SFL Div 2, Glebe Park, 26/3/11

Whatever Alan Adamson said to the boys at half time it didn’t work. We started it as slowly as the first and lost an equally quick, if not quicker, goal. After that any semblance of defensive organisation disappeared and it was like the early season again.

We were pretty much abject throughout. Only Ryan McStay – who somehow nearly always seems to create space for himself – and Jon McShane get pass marks, the rest looked like they’d never played together.

Brechin were by far the better team and thoroughly deserved the win. But…

They are the most annoying bunch of shameless whingers I’ve ever seen. While the game was still in the balance every time a decision went against them two or three would be in the ref’s face moaning. Ryan McStay’s booking apart* Dumbarton’s players by and large accepted decisions – even the offside goal (well; it looked offside to me) – but maybe that’s why we lost.

*Ryan had gone in to protect Martin McNiff after Brechin’s neddish no 7 had raised his hands to Martin. The Brechin player should have been sent off – and therefore not on the pitch to score their second, which may have been the critical goal as we more or less fell apart then.

Our day was summed up when Andy Geggan wasted our best chance. He lofted the ball over an absolutely open goal.

A lot of Brechin’s goals came from crosses (get your act together Stephen Grindlay) the last two from pinball melées. When there’s pinball in our area there’s only ever one result.

Nevertheless we could (should?) have had three penalties, two for handball in the first half and a third for a blatant push in the last few seconds.

But we deserved nothing from this game.

It’s getting tight at the bottom again. Alan Adamson has a big job getting the boys up for a crucial game at Stenny on Tuesday night. I’m not at all confident.

SFL Div 2, The Rock, 19/3/11

Matches between the Sons and the Fife are never dull it seems. That makes it 11-10 to us over this season’ s four games.

A good win, this.

I believe it’s the first time this season we’ve gone behind and subsequently won the game.

The three points give us a bit of daylight over Stenny (and Alloa.) Peterhead need to turn things round. At the minute they look in a bad way.

SFL Div 2, The Rock, 5/3/11

Comprehensive defeat. Since Livi became Livi we haven’t done well against them, though, and they’re at the top of the league so it’s to be expected. Plus our goals against is our weak point and our usual central defensive partnership was disrupted due to suspension.

It could have been worse; at least Stenny and Peterhead didn’t win.

We’re locked in a four way tie on 30 points with the worst goal difference and the most games played of the four. Two of those play each other midweek so we’ll be worse off after that.

The game at Ochilview on Saturday is a big one now.

SFL Div 2, Glebe Park, 1/3/11

Three (count them; three!) equalisers. When was the last time we did that? And against a top two team away.

I “watched” the game on the BBC website and teletext. Every time they scored I thought, “That’s it,” then cheered up considerably when we got back in it.

I think it’s the first time this season we have gone behind and not eventually lost the game. Progress.

But Stenny and E Fife both won so it’s tight again at the bottom. Alloa and Airdrie Utd might be in the mix too.

All to play for.

SFL Div 2, New Bayview, 15/02/11

Well. Seventh!

East Fife ought to have scored three times over in the first five minutes but we came into it and scored a well worked goal from Pat Walker after great work down the right from Gilhaney and Geggan. We had two dodgy offsides given against us but may have benefited from that as our second looked as if an early pass was to an offside player but play carried on and a great ball across was swept in by Gilhaney.

East Fife had fallen out of things but got back into the game just before half time and nearly got an equaliser. All we Sons fans were gloomy about the second half.

But Andy Geggan scored from another well worked move pretty quickly after the restart (scorer announced as Andy “Greggan” followed immediately by a sarcastic chorus of, “Ther’s only one Andy Greggan,” from the Sons fans) and we played quite sweetly from then on and could have added more with a bit of composure in the final pass or shot. Ryan McStay had a brilliant game in midfield.

To be fair to Stephen Grindlay (posts passim) he spared us a worrying final five minutes by making a great save from the penalty the Fife were awarded – the only real threat they posed second half.

The referee gave some baffling decisions and failed to be consistent in doling out yellow cards, giving one E Fife player a caution for handball but not another for an even more deliberate instance but for which he did award the free kick.

One amazing stat I heard from behind me. Of all Alloa’s points before last night only one had been gained on grass. The rest were on their plastic or that of Stenny or Airdrie Utd.

Ten points from the last twelve and three away wins on the bounce is certainly an improvement and the boys looked settled, always a good thing. These have mostly been games against those around/near us. Only two more of those to go before we are up against top half opposition. A better side than E Fife would have seen us off in that early phase. No room for optimism yet.

SFL Div 2, The Rock, 12/02/11

I switched on the radio with about twenty minutes to go and heard about two minutes later it was 1-0. I thought, “It’s not enough,” and spent the next fifteen minutes waiting for the inevitable. Which came to pass.

The simple truth is we need to score two to have a hope of winning.

We’ve now lost a total of three points in the last minute at home to Stenny and Airdrie United and, more importantly, given them two and one respectively. These could be crucial come season’s end.

Time for concentration guys. For the whole ninety minutes please.

So it’s off to Methil on Tuesday with them having come off a good (must?) win.

Last season nothwithstanding, Bayview, New or otherwise, has never been a happy hunting ground for us. Plus they thumped us there earlier this season.

I’m not expecting any more miracles like we got in our previous two away games.

SFL Div 2, Recreation Park, 05/02/11

I witnessed a few minor miracles yesterday.

I saw Dumbarton score three goals in an away game. We doubled our away goals tally in the one game (for the second time in a row – though last game at Airdrie we actually tripled it, from one to three – only six now required in the next to keep that sequence up,) we won two games in a row for the first time this season, moved up two places in the league table…….. and Stephen Grindlay caught a cross under some pressure. To be fair to Stephen he kept us level with a very good save when it was 0-0.

Alloa had the better of the first half hour or so, though we had one half chance which Pat Walker could only snatch at, then we scored a breakaway goal from one of their corners, all our players that were involved made correct decisions in the build up; a rare occurence.

Mark Gilhaney played well on the right wing, curbing his tendency to stray up blind alleys, and it was his cross that Jon McShane swept in for the second with a good finish. I then remarked to onebrow, “we’d got our two.” We always concede. I didn’t think then that we’d be pegged back so quickly.

Their first was a consequence of Andy Geggan, who had a good game overall, trying to be too clever in midfield and giving the ball away. It was played up and Ben Gordon unnecessarily put his hand on the forward challenging for the ball to give away the free kick. Straight in the back of the net. I don’t think Grindlay could have done much to prevent it. Their second was the result of a good cross and a very well placed header. I was too far away to say whether Grindlay ought to have come for the cross or not.

Earlier in the season we would not have been two up and if we had been we would certainly have crumbled at the equaliser.

Yesterday we didn’t. Ryan McStay, who more or less ran the midfield all game, took a great free kick into the bottom corner. It was a case of holding out for the win then, taking the ball to the corner flag and so on.

I was impressed with McShane and Walker up front, they can hold on to the ball and play others in. They even tried to make space for themselves at throw-ins. (Don’t the know this activity is against the decades honoured Dumbarton players’ code of conduct?)

Obviously away wins are also like buses. You wait all season for one then two come along at once.

So we reach the heady heights of eighth.

Don’t get too excited. Both Stenny and East Fife have games in hand.

[Edited to add: About a minute before the final whistle one of Alloa’s defenders swore directly at the ref’s assistant after a decision had gone against him. Despite the fact that said assistant was between the player and me, and I heard it, no action was taken – even though I went on to remind the linesman (it was a man) that foul and abusive language to an official is a sending off offence.

OK, I was winding him up a bit but I do think that officials ought not to be sworn at by players (I know it’s not an ideal world.) Acceptance of such abuse from players is, however, the beginning of a slippery slope.]

SFL Div 2, The Rock, 15/02/11

League goals for predictor:- 18.

I was right to be nervous.

This was not good. Stenny hadn’t won away in the league before today and our record over the past six away games had been better than theirs (1 point rather than none.)

The club’s report suggested Stephen Grindlay was Man of the Match. If that’s the case we’re in deeper trouble than I thought.

The object of the game is to score goals and, as a corollary, not to lose any. We can manage neither of these basics.

Given our position it’s unlikely any players will want to join us at the moment so the transfer window doesn’t offer any hope.

I really think we’re stuffed, now.

SFL Div 2, Almondvale Stadium,* 6/11/10

League goals for predictor:- 18.

The game was played on a pitch that in one area was very heavy – all but waterlogged – making it difficult for everyone concerned.

I said at the start we’d have to score to get a draw as Grindlay was in goal and he doesn’t keep clean sheets. We didn’t – either of them. Neither did he.

Yet to lose 2-0 to the team at the top of the division is no disgrace, I suppose. To lose 1-0 would have been better. We were on track for that and – with a bit of luck, going downhill with a following wind – might even have equalised. As soon as former Son, Iain Russell, came on as substitute for Livi, though, what then transpired was inevitable.

Believe it or not, at the time it was against the run of play. We were pressing, had been doing so relatively strongly, but a misplaced pass – the story of Dumbarton’s game actually – saw Livi break away. Russell got it out on their right and proceeded to waltz through almost our entire defence before putting it past Grindlay.

Now, I’d seen the shot coming for all the while he’d had the ball and it was never going to be swept back across goal yet somehow Grindlay was still beaten at his nearer post.

Their first was a free header from a corner. That should not happen. I was up the other end (the away fans were crammed into a small section of the South Stand) so can’t say if Grindlay should have come for it or not.

Loan signing Craig (or is it Calum?) McLeish looked impressive first half but it only took him 45 minutes to descend to our level. Young Nicky Devlin showed up brightly on the right hand side, and was good defensively too.

We’re still a poor team. A draw would have flattered us but Livi didn’t look much better – certainly not a team with almost a whole division between us and them.

There were, though, signs of improvement. We looked nothing like the desperate side that was so poor at Stenhousemuir. A bit better decision making (some decisions at all at certain times would be good) and passing to team mates instead of to the opposition and we’ll get somewhere. With Derek Carcary back we might even have a goal threat.

*Like The Rock, Almondvale Stadium has been sponsored but Almondvale’s new name is utterly ridiculous. I am not going to dignify it by mentioning it further.

SFL Div 2, Ochilview, 23/10/10

League goals for predictor:- 15.

Two must win games in succession both lost.

Now every game will be a must win until relegation is confirmed. (At this rate that will be sometime in January.)

This is the penance we must suffer for the good times.

Onebrow opined during the game that he’d always thought that the way we won promotion two seasons ago was too good to be true. And so it proves.

This was 4-0 going on a complete embarassment. And to the team merely one place above us in the division.

It was over as a contest as early as the third minute when we lost the sort of scruffy goal you concede when you are going to be relegated.

A routine ball into the box wasn’t hoofed away by Devlin as it should have been – Chissie would have got rid of it no bother – Grindlay flapped at it, knocking it onto the Stenny player, off whom it trundled into the net.

I don’t think Michael White would have fumbled that ball. He was in goal, as Onebrow pointed out, in the only two games where we’ve managed to get any points this season.

Grindlay doesn’t come for crosses – the defence is clearly unsettled; three of them had a go at him for staying on his line a few minutes after the goal, when we could easily have lost another – and his kicking from back passes is appalling.

Next up, the obligatory penalty against us at Ochilview. I thought Ben Gordon got there first, the ref didn’t. That all started when Andy Geggan had, I think Devlin, free in space on his right in a good position in their half but hit the ball too short, straight to a Stenny player. Promptly up the park, whistle.

Up steps Ross Clark. Remember him, Chappie?

Stenhousemuir could have gone home then. We still wouldn’t have scored.

The next one you could see coming from halfway through the move. The defence was posted missing from the crossball and Ross Clark (remember him, Chappie?) drilled it home. Grindlay stood still.

We played a bit better in the second half but Stenny had taken their foot off the gas.

We keep finding ever more bizarre ways of conceding goals. The fourth was a complete joke. Nugent had the ball covered. All he had to do was play it, back to Grindlay (OK, maybe not) or out the park, or pass to Ben Gordon, or even turn and go upfield. Instead he just stops running and a Stenny player breezes past him – the report on the club website says as if out of nowhere but he was clearly visible all the way – rounds Grindlay and pops it in.

The Stenny announcer gave the man of the match to Ross Clark. (Remember him, Chappie?) He did score twice, I suppose, but (a much slimmed down in appearance – Ed) Stevie Murray had a good game for them, too. Remember him, Chappie?

Stenny won’t have an easier three points all season.

Until they play us again of course.

It’s past time for Jim Chapman to consider his position. The players either aren’t playing for him or just aren’t good enough. He’s got rid of, or let go, the more robust characters. There was nobody on the field inspiring the team to get into the game. A complete lack of fight, competitiveness and effort. Where’s Chissie when you need him?

During the week Gordon Strachan was noble enough to fall on his sword. Sadly, I don’t expect Chappie to have it in him do the same.

Oh; and Grindlay must go.