New signage at the entrance to Dumbarton FC Stadium, The Rock:-

Artwork by Lewis Deeney in concourse:-

Elephant and castle (as on the club badge) with trunk changing into a path –

Goal being scored with the ball turning into a sunrise over Dumbarton Rock –

New artificial pitch:-

SPFL Tier 4, The Rock,* 8/8/26.

Well; this was better. At times we looked like a football team. We even had three shots on target in the first half.

Still, every time they got up the park my heart was in my mouth.

They had several efforts during the game which squeezed past the post but I don’t actually remember Aidan Rice having a save to make until late on. However, I thought they were going to equalise when a cross begged to be buried at the back post but the guy headed it over the bar.

Like last week we also did a lot of faffing around at the back, playing the ball between the centre halves and keeper. I know the manager wants them to do this as it supposedly creates space up the park but players at our level are too prone to mistakes to make this anything but a nervy experience. It could have cost us a couple of times when they were closed down quickly but we managed to get away with it.  The ball usually ends up lumped forward anyway – or else out of play.

Throughout the first half they committed niggly foul after niggly foul but with no consequence. The first two yellows went to Sons players, captain Mike Doyle and then loanee Owen Hartington. Not until some time after we had scored did they got one.

Their keeper, Jay Hogarth, formerly of this parish, did have a great save earlyish in the second half from a Doyle header. Not long after that we got what turned out to be the winner. Leighton McIntosh tied their defence in knots and looked to have been fouled in the box but the ball rolled free to Scott Honeyman, who duly did the needful.

Thirty minutes of purgatory followed as they naturally pressed forward and we made fewer forays forward, before the ref finally blew his whistle.

Josiah Sowa was a bit more effective than last week but I wish he’d get a cross in earlier. Owen Hartington and David Craig were good in midfield too but Leighton McIntosh deserved his Man of the Match award for his tireless work.

It’s looking to be a tight league. After two games nobody has won twice and only one team has yet to gain  a point. Scary really.

*Now the stadium’s official name. Huzzah!

SPFL Tier 4, Forthbank Stadium, 1/8/26.

Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose; or, it’s déjà vu all over again.

This panned out more as I feared than as I hoped. The similarities to a lot of our displays of last season are disquieting.

We were okay for the first ten minutes or so but never troubled their keeper. When they got the ball we looked distressingly open, though. One of their players was booked quite early and almost immediately committed another yellow card offence but wasn’t shown it. He should have seen red.

If we hadn’t given away the penalty (it looked a foul certainly) things might have been different I suppose but we always looked vulnerable. Just before half-time one of their players was shoving ours at a corner and things got fraught with several joining the melee. He was booked as was Mike Doyle for us. While the ref was noting things down their player started up the shoving again and got away with that. Stirling were thereafter diving at every opportunity and the ref was frequently conned into giving them fouls. Frustratingly, exactly the same sorts of challenges by them on us were not punished.

Not that we really deserved anything from the game. In the second half we only started playing after their second goal went in, far too easily for them.

Too many of our players were looking like square pegs in round holes, Deryn Lang and Leighton McIntosh up front were living off scraps.

David Craig in midfield looked sound, Aidan Rice in goal had no chance with the goals and made a great save at 2-0. Josiah Sowa on the left had pace and some tricks but his touch was often awkward (his brain seemed unconnected to his feet) and he went up blind alleys when he did have the ball. New loanee Owen Hartington  at least showed for the ball but, sadly, bore no comparison to Smudger  (Alexander Smith) late of this parish, who thoroughly impressed at the same venue when he came on and changed the game for us last season.

Things need sorting out quickly. Performing like this against Clyde next week could see us endure a thumping.

Today sees the start of the new league season. The World Cup is barely over and we’ve already played four games in the League Cup.* (Lost three, won one – perhaps surprisingly against a team in the Division above. Due to the pitch at the Rock being replaced with artificial turf our two home games were played at Cliftonhill.**)

So it’s back to nerve-shredding Saturday afternoons, then, starting with an away game at Stirling Albion. Then it’s two home games in succession – against Clyde and Edinburgh City.

I’m fearful that at the end of those we’ll have no points. Our squad is pretty low on numbers -we’ll need to get some more loan players in I think. And while goalie Aidan Rice is back to us on loan, Alexander Smith (Smudger) has opted to go elsewhere for this season. I would go so far as to say that it was his contribution to our cause last season that enabled us to avoid the relegation play-off.

Plus Stirling are nearly always a tough nut to crack, Clyde were pretty good last season and Edinburgh City simply owned us.

I admit I have more trepidation than hope at the moment, but only time will tell.

I would like to see us play some football, though, rather than try to avoid defeat.

*Premier Sports Cup if you absolutely must.

**The Reigart Stadium now.

This comes around quickly doesn’t it?

Our League Cup opponents will be St Mirren, Dunfermline Athletic, Cove Rangers and East Kilbride.

The games will be played between July 11^th and 26^th.

However, due to the installation of a plastic pitch over the summer, our “home” games will take place away from the Rock.

Details are still to be provided.

SPFL Tier 4, The Rock, 25/4/26.

So the last home game of the season ended with a loss.

To be fair, apart from a stramash near their goal line in the second half I don’t recall us troubling their keeper – though a Mark Durnan effort from outside the box in added injury time might have had him beaten, but it flashed past the post.

Their goal came when Adam Livingstone tried to beat his man just inside our own half. When he lost it they had an overload which they exploited.

They just seemed a bit quicker and keener – more streetwise too. But then they had more to play for.

The referee though. Some of his decisions were utterly baffling. And most of them went EK’s way.

One more game (away at Edinburgh City) and then it’s anticipating next season. The squad will need a bit of upgrading if we’re not to flirt with relegation again.

New Central Park is the home of Kelty Hearts FC.

It’s a tidy traditional Scottish football ground.

The photographs are from the day of Sons’ first visit to it on 9/11/2024.

Entrance:-

East side of ground:-

South side looking west from entrance:-

North from entrance:-

Looking west at north end:-

Looking south From northwest corner:-

From northwest corner:-

SPFL Tier 4, The Rock, 11/4/26.

We knew a win would keep us safe in the division for next year. So job done. Well done, lads.

Not that it mattered as Edinburgh City lost again which would also have confirmed us as safe.

We weren’t at all convincing defensively though. Depite us having most possession they had two great opportunities to score early on, both from Josh Todd losing the ball in midfield. He’s been good since he rejoined us but was off the boil today. One of those required a very good save from Aidan Rice to keep us level at 0-0. Mark Durnan was also prone to mistakes today and was let off by wayward shooting from Stirling.

We began pressing well later in the first half and had a load of corners which we didn’t make the most of, one led to a stramash similar to that after Stirling’s first corner but neither resulted in goals.

A great Leighton McIntosh pass led to Scott Tomlinson (who had been tearing them apart down the right flank) beating his man, this time on the left wing, cutting in and getting his shot past the keeper from an acute angle.

It was strange, then, that Tommo was substituted at half time with Jack Duncan coming on.

The referee by the way was woeful. Stirling centre forward Russell McLean spent most of the game diving and complaining about non-existent fouls which were nevertheless given.

They equalised on 54 minutes when we appeared to stop defending. They more or less walked through our right hand side. I was never confident in our defending all game to be fair.

Smudger (Alexander Smith) had another great game. His ball control and work rate are phenomenal. When we finally got a free kick of our own – mysteriously given as indirect when their player had just about halved Kristian Webster – Smudger’s shot from the ball tapped to him was spiled by the keeper and Scott Honeyman got to the rebound first to dispatch it.

A slightly nervy ten or so minutes plus added time followed, punctuated by late sub Kai Kirkpatrick being sent off near the end. I didn’t see what happened but it seems he landed a punch on Russell McLean.

Still three games to go but we can now look forward to next season.

SPFL Tier 4, The Rock, 28/3/26.

In the first half this was just like earlier in the season. We were awful.

Plus we were totally unable to cope with the wind being against us. We were also utterly disorganised at the back. That can be attributed to Ali Omar being away on international duty with Somalia and general lack of familiarity with playing in a back three. Alexander Smith was missed in midfield too – he was away with Scotland’s Under 17s.

The officials were woeful. The stand side linesman’s first contribution was to flag for a Forfar offside from a throw-in. Do they not even know the rules these days. The ref had to give a dropped ball when they finally twigged. Yet again we had a ref continually being conned by our opposition’s players making a meal of any challenges.

Their first goal was a penalty given when the ball hit Mark Durnan’s arm – which to my mind was in a natural position.* Their second was the result of a poor defensive mix-up.

The second half was a different proposition. Jack Duncan had come up front on for Kai Kirkpatrick in midfield. (Kai was apparently showing signs of concussion at half-time.) The switch meant a change in shape but what the new one was  – apart from Kristian Webster being pushed into midfield – was difficult to discern. However we were certainly more comfortable with the wind than against it.

After a few missed opportunities we finally got on the score sheet when Leighton McIntosh surged onto a through ball with the Forfar defence waitng for an offside against someone else. Leighton squeezed the ball past the keeper but it felt like it took an age to cross the line.

Our tails were up now though and after good work by Jack Duncan the ball was channelled to Adam Livingstone whose cross/shot was diverted into the net by Scott Honeyman.

What had looked to be a deflating afternoon turned out to be not much damage done.

We’re now ten points ahead of Edinburgh City with only fifteen left up for grabs.

But no chickens are being counted at Son of the Rock Acres.

*Having seen the highlights his arm may have been a bit extended but the ball was played from very close to him.

SPFL Tier 4, The Rock, 21/3/26.

Another welcome win: three on the bounce at home now. But we weren’t quite as fluid as against Spartans two weeks before.

The first half was largely forgettable with us playing too many hopeful long balls always liable to be gobble dup by Annan’s back line and Annan themselves pretty toothless. They dived at every opportunity and moaned a lot at the ref and lino. I find those sorts of things a difficult watch. They weren’t the only mysterious decisions they made either.

There was really nothing to speak about in the way of goal efforts apart from their keeper making a brilliant save from Michael Doyle’s close range volley from a great Alexander Smith cross.

It looked as if things might peter out as a 0-0 draw till we suddenly scored. Scott Honeyman went through one-on-one with the keeper whose save squirmed away from him and Scott managed to poke the loose ball home despite the attentions of a defender.

Then a corner resulted in Leighton McIntosh drilling the ball in for the second.

We could have done with another to make sure of the three points but we began to sit back and let them dominate possession. This was made worse by manager Frank McKeown’s substitutions. Ryan Blair coming on for Honeyman on 75 minutes and proceeding to do very little before Jack Duncan and Ally Roy replaced front two McIntosh and Scott Tomlinson late on which immediately reduced our threat. Smith and Doyle were hooked for Tony Wallace and Gordon Walker on the verge of added time. This disrupted our organisation even further and most likely contributed to Annan’s late goal. Thankfully too late to give them much hope of an equaliser, but it was unneccessary.

Home again next week but without two players away on International duty. Not something a Sons fan can say often. Ali Omar is off to play for Somalia in an Afcon qualifier while Alexander Smith is with Scotland’s under 19s.