SPFL Tier 2, The Rock, 14/10/17.

Well, that’s the winning run at home gone, then.

To be expected when you’re playing the league leaders, even if they haven’t won at our place for nigh on twenty years.

Not much damage done, though, with none of the teams below us mustering a win.

SPFL Tier 2, Tannadice Park, 29/4/17.

Well, it’s not quite done.

We certainly can’t be relegated automatically but barring a nine goal swing between our game against Falkirk at the Rock on Saturday and Raith’s at home to Ayr we won’t be in the relegation play-off – and that has the (less likely) back-up that St Mirren also don’t get a point from their game with Hibs.

At the start a point didn’t look possible from this game. Dundee United stormed out of the blocks and came close too many times for comfort; as befitted a team looking for second place in the Division. Yet they didn’t score and we came into it a bit. It looked like we’d weathered the storm but then they scored from a corner. Alan Martin got his hands to it but couldn’t keep it out. He did make a great save from a header a few minutes later. Curiously though I was never in any doubt that he would; he’s a great reaction keeper.

Robert Thomson came close to us from a corner of our own glancing his header just over the bar onto the net’s roof. But it was only a delay. A corner from the other side was delivered fairly poorly, straight to a defender but he only hooked it to the edge of the box where it was first-timed back across goal to where Robert Thomson was steaming in. Cue scenes in the away end.

At half-time I remarked I hadn’t seen it being at 1-1 when the game had only been five minutes in. I was grateful for it though.

The second half we were very in it to begin with. Andy Stirling and Lewis Vaughan were starting to get space on the wings and Sam Stanton through the middle. He it was with a fine run made the opportunity for Lewis Vaughan to put us ahead. Dreams of a win in Dundee and arithmetical safety began. It wasn’t the only opportunity of the half, a squared ball was unfortunately behind the inrushing Robert Thomson or he’d have had a tap in.

United didn’t really look threatening but suddenly scored out of the blue. Sadly for Alan Martin it was a save that squirmed away from him to an oncoming attacker that gave them the equaliser.

For the last ten minutes we were under the cosh a bit but throughout the game we had kept our shape really well, the players clearly know what they are to do. A couple of scrambles near our goal line and then a bit of holding the ball up near their corner flag and the ref blew for full time.

All the players and staff came to applaud the Sons fans in the away end amid much acclaim for their efforts.

A draw at Tannadice is a great result for the Sons. I think it’s the best one we’ve had there since they got promoted from the old Division Two in the late 1950s. And we’ve taken seven points out of a possible twelve from United this season. Amazing.

Fingers crossed for a survival Saturday at the weekend.

SPFL Tier 2, The Rock, 23/4/16.

Job done!

I hadn’t looked at the scores till about 5.40, was most pleased to see Livingston down 3-1 and us ahead, then thought would we hold out? I didn’t know at the time we’d had a late kick-off so the wait was even more agonising. It sounds like Garry Fleming’s goal was a belter, though.

But we’re over the line. Scotland’s top part-time team for the fourth season in a row and the longest stay of a part-time club in a ten team second tier extended. Congratulations to manager Stevie Aitken, his staff and the lads. It’s been difficult watching at times but when we win a game at this level it means so much.

The past two seasons have seen our lowest points totals in this league (36 at present vs 34 last season and 51 and 43 for the two seasons prior) but 8th position was always the target and it’s been achieved.

And a season when we beat St Mirren three times and Hibs twice (and counting??) has to be memorable. It’s a shame we couldn’t prise even a single point from this season’s champions though.

I can relax now until the end of July.

SPFL Tier 2, The Rock, 16/4/16.

It started well. It finished; well…..

Pity about the bit in between. And the injury to big Christian Nade is a blow as we’ve only looked a team this season after he joined us.

I watched this courtesy of BBC Alba of course and things were looking okay at half time. Tom Walsh had even hit a good cross!

What happened in the second half though? We totally fell out of it even before Nade’s injury. Jamie Ewings didn’t have much of a hope with any of the three goals; a poorish kick-out led to one of them but the defence should still not have let Raith through so easily. They seemed to just walk through for two of the three, the other coming from a not deep enough clearance by Fraser Wright.

Despite never having hit a decent cross before this game Tom Walsh ended this with two assists, and doesn’t Steven Saunders love a goal against Raith? Too little too late of course.

We really need something from Saturday now but a draw against St Mirren might not be good enough. We don’t want to be relying on Rangers and Raith even if Queen of the South do the needful.

I note that with Rangers and Hibs progressing to this year’s final East Fife’s record of being the only team outwith the top division to win the Scottish Cup has now been lost. And wouldn’t it be just the thing if Hibs finally win the thing again after totally horsing up the league? (Or Hibsing it as now seems to be the parlance.)

Mind you it’d be a laugh to see them navigating a European campaign from the second tier.

Then again maybe not.

SPFL Tier 2, St Mirren Park, 20/2/16.

Looking at the team sheet it’s not surprising we lost this. Not a striker to be seen in the starting line-up.

It’s still disappointing as we could have done with drawing this but at least the two teams below us lost too.

Seems the best we can hope for now is eighth. (I’d take that right now, though.)

The Cup game at Dundee is something of a freebie. The attraction of playing Rangers at Ibrox should we get through lies only in the share of gate money we’d receive, though. Our record against them is dire. A bit like against Gretna.

Scottish Cup Fifth Round, The Rock, 6/2/16.

Well it’s another clean sheet and we’re in the hat for the quarter final draw. Plus there ought to be a good portion of gate money for the club from the replay.

Dens Park isn’t far away from Son of the Rock Acres so I’ll doubtless be attending.

Unfortunately St Mirren won today so we dropped a place in the league.

I just hope the Cup doesn’t distract us and detract from our league prospects. Two big away games against teams just above us are coming up.

SPFL Tier 2, The Rock, 30/1/16

Three welcome points, another clean sheet, this moves us two wins ahead of ninth (and with a game in hand) plus it kept us above St Mirren. A good day’s work.

Has Livi’s manager resigned yet?

So, Livingston have sacked manager Mark Burchill.

That’s three opponents in a row whose managers Sons have seen off.

First Alloa, then St Mirren and now Livingston.

Can we dare hope to polish off the next two as well? Falkirk’s Peter Houston and Rangers’s Mark Warburton?

No; me neither.

Well, maybe Warburton.

SPFL Tier 2, Almondvale Stadium,* 19/12/15.

It was important not to lose this to keep the differential between us and them at two wins especially since St Mirren were all but guaranteed a win at Alloa so I was disappointed to hear we’d gone one down early on.

Contrariwise (now there’s a good word) I was delighted when I heard the final score. Is it my imagination or are we scoring quite a few late goals this season?

Looks like it may be a difficult day at Falkirk on the 26^th though….

*Call it the Tony Macaroni Arena if you wish

SPFL Tier 2, The Rock, 12/12/15.

Another win, another clean sheet, another opposition manager done for.

That’s Alloa’s last three managers and now St Mirren’s gone after losing to us.

Two league wins in a row. The last time we achieved that was the first two games of the season. I won’t dwell on the sequence we went on after those but if we could get a win next week things would really be looking up.