I’ve been away (again.)

That’s why I didn’t mark the fact that on Tuesday night, due to Airdrie United’s defeat at Hamilton, we could not be automatically relegated this season. The worst that can now happen is that we will be involved in the play-offs.

This is what most Sons fans (in a spirit of realism) would have settled for before the season started. That we are in a position to stay in Div 2 without the benefit of the play-offs is testament to the remarkable efforts of the players (and the new manager since he was appointed.) This would be the case even without Dunfermline’s points deduction.

To be certain of survival a couple more wins might still be required, though.

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, New Douglas Park, 30/3/13

Well, I got my win. Any positive result on Tuesday night will be a bonus.

Mind you, we were against only ten men for an hour of this game. I wasn’t there so don’t know how good a performance this was but at least we converted the advantage into three points.

Seventh place and four points ahead of ninth!

Tuesday night at Hamilton is beginning to look attractive.

SFL Div 1, The Rock, 27/3/13.

Another come back.

Another four goals, three for Jim Lister.

And at last another home win.

The giddy heights of eighth place.

I “watched” this on the BBC sport page and the Twitter feed on the club website. (At 2-0 down I switched off for a while. And again at 2-2.)

This result means we’ve now beaten every team in the Division, not bad going for a promoted side. Mind you, there are four bites at each cherry.

Hamilton on Saturday – and Tuesday!

Right now I’d take a win and a loss. Two draws would be one point too few.

SFL Div 1, East End Park, 23/3/13

Astonishing!

The scale of this result can be measured by the fact that Dunfermline had won their last 12 games against us and we hadn’t won at East End Park since 1986.

1-0 down at halftime I couldn’t see it coming. We weren’t 2-0 down long enough for me to be too despondent but at 3-1….?

Fortunately Chris Turner hit an absolute belter to make it 3-2 almost straight afterward and that sowed seeds of doubt in the home team.

We actually had a good first ten minutes but fell out of it for the rest of the half apart from Chris Turner having an effort chalked off for offside. I was in line and he looked OK to me. Not the last time the linesman was to be derided.

Their first goal came from when Nick Phinn was pushed off the ball in our half and they ran up and scored. Stephen Grindlay seemed to be beaten very easily.

Their second was dreadful defending. Their forward went through about three half-arsed tackles before hitting it in the corner.

Two minutes later a great passing move saw the ball hit across goal by Paul McGinn and Steven McDougall was free just beyond the back post to score our first against Dunfermline this season.

This was immediately after Jim Lister had come on for Nick Phinn. He made a difference. The home centre backs knew they were in a game then.

Their third was a joke. The through ball that led to it saw two Dunfermline players offside both of whom subsequently touched it, one playing it forward to another while both were well beyond the defenders. The linesman’s flag stayed resolutely down. He made gestures to suggest a defender was playing them on on the far side. Utter rubbish. The rest of the match was filled with Dumbarton fans shouting at him and raising ironic cheers when he finally did flag someone offside. (It’s what we pay our money for.)

The equaliser came from a defender dwelling on the ball and Jim Lister chasing him down, he then picked out Scott Agnew with a cut back, not the more obvious ball across the box. Aggie finished cleverly back the way it had come. Dreamland.

It then got better.

Our fourth was another intricate passing move finished off by Steven McDougall, calmness personified in the box, beating his man before slotting it past Paul Gallacher.

Dunfermline pressed for the few minutes remaining but we always managed to get bodies in the way or tackles in.

Up to today we had only 4 points out of the last 21 and the Murray magic seemed to have gone. Now it’s 7 out of the last 24. Even with Dunfermline’s troubles this must give the lads great confidence.

Games come thick and fast now, starting at home on Wednesday, then two in a row at Hamilton.

Edited to add:- Chris Turner was lucky to stay on the field after his deliberate hack at Josh Falkingham. I know Falkingham’s an annoying wee so-and-so but serious foul play is serious foul play no matter who it’s committed against.

I see Dumbarton’s away game against Hamilton Accies postponed (again) on Tuesday night has been rescheduled for 2^nd April.

This is only four days after we are due to play Hamilton Accies – away!

I know we had two games in a row against Livingston earlier this year (2/02/13 and 9/02/13) but they were a week apart and at least one of them was at home.

I remember this sort of thing happening a few years ago in Div 3 vs Stenhousemuir (13/3/2007 and 17/3/2007, a 1-1 at home and 1-5 away where Stenhousemuir scored all eight of the goals) and a year later also vs Stenhousemuir (18/3/08 and 22/3/08, 1-0 at home, 1-1 away.)

This is what comes of playing other teams four times a season and postponements catching up with you.

To be fair we now have matches every midweek up till the new date.

I suppose Hamilton will have too.

The players are going to be knackered.

SFL Div 1, The Rock, 26/1/13.

This is incredible. We’re off the bottom of the table and not even in the relegation play-off spot! Whether we’re now getting the rub of the green where we weren’t earlier in the season I don’t know. I’ll take it, though.

The players cannot now lack confidence in moving towards the end of the season.

Plus Hamilton were/are our bogey team. I can’t remember the last time we beat them.

Ian Murray must be in the running for the dreaded Manager of the Month. We can only hope they give it to someone else. Also that the board has got him on a long term contract (just in case another club comes calling for him.)

This run has coincided with me not being able to get to games.

I’m almost afraid to turn up for one now.

One caveat. This Division is notorious for teams having good or bad streaks of form. Others could do what we just have.

Scottish Cup, Round 4, The Rock, 17/12/12

Yes, a football game did break out yesterday, but it was much too far for me to travel on a night in the middle of December.

And it was busines as usual.

Three goals lost – with the added piquancy of a sending off against – and we are dumped out of the Cup. No new manager bounce.

At least we can now concentrate on the league, eh?

It seems like we haven’t played since doomsday but it’s only just over three weeks.

I checked the BBC’s weather forecast for Dumbarton for today and it’s consistently above freezing so it looks like Ian Murray will be in charge for a game for the first time.

Who knows how we’ll play?

I fully expect us to win the Cup game but lose to Hamilton in the league.

The club has appointed 31 year old Ian Murray as player-manager.

I’m not sure what to make of this to be honest. He has no managerial experience and I would have thought experience is exactly what we need right now. On the other hand he is young, liable to be enthusiastic, and can fill in for us at the back – though his legs may be gone. Perhaps the board was thinking of a Div 2 campaign next season….

I see Ian’s Wiki entry has already been updated to mention his status as manager, even though he won’t take charge of the team till the Cup game with Hamilton a week on Saturday.