For the average football fan most seasons are a bit of a non-event.

By-passing glory hunters (yes, Old Firm fans, I’m looking at you) your team will achieve nothing at all – beyond perhaps mid-table mediocrity, which in itself is not to be sniffed at I suppose.

Once in a while, though, something comes along that makes the usual torments all worthwhile – a cup run (Ha! – when was the last time we had one of those; Stirlingshire Cup wins don’t really count) a promotion or the avoidance of relegation. I suppose we must add to that list nowadays a play-off appearance – if it’s the right play-off!

This season has seen that feeling enhanced. Last year’s play-off win was marvellous but once we went on the run that qualified us for it there was a momentum to follow and while nothing was taken for granted the team was playing well and since we’d actually finished third in the league losing in the play-offs wouldn’t have been too much of a disappointment.

This season though has seen what amounts to a miracle. With only one league win and two draws up until the middle of December we looked doomed. What has happened since would be incredible if we hadn’t witnessed it. (Nine away wins! More points gained away than lost. Escape even from the relegation play-off with effectively two games to go.)

And somehow the avoidance of relegation – always the main goal just after a promotion – seems to mean more than a promotion, especially when it has looked unlikely for most of the season. (Cowdenbeath fans will have been mightily relieved yesterday even though they must have felt reasonably secure for most of the time.)

But let’s not get too carried away with thoughts of doing well in Division 1 in future. For a club like Dumbarton survival at this level is success. We’ve achieved that this season – against the odds. Yet it’s always going to be a struggle when the resources are stacked against us. The likelihood is that as a part time team we cannot be a force in this division. I can live with that.

Edited to add:- The suggestion that the Div 1 clubs will break away from the SFL to become an SPL 2 fills me with foreboding. At the minute we might be in that but for the past 20 or so years we wouldn’t have had a sniff. I suspect those full-time teams who think that may be a lifeboat are kidding themselves. The country isn’t really big enough to sustain even twelve full time teams never mind twenty. Neither are the crowds.

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.

SFL Div 1, The Rock, 20/4/13

Tantalising. Six points ahead two games to go.

I wasn’t there but it sounds like it was a comprehensive victory.

Unfortunately the result at East End Park today was the only one of the three possibilities which meant our win still didn’t mean we’d certainly avoid the play-offs.

A point from Cowdenbeath next week does the job and guarantees us seventh. Even a defeat will see us safe if Dunfermline fail to beat Partick Thistle. Heady days.

‘Mon the Sons.

SFL Div 1, New Douglas Park, 2/4/13

So. Honours even over the two games.

This was a game we could have won though. After some Hamilton pressure (and Paul McGinn going off with a hamstring injury) we scored with our first effort on goal. Their keeper came out for Scott Agnew’s cross, stopped, and Jim Lister’s header looped up, taking an age to drop into the net.

Thereafter Hamilton had most of the first half but we also played some neat stuff and should have extended the lead. Brian Prunty – strangely out of sorts (possibly carrying an injury?) – scuffed one right in front of goal then Scott Agnew put it wide when it looked easier to hit the target. Despite Hamilton’s possession Stephen Grindlay had only to make one save in the first half.

Second half we had two earlyish chances, Prunty’s header saved by the keeper and Mark Gilhaney’s shot beating him but striking a defender. Those missed chances were crucial as Hamilton’s heads might have gone down.

We looked shattered for the the last third, four games in ten days taking their toll. Hamilton dominated. You can’t surrender possession as easily as we did and hope to hold out forever. Stout defending was eventually undone.Shay had two very good saves before the inevitable equaliser which he got a hand to but it diverted only on to the post and in. Their subsequent winner was hotly disputed by the Sons players who claimed it hadn’t crossed the line.

Even then we had a chance to salvage a point. Someone – I don’t know who, the area was crowded – put in a great header and their keeper incredibly clawed it up and over the bar.

The game in hand over Cowdenbeath is now gone. But when was the last time we were as high as 19^th in Scottish football – as we were before the game? (1986-87, as it happens.)

This must also be the first time a manager has lost his job just after his team has beaten us.

SFL Div 1, The Rock, 2/3/13

Another two points dropped late on at home against a team we really need to be beating.

But.. this wasn’t a complete disaster. We didn’t fall further behind Cowdenbeath and the two game losing run – the longest under Ian Murray (so far!) – ended.

Can’t see us getting much against Thistle at Firhill next week though.

Sons first goal on Saturday at Livingston was a belter. Scored by Brian Prunty it probably won’t be bettered by a Sons player this season. (At least not unless in a crucial game we score in a vital game from a kick-off just after the opposition has equalised in a move that passes the ball all over the ground before being planted in the net without an opposing player having touched it since they scored, as was the case with John McQuade’s goal against Cowdenbeath in the old Div 2 all those years ago.)

You can see Saturday’s goal on Sons TV here – Livingston A, Sat 9^th Feb.

Punters on the Pie Shop, aka the website Pie and Bovril, have been claiming that LiviTV’s coverage of Brian’s effort has attracted so many hits it caused their website to crash.

Hope Sons TV can take the rush.

SFL Div 1, Almondvale Stadium, 9/2/13

6-6 between these teams over two games in a week and honours even. At least a win each has garnered us more points than two draws would have done, which was important in a week when Cowdenbeath got back to winning ways again.

It does mean we’ve now beaten seven out of the other nine teams in the division and there should be no fears. The two we haven’t defeated are Dunfermline and Raith. We get the chance over the second of those on Saturday coming. I’ll be able to walk to that one.

Pity Mark Gilhaney got himself sent off but we held on with ten men to get the result. Not good news about Jamie Ewings breaking his jaw either.

I wasn’t there; I decided it would be too cold to sit around for an hour and a half (with intermission.)

I went to an Antiques Fair instead. We’d have gone to that before travelling to Livi anyway but it’s just as well I’d opted not to go to the game as we were there till after 3 o’clock even though I bought nothing and the good lady only a book and some buttons.

We lead an exciting life……

SFL Div 1, New Broomfield, 19/1/13

I looked at the temperature forecast for Airdrie for yesterday and decided I didn’t want to freeze my backside off for two hours and pay for the privilege. Plus if I had gone it might have jinxed us.

This was a “mustn’t lose” which we didn’t lose!

An Airdrie win here would have severely dented our progress. As it is the good work involved in beating teams at the top of the league in previous weeks hasn’t been put to naught by a failure to beat the team we most needed to. We’re now level on points and goal difference. And we’ve hauled in Cowdenbeath.

How long this run can last I don’t know: but long may it continue. Our next three games are against teams with a bit of form, though.

SFL Div 1, East End Park, 24/11/12

I was going to say no complaints, but…. see below.

I was going to say the better team won but… the faster, stronger, fitter team won. Does that make them better? I suppose it does. They were in the Premier last season after all and we were in Div 2.

We were okay for a while; even forcing their keeper to make more saves than Stephen Grindlay had up till their first goal. I was in line and thought Josh Falkingham was offside but he was also totally unmarked. The game was then effectively all over.

I shouldn’t have said to GordyBrow when the teams were announced that they hadn’t given Josh Falkingham’s full name. He replied, “I suppose that’s ‘diver’ followed by something rude.” I said, “Yes.”

The second goal was a joke. James Creaney failed to cut out a ball to the winger and then the cross wasn’t collected by Grindlay – he’s always been terrible for spilling low crosses – and came off Andy Graham’s leg to screw towards the line. He just failed to clear it before it crossed. Exactly the sort of thing that happens to you when you’re way adrift at the bottom of the league.

So here’s the complaint. In the second half I’d thought it was Falkingham who ran through one on one with Stephen Grindlay, pushed the ball past him and fell down. From where I was it certainly looked a dive. Falkingham is famous for it. It turns out it was Joe Cardle who couldn’t stay on his feet. Whoever, the ref gave the penalty and showed Grindlay a red card to boot. Down to ten men and a penalty to come…

I say again; when a penalty is given, in what sense has a goal scoring opportunity been prevented? A penalty and a red card and a goal is a triple punishment. Too many times does something like this spoil a game. It didn’t affect the outcome here, Dunfermline were always going to win, but often it can.

Jim Lister was withdrawn to allow Jamie Ewings to face the pen which he almost got to. 3-0 down with ten men against the joint league leaders was only going to end one way.

Curiously we played better after that. Onebrow opined Dunfermline had stopped playing. But we were left cruelly exposed whenever we sallied upfield.

Their fourth was a peach. Due to the man shortage Joe Cardle was one on one on Nicky Devlin with no extra cover, duly took it past him and curled a beauty behind Jamie Ewings into the corner.

It seems we don’t have the personnel to compete effectively against the better teams in this division. (And the not so good teams too?) There was a litany of weak challenges, hurried touches, misplaced passes and stretched interceptions. The players appear shorn of confidence, not wanting to take time on the ball. Chris Turner was an exception to this last, as was Steven McDougall when he came on (but like at Cowdenbeath he carried it too far and was crowded out.)

Ian Murray’s got a big job on.

SFL Div 1, Central Park, 10/11/12

Yes, you did read the post’s title correctly.

It’s a win in Div 1. And at Cowdenbeath, where we haven’t won in a long time. (In the cup in 2004, but the last league win there was in 2000.)

Plus the other novelty of a clean sheet.

Into the bargain we could afford to miss a penalty. (Their keeper was given their man of the match award presumably for the penalty save as he didn’t actually have that much to do. Neither did Jamie Ewings in our goal; apart from free-kicks – at least two of which he dealt with brilliantly.)

We were worth it too. The players worked for each other, pressed the ball and gave Cowden little opportunity to create.

Not that we made many chances ourselves even though we dominated the first half. We had something like five corners one after the other at one point and hadn’t scored so I was thinking it wasn’t going to be our day but then a great move down the left saw the ball crossed over. It had seemed to miss everybody but up popped Mark Gilhaney to hit it first time sweetly into the far corner.

The second half was nerve-wracking simply because of the situation but Cowden were not allowed a clear chance.

Maybe it was actually a good thing that the penalty was missed (as were the two follow-up efforts) since that meant the lads couldn’t relax even subliminally.

The ref was okay until midway through the second half when suddenly Cowden got the benefit of every decision going including a ridiculous dive from Cowden player-manager Colin Cameron.

I had joked to Onebrow on the way to the game that it wasn’t unknown for cobbled-together back fours to keep a clean sheet but I never seriously expected that to happen today.

I know Steven McDougall provided the cross for the goal but he had a strange one in general. He ought to be capable of more but too often dribbled his way up a blind alley. His replacement Mark Lamont seems too light for the position he plays. James Creaney had a solid game at left back (but shouldn’t have allowed himself to get booked for back-chat.) Jamie Ewings was commanding in his penalty area and Jim Lister made sure Cowden’s Joe Mbu knew he was in a game. All the players deserve credit for the performance though.

The win monkey is off our back now. I’m not surprised it was in an away game as the fans are very supportive away from home. Can we keep it up at home next week?

Pity Hamilton also won today.