SPFL Tier 3, Play-off Final, Second Leg, The Rock, 20/5/21.

So we survived. Just.

But we were Dumbarton nil to the last.

That Edinburgh City goal made it nervy for the last forty minutes or so. Had it not been for their forward diving and so receiving a second yellow card it might have been worse. They had looked full of belief just after they scored – or rather we looked a bit unsure of ourselves at the back.

Speaking of the goal, as soon as it was lofted in I was screaming for Sam Ramsbottom to come for it. He didn’t, and the forward took advantage of the combined defensive uncertainty. It was a neat finish by him but Ramsbottom cost us there.

We hadn’t looked at all troubled first half but we had the wind behind us then. Not that we made anything of it.

Adam Frizell had a good (self-created) effort just tipped away by their keeper. Otherwise we threatened not at all.

This has been a dreadful season. I suppose we deserve to stay up – because we did – but the watching has been hard.

The way things are going next season will be just as tough. Unless things change at the club.

SPFL Tier 3, The Rock, 27/3/21.

Well this was a must win – and we lost it.

OK it was a great strike but perhaps we shouldn’t have been allowing it. It came from Adam Frizell losing the ball in their half with trying to be too tricky. Not much is coming off for him at the moment, but that’s true for the whole team.

Their goalie didn’t have a save to make the whole game. Not that Peterhead had many efforts on goal. Typical the one that counted came from a former Son, Ben Armour, who’s making a habit of scoring the only goal of a game against us. He’s yet another player whose talents we never seemed to be able to harness when he was with us.

Looking at our fixture list I can’t see where even a single point is going to come from. And Clyde pulled back a point on us today too.

It’s beginning to feel awfully like a relegation season. And yet on total goals conceded we would be third in the league. That stat shows where our trouble lies. No creativity in midfield. On goals scored we’re rock bottom.

Tuesday night at Falkirk could be brutal for which I will not be tuning in.

Then there’s Airdrie at home on Thursday evening. Another eye-bleeding watch no doubt.

The hope’s not killing me just now, since I have none at all.

SPFL Tier 3, The Rock, 24/11/20.

My second experience of live-streaming. It was slightly less odd than before. The emotional engagement is diluted compared to actully being at the game.

We had more possession for the first ten minutes or so but never really threatened their goal. It’s always ominous when you know the opposition is likely to be good but don’t show anything. Sure enough once they came into it we were more or les on the back foot.

Their first was a good cross but the guy who scored it, coming in at the back post, was totally unmarked.

Their second – a great strike from a free-kick – I thought came from a foul that wasn’t a foul. Whether Kevin Dabrowski in goal might have done better is difficult to tell on a live stream. He is a bit susceptible to long-range hits it seems. He was also beaten by a shot from well outside the box which hit the bar.

In the second half things just went downhill. Ryan McGeever had had to be substituted at half-time, then Adam Frizell, then Rico Quitongo and finally Nat Wedderburn all for injuries it seemed. We’re lucky we’ve got ten days before our next game for the chance to recover.

Even so, sub Denny Johnstone managed to hit the post in an attack which the stream mostly missed, then a fine Robert Jones cross from the bye-line was headed wide by Jaime Wilson.

Their third was another defensive shocker from us, a long through ball from that Wilson chance wasn’t dealt with and their player managed (luckily?) to evade Dabrowski’s attempt to steal the ball as he went round him.

Very late on Johnstone again had a strike which the keeper tipped round the post at full stretch. Even later Wilson played in Robert Jones for a sitter but he took too long to hit it and allowed the defender to block it wide.

So in a game where Falkirk more or less strolled it we could have scored three times – and that with players shoe-horned into positions not their usual. But we didn’t score at all.

The good start to the league season feels like a long time ago now.

SPFL Tier 3, The Rock, 5/10/19.

Well. That’s more like it.

We’ve still only beaten teams that are below us but we’ve done that to four of them now. But I note we still haven’t kept a clean sheet.

It was good to see that new loan signing Adam Frizell got on the score sheet straight away.

Before the season started I’d have taken four wins and a draw out of the first nine games. I’d not have thought we’d only be three points off third spot, though. (Only six off first spot too.)

There’s a long way to go yet, however. We’re only one point more than that away from the bottom.