SPFL Tier 4, Forthbank, 25/3/23.

Well what an odd experience that was.

Despite our scudding last weekend and them on a roll what with going top by two points in midweek, this had a Stirling win all over it.

Yet still, I went to the game and, pre-match, had a pretty good feeling about it.

There was a pretty good turn out of Dumbarton fans too and the players seemed to appreciate it.

That good feeling almost evaporated after two minutes when Greg Buchanan was handed a yellow card for absolutely nothing. A couple of minutes or so after that it was Finlay Gray’s turn to see yellow. He seemed to me genuinely to have been fouled at the edge of the box.

Then a few minutes later Ross Maclean was shoved in the back in retaliation by one of their defenders when the ball was dead – right in front of the ref. No card – of any colour. Then Brett Long was shown yellow for time-wasting. He was trying to get the match ball after a ball boy had thrown him a substitute. Ross Maclean also got a yellow in the first half. I was thinking we would be lucky to end up with even nine men on the pitch. To contrast this Ally Love got an elbow to his face – play on. Gregg Wylde got caught by a dangerously high Stirling boot – again play on.

Somehow in all this we managed to score. Peter Grant had brought a save from their keeper from a corner but the goal was from open play, a Kalvin Orsi cross headed back across the keeper by Ross MacLean. It looked to me an easier save than the one he had made.

Their goal came from a corner (following a corner.) It looked to me like the the ball had gone out off one of their players. But the subsequent header was uncontested.

The ref wasn’t so egregious in the second half. The talk was all that someone (the supervisor perhaps) had had a word with him. If he’d carried on in the second half like he did in the first there would certainly have been fewer bodies on the pitch at the end. He did finally start wielding yellows to Stirling players but he couldn’t avoid it the fouls were so blatant.

Our second was a blast from Finlay Gray after Stirling hadn’t cleared their lines.

Despite having a bit more possession Stirling created very little from open play. That their second equaliser came from a corner following a corner (great block by Greg Buchanan) was severely disappointing. It was a carbon copy of their first.

Still what could have been a five point deficit is only two.

I only hope we have a few more players to call on soon than we had for this one. We were down to only five subs on the bench and Kalvin Orsi’s injury towards the end looked a sore one.

SPFL tier 4, New Bayview, 18/2/23.

Sometimes it just isn’t your day.

I had the feeling that might be the case when early on Ally Love was put through in a position to lob the keeper. He put it wide.

A few minutes later we had a shot blocked from what looked a promising opening.

Then we lost Gregg Wylde to injury a few seconds after it seemed Finlay Gray was fouled in their box. Had the ref given it the injury wouldn’t have happened.

Their first came from a corner that never was. The ball clearly went out from an East Fife player’s head. (It should still hve been defended though.)

Not long after Martin McNiff also had to go off.

Two substitutions in the first half and a goal down. However we were the team putting more pressure on but couldn’t work a clear opening.

With Stirling Albion two goals down at half time it was possible we might get away with it.

Second half was much the same. Declan Byrne and Russell MacLean came on but didn’t really change the dynamic. MacLean though did look to have a chance to score late on but didn’t make good contact with the ball and bundled it towards the keeper.

Their second was as a result of us chasing the point. We had too many players upfield and the break exposed us.

To make things worse Stirling managed to get two in the second half despite being down to ten men. Our advantage has dropped to only three points – which may be zero if Stirling win their game in hand.

SPFL Tier 4, The Rock, 19/11/22.

It’s a funny old game, as Jimmy Greaves used to say.

We thumped the team that’s now third last week away but today at home we could only draw 2-2 with the team at the bottom.

We’ve played Forfar twice now and not managed to beat them.

It was a chance missed though as they had a man sent off early in the second half. Even so they still managed to go ahead for the second time but we quickly equalised – again for the second time. Gregg Wylde was our first scorer – his third in four games – with David Wilson getting our second.

But we’re still three points ahead of second place – and will be for a fortnight as it’s the Cup next week.

SPFL Tier 4, Borough Briggs, 12/11/22.

Gosh. I didn’t expect this. 4-0 sounds pretty comprehensive.

And it’s made even better by our lead at the top of the division being stretched to five points.

Four different scorers too – Ross MacLean, Gregg Wylde, Aron Lynas and Ryan Wallace, plus another clean sheet.

All this without Finlay Gray, who has been perhaps our most influential player, and no out and out striker.

SPFL Tier 4, Galabank, 29/10/22.

Well. It’s a win – and a clean sheet. A first league win in five games. Very welcome.

We were also notably without a striker due to injuries and a suspension so an unusual scorer in Gregg Wylde.

I’ll take it, though. And the goal was seemingly in open play.

But has it stopped the rot?

Coming up is Stranraer at home next Saturday. Our record against them is decidedly poor.

SPFL Tier 3, The Rock, 30/4/22,

Too little too late.

Except for when we played East Fife this was our only home win in the league this season – and it came in the last regular game. Add to that that we have had only had three clean sheets all season and you can see where the problems lie.

Our team featured nine changes from last week’s starters – no doubt the manager trying to preserve players for the more important play-off games coming up.

We started brightly enough though I thought Clyde looked less than interested and in ten minutes Kristoffer Syvertsen executed a lovely turn in the box and shot past their keeper.

Thereafter we more or less dominated the half and ought to have scored when Ross Maclean had a one-on-one but he lost his footing just as he shot. Anothe rlovely move saw Kris Syvertsen set up by Gregg Wylde but his shot was either blocked by a defender or tipped over the bar by the keeper; it was hard to see which on the stream.

Then with half-time looming we lost centre-back Adam Hutchinson to a shoulder injury. No sub came on. Of course they came up the park and scored – albeit at the second attempt. Being a man short may have cost us that. Carsy came on as sub for the kick-off. Typical.

So far so like the last home game against Peterhead.

The second half was pretty much nothing but Conner Duthie and Josh Oyinsan on for the half looke dlively at times. It was due to Josh we got the winner. He rolled his defender on the halfway line and passed to Duthie who mishit his pass but Gregg Wylde got enough power to beat the keeper.

In the last seconds Josh took a sore one from former Son Kevin Nicoll who was immediately red-carded. What a ridiculous challenge to perpetrate in the last knockings of the season. I hope Josh will be fit to take part in the play-offs.

So a win at last. But is it enough to instil confidence for Tuesday night?

For myself, the nerves are shredded already.

SPFL Tier 3, The Rock, 15/1/22.

What Ho, Jeeves!

A win! And a clean sheet!

Mind you. It was only East Fife.

The first half was odd. Both teams had chances – twice there was pinball in their penalty area and it seemed impossible we wouldn’t score; but we didn’t. It could have been 3-3 at half-time instead of 0-0. Sam Ramsbottom (in because our new loan keeper Kieran Wright injured himself in the warm-up, that’s how our season has gone) had a couple of good saves.

In the second half it was kind of the same except new striker Joshua Oyinsan put in a centre forward’s header from the six-yard line (I thought the keeper should have done better, as they say) from a great cross by our other official debutant Gregg Wylde, who actuallly played last week for us as a trialist. I had forgotten what a centre forward looked like! Oyinsan won headers and held the ball up, put himself about and got on the end of a cross; what’s not to like?

That goal, aesthetically pleasing as it was – there’s always something delightful about a headed goal from a cross – was surpassed by the second; a great hit by Gregg Wylde from thirty-five yards, hitting the post and rebounding back across the goal, crossing the line as it did so. What a belter! In those stakes probably only beaten by Lee Sharp’s at Livingston and Big Roy’s at Love Street on Christmas Day 1971.

Even so East Fife had two great chances themselves but both times failed to test Ramsbottom in our goal.

Still I’m not objecting to being eight points clear of automatic relegation and only two (realistically because of the goal difference difference) shy of the staying up spot at this stage of the season.

We’ll need to keep it up though.

A respite from league business next week with Dundee coming for a Scottish Cup visit.

But the next two league games are fiercesome. League leaders Cove at home and third-placed Montrose away.