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.

SFL Div 1, Stark’s Park, 6/10/12.

Football. Bloody Hell!

I was at this one. (Stark’s Park is only a couple of hundred yards from my house.)

I really don’t know where to start.

My son and I approached the ground with some trepidation; after all we’d managed to secure only one point from seven games so far and the Rovers had drawn with the league leaders last week.

We were terribly open in the first half, leaving acres of space for Rovers to exploit a lot down the left hand side. Those critics of James Creaney – who sat this one out on the bench – should maybe think on. Mostly we seemed to be playing 4-5-1 with midfielders coming through to attempt to support Jim Lister when we punted it up to him. On this point it is almost useless to aim at his head; it needs to be his chest, folks. Our play betrayed an unsurprising lack of confidence; overplayed passes, poor first touches, tentative tackles abounded. Rovers seemed able to run through us at will. The transition from our possesion to theirs always seemed to lead to a backs to the wall challenge which we mainly survived. In fact their goal when it came was out of almost nothing but Jamie Ewings – presumably put in to give Stephen Grindlay a rest from picking the ball out of the net so often – might have made a better fist of saving it. Nevertheless he commanded his box well.

We had a couple of efforts on goal. I think it was Phil Johnston that made their keeper make a save and one Scott Agnew effort was almost diverted into goal by Garry Fleming.

Still at half time I had resigned myself to a defeat.

Early in the second half Jamie Ewings made two very good saves to keep us in it. Then a Raith player overstretched in midfield and a good challenge in midfield broke to Jim Lister for him to move in on goal. This is the sort of one-on-one Dumbarton strikers don’t usually convert but “Blister” did. Cue much rejoicing in the Val McDermid Stand.

What a difference a goal makes. Suddenly we were getting the break of the ball, or forcing the break, and starting to take the game to the Rovers.

We didn’t dominate completely as they had a few efforts but weren’t composed enough to punish us. Their second when it arrived was against the run of play. Our defending of the corner was poor, though. Two uncontested headers in the box is shocking.

Kudos to Alan Adamson, though. He brought on striker Brian Prunty and took off central defender Martin McNiff.

Raith then made the mistake of letting us have the ball and we started to use it. We had several half chances and one that looked great when Phil Johnston’s pace and trickery at last had an end product but Blister’s header went wide.

We also had more penetration when Mark Gilhaney came on for Mark Lamont who is too easily brushed off the ball at this level.

There were a few hairy moments at our end as we were pushing up and leaving lots of space but we persevered and a great ball in to Brian Prunty saw him poke it past the keeper. Ecstasy in the Val McDermid Stand.

Still Raith could have won it as they had a one-on-one but Jamie Ewings stood tall and deflected the ball past the post with his foot.

Great mutual acclamation from the fans and players at the final whistle. We’ve doubled our points tally! (Mind you at this rate we’ll end the season on a total of 9 points.)

It says something (I’m not quite sure what) that the match sponsors gave the Man of the Match to their goalkeeper.

The lads should take confidence from this. Twice we came from behind.

We also looked more threatening when we only had three at the back. Something for the manager to ponder there, perhaps. I suspect he’ll go with five in midfield and one up front again next time though.

SFL Div 2, New Bayview Stadium, 21/2/12.

Onwards and upwards; but I wouldn’t have given much for our chances at half-time. Apart from a great save by the keeper from a Brian Prunty lob just after they had scored we didn’t trouble their goal much. There was one great cross from James Creaney which no-one got on the end of (probably because up to then his crosses had been crap.)

E. Fife hit us on the break time after time and seemed to get past our back line too easily. The goal came from one such: a quick ball forward to a player who looked yards offside when he got the ball but couldn’t have been because the lino didn’t give it. (She gave other marginal ones though so no complaints.) Bobby Linn finished it well. Stephen Grindlay had a few small pass-back bombscares but saved us just before the half with a fine save with his legs in a one-on-one (after a defensive mistake let a nippy E. Fife forward in.)

Second half our defence never really looked in difficulty. One of our attacks had the ball played in to Prunty who elected to pass rather than shoot first time (the familiar failing) and Mark Gilhaney then took a touch so the chance was lost.

The goal came more or less out of nowhere the ball breaking to Gilhaney on the edge of the box who, for a wonder, hit it first time. A deflection took it past the keeper.

Two substitions saw Ally Graham replace the ever-willing worker Pat Walker and Mark Lamont come on for Ryan Finnie. It was difficult to tell but we may have reverted to 4-2-2 at this point. Lamont – unrecognisable from the poor player who came on late at Forfar last week – proceeded to rampage down our left side, giving the Fife defence loads of problems. It was his cross that an unmarked Ally Graham headed in to give us the win.

We could have had another a few minutes later when Prunty brilliantly took the ball down but then blazed it over and seemed to hurt himself in the process.

Another three points without us being particularly impressive. What is the Second Division coming to?