sheet. This was a magnificent and remarkably disciplined effort (Kevin Nicoll’s booking apart) by the lads.

We have to do it all again on Wednesday and Sunday, though.

Edited to add:- I was drained at the end of this. I hope I’ll be as drained (in a good way) next Sunday!

Sons players celebrate:-

Sons fans celebrate.

Just to show what an unusual day it was here’s a man in his shirt sleeves at Gayfield. The sun was out for most of the game. Normally you have to be well wrapped up. The wind got up as usual, naturally. It’s a vintage Palermo shirt apparently.

Challenge Cup,* The Rock, 24/7/11

And so it begins again. It seems like only yesterday last season finished.

Same old, same old, though; but for one thing. We won in the Chalenge Cup. Our record in this competition is worse than dire. (I don’t think that page has yet been updated to take account of this season’s results.)

We fielded a lot of players whom I didn’t recognise – I was too late to hear the announcements. First half was nothing to write about beyond Kieran Brannan blazing over after a good move down the left.

Up two-nil and cruising in the second half and looking like we could take the Shire to the cleaners, then we lose a goal out of nowhere (but maybe because Nugent got injured.) A substitution and a sending off later and it was 2-2 and things looked gloomy. We then contrived to miss a barrowlaod of chances before Pat Walker pulled it out of the fire really late.

As to the new guys, Brian Prunty isn’t a big striker but took his goal well, Scott Agnew ran like Wesley Schneijder (unfortunately there any resemblance ended) and Martin McBride misplaced too many passes. New centre half Alan Lithgow looked solid enough and even made an upfield foray in open play – which Ben Gordon never did. Jamie Lyden and Kevin Nicoll were okay at full back (Lyden’s sending off notwithstanding.) The defence in general though needs to tighten up.

Kieran Brannan looked good, but he was up against Chissie, breezing past him as if he wasn’t there.

A good team is going to thump us; especially as we lack height – a perennial complaint.

It was nice to see the Shire back in their traditional black and white hoops and that Chissie has got himself a gig for this season.

* I know it’s got a sponsor’s name but I’m not going to use it.