SFL Div 2, Station Park, 14/2/12

I said we’d have to be sharper; but we weren’t.

Instead, we were more profligate.

Stephen Grindlay had a great save early on then four gilt-edged chances for us elapsed before Forfar scored. Over-elaboration, failing to shoot first time, too many touches, passing instead of taking responsibility for a shot, every possible failing in front of goal was in evidence. Their keeper did OK but should have been beaten: more than once.

Midway through the half play became rather scrappy.* (*Thank you Ian McMillan – those of a certain age will remember his summations of games for BBC TV in the long ago. Wiki says he is the grandfather of former son Iain Russell.)

In the end at half time I was grateful for the equaliser. Brian Prunty seemed to have taken the ball on too far but finally got a shot away into the corner of the net.

Our formation was puzzling for a time. I hadn’t really noticed among the mayhem on Saturday at Ochilview but we are playing three at the back. Onebrow was of the opinion that the two full backs aren’t pushed on enough to make it work, though, and our midfield can get overrun with this system.

The second half more or less followed the pattern of the first, both teams having chances – one shocking miss by a Forfar player who blazed wide when he should have placed it, a good save by Grindlay after a headed back pass fell short – our failure to shoot early enough enormously frustrating. Their keeper had a great save from the only one Scott Agnew really got hold of all night and scrambled a Mark Gilhaney effort away late on.

Gilhaney nearly always takes the wrong option. The system may be employed to free him up but too often he flatters to deceive. When wide he wanders infield instead of taking on the man on the outside and trying to get a cross in. Typically he ends up losing the ball. I can’t remember when I last saw him really play well. When Mark Lamont came on for James Creaney he became predictable very quickly.

We kept threatening to score up till the end but never convinced that we would.

Still; a point’s a point and we’re now third. How on Earth did that happen? Our goal difference is still to hit positive numbers.

When I got home I discovered the reason why our winning run had come to an end.

SFL Div 2, Ochilview Park, 11/2/12.

Incident packed – in the first half at least, when Stenny committed collective suicide. The first was when their centre half tackled Pat Walker just outside the box and the ref blew. I was too far away to be sure and when he reached in his pocket I thought he might be booking Pat for diving but it was a red for the defender for “preventing a clear goal-scoring opportunity.” Fair enough, if it was a foul there was no other defender in a position to cover. Stenny’s manager was sent “to the stands” for his complaints here. (He spent the rest of the game running down to the wall surrounding the pitch to relay instructions to his players – and the officials paid not the slightest bit of attention to him. Being sent to the stands at Stenny is clearly not a punishment.)

A few minutes later, in what I thought was an accidental collision of heads the Stenny player fell to the ground hurt. Cue hordes of home players demanding a card for Martin Mcniff apparently believing an elbow had been used. I was directly in line with this and it hadn’t even looked a foul to me! The ref was well placed on the other side and he obviously didn’t see an elbow but as a result of the Stenny protests he showed McNiff a yellow. Former Son Andy Rodgers was booked for his protests and was lucky it wasn’t a red as he kept on complaining way after his yellow.

Stenny have previous in this regard, in the 1-1 game in our last promotion season they got Gary Wilson sent off in similar circumstances.

After that incident Stenny players were throwing themselves to the ground at the slightest pretext obviously hoping to even things up card-wise. Sadly the ref fell for more than a few of these efforts. Stenny’s no. 9 could have a great future from the 10 metre board in the swimming pool.

Tony Wallace then had a great chance but side footed it over.

The second act of Stenny madness came when Pat Walker won a corner off a defender who then made his dissent clear by throwing the ball away. There is absolutely no chance that it was a goal kick instead. The defender though, who had already been booked, threw the ball to the ground in disgust. The ref held his arms out wide as he gave the second yellow, followed by red, as if to say, “You haven’t given me a choice.”

The first goal was from a corner when we stopped fannying about with short ones and put in a cross which Alan Lithgow powered in. Not long after, Brian Prunty’s shot took a deflection and went past the keeper.

2-0 at half time and easy street? This is Dumbarton. You should know better.

Stenny made three chances in the second half more or less from nothing each time, two from Andy Rodgers, both well saved by Stephen Grindlay (who seems to have improved on crosses by the way and was otherwise untroubled except by the goal which was a great strike from the substitute – look out for it on Sons TV.)

We had a barrowload of chances and didn’t score any of them. The most prominent was when Prunty had a free header at a virtually open goal but somehow managed to head it back towards the keeper.

This was my first look at loanee Ross Finnie* – some nice touches but wrong decisions at times – and Ally Graham, who didn’t do much. As a result of the sendings-off we didn’t really need a midfield enforcer so it was a good game for Kevin Nicoll to miss through suspension.

But a game we should have put to bed quite easily ended up being a bit of a worry at the end due to the slim margin. And the possibility of improving our goal difference vis-á-vis Stenny was lost.

We’ll need to be sharper on Tuesday night at Forfar.

*Edited to add:- make that Ryan Finnie.

SFL Div 2, Forthbank Stadium*, 30/10/11

At half-time I feared the worst. We’d had a barrowload of chances, Pat Walker one-on-one with the goalie and the goalie saved it, Brian Prunty and Walker two on one defender where Prunty elected to shoot instead of playing Walker in, plus a few other efforts but nothing to show for it. Stirling had looked poor. That sort of thing usually leads to one ending.

Sure enough Striling came out more brightly in the second half and had more of the ball but didn’t fashion much by way of chances.

Then out of nothing Scott Agnew hit a shot which seemed to get a deflection on its way past their keeper and delight ensued.

But there was still trepidation to come. Stirling had two good efforts one inches (if that) past. From where I sat the header looked goal bound but it edged past the post and Stephen Grindlay made a great save on a one-on-one.

Then a great move saw Prunty played in but his shot went just wide.

A welcome three points even if Stirling were the poorest side I have seen for some time.

The referee by the way was atrocious. He gave us four fouls all game (two more were given by the assistants.) He failed to see a challenge on James Creaney it was so late (the assistant did) but didn’t book the guy. He yellow-carded Kevin Nicoll for a challenge but two minutes later didn’t even give a foul for an exact copy tackle on Scott Agnew.

As I recall this was the ref who gave Andy Rodgers an utterly ridiculous penalty for The Shire against us way back when. Maybe he doesn’t like us for some reason.

*Apparently its now the Doubletree Dunblane Stadium but who could be bothered?

SFL Div 2, Station Park, 24/9/11.

A welcome win. But… Something weird is going on.

We haven’t won (or even drawn) at home in the league. Yet away, we’ve won two, drawn one (and lost one.)

We had marginally the better of the early exchanges here though neither side looked likely to score until a run through led to a good save by the Forfar keeper and Brian Prunty just missed the rebound; in the stramash Mark Gilhaney’s blocked shot came back to him and he smashed it against the bar but Prunty was offside and his tap-in didn’t count.

We soon lost the hard running Pat Walker to injury but the sub David Winters scored when the Forfar defence stood still at a Scott Agnew free kick. In oceans of space and with his back to goal Winters fashioned a kind of horizontal bicycle bick to slot the opener.

All through the game Forfar played neat and tidy stuff and tried to pass the ball but generally looked curiously out of sorts. They had several half-chances but no clear cut opportunities.

Forfar’s keeper had at least three good saves though, one from Mark Gilhaney squirmed onto the post before bouncing out.

Our second came when a bit of dig from Scott Agnew in midfileld won him the ball and he despatched Gihaney whose cross was killed by Prunty to set up a volley which he thumped into the net.

Then came the most ridiculous sending off. A nothing situation gave us a throw in on the halfway line and a Forfar player pushed David Winters who fended him off with his hands. The ref scurried over flashing a red card. The Forfar guy escaped with only a yellow.

We managed to hold out without too much torment – though I was looking at my watch a lot – and we seemed quite well organised at the back. Paul Nugent was solid at right back. Loanee Ross McKinnon was okay at left mid but may not be quite match fit.

Apart from the win the most noteworthy occurence was Stephen Grindlay came for and held several cross balls!!!! That’s been missing from his game for too long. (He did miss one later on though.)

Hampden Park 10/8/11

I know this is a bit late but I only saw the highlights of this game. It looked like we were hammered 1-2. Denmark made much the more and better chances but Scotland scored two and they didn’t.

The first came from a free kick where the Scot, were he a Dane, might have been described as going down too easily.

Allan McGregor flapped at the equaliser. It was like watching Stephen Grindlay.

Scotland’s second was a finely worked effort, though.

A win’s a win. I’d have taken it in any Dumbarton game.

Whether there will be a similar result against the Czech Rep in the upcoming qualifying game is another matter.

SFL Div 2, The Rock, 7/5/11

Well. We’ve had four clean sheets this season in the league and I’ve seen two of them!

This was as much of a non-event as might be expected when nothing rode on it for either side but that’s two points in successive games from teams who had beaten us thrice already. Two points I thought we’d struggle for.

Here’s a typical scene from the game. All twenty outfield players within a space of about twenty by ten yards. Absolutely no width.

Dumbarton had the balance of the play but made few chances although the Forfar keeper made two good saves from Pat Walker and Andy Geggan in the second half. Stephen Grindlay barely had a save to make yet Forfar should have gone ahead late on when their forward headed it wide instead of on target.

Was Stephen Grindlay making a bid to be retained here? He actually came for two crosses. Even more astonishingly he caught them both!

In the photo below the players leave the field at the final whistle.

So Stenny made safety and Alloa face the play-offs. Interestingly our total of forty points would have seen us relegated or in the play-offs in seven of the seventeen previous seasons where there have been ten teams in Division Two.

Isn’t it bizarre though that Alloa choose now to get rid of Alan Maitland as manager? Either it ought ot have been done months ago (I gather he offered to resign but was turned down) or else they should have waited till after the play-offs. The team is hardly going to be in the best frame of mind for these crucial games. Though if he’d “lost” the dressing room then I suppose there may be an improvement. But they now face an Annan team surely on a high after making the play-offs, and if they get through that they will play a side on a roll. Wierd timing.

SFL Div 2, Ochilview Park, 29/3/11

Two points thrown away. And, more importantly, for Stenny one point gained.

So instead of being seven points ahead of them with six games to go (Stenny have a game in hand) we are only four points in front.

A pretty uneventful first half with Pat Walker’s shot hitting the outside of the post and Jon McShane with an overhead kick attempt. Stenny hit the bar.

A goal out of nowhere early in the second after a good combination down the right from Walker and Gilhaney ended with a cross McShane couldn’t miss. The second was a wickedly whipped in free kick where the defence stood about looking for offside. McShane’s shot was parried by the keeper and three of our players could have had the tap in.

Jon McShane pulled an instinctive save from their keeper before Walker nearly chipped him but the clincher never came.

The second goal or the sending off of the Stenny defender for an exactly similar pair of late challenges on the same player (Walker) was the turning point.

We switched off. A Stenny guy ran almost from the halfway line before anyone challenged him and that was in the box. Penalty. 1-2. McShane was then obstructed in their box a minute or so later but no penalty. It would have been a foul anywhere else on the pitch.

They got inspiration from their goal but their second was very poor defending. Firstly the guy was allowed to cross the ball. Secondly, Stephen Grindlay was rooted to his line when he ought to have claimed it (he never does, though.) Free header from a bloke on the pitch only a few seconds.

This felt like a defeat.

I hope the lads’ heads are up for Saturday.

Our next three games are against those in and around us, our last three are against teams in the top four. If we need anything from those last three games let’s hope the play off positions are already decided.

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, Station Park, 26/02/11

Ah well. Situation normal resumed. But if losing the first goal was a test I think we passed it.

Forfar are a big strong team. Ben Gordon and Jon McShane aside we are midgets in comparison.

They looked very good going forward in the first few minutes despite not carving us open the way East Fife did. When the goal came it looked a great strike. Stephen Grindlay had made a good save from an earlier effort but had knocked it back out, the guy just thumped it.

We barely registered until much later in the half then came into it. Jon McShane’s beautifully struck free-kick was finely placed but still should have been saved by the keeper who only turned it onto the post/bar and in. The ref looked as if he wasn’t sure it was a goal but eventually gave it. I briefly wondered if we had scored an equaliser in this season before yesterday then remembered we had – at Forfar, in the first game.

At half-time I thought we were lucky to be level.

Different story second half; we dominated and played some very good stuff. We had a fair few chances, Pat Walker desperately unlucky to have a curling shot go just wide, Mark Gilhaney electing to shoot first time twice when he had more time were the best of them.

We were pushing for the winner when Andy Geggan lost the ball three-quarters into their half and they broke upfield. Our cover had been sucked forward and the Forfar scorer had too much space available to him.

Alan Adamson withdrew two midfield players and threw on two more players in forward positions to go for it but the second equaliser wasn’t to be.

Had we won, and therefore equalled the 119 year old consecutive away wins record, I’d have felt obliged to go to Brechin on Tuesday night. As it is I’ll probably give it a miss.

It’s not over yet and those below us have games in hand, but we have enough in the team now to suggest we can beat the teams we have to, if not the ones pushing for the promotion play-offs.

Famous last words.

SFL Div 2, The Rock, 22/02/11

In the immortal words of Arthur Daley, “What is occurring, Terence?”

This is almost too good to be true. We even kept a clean sheet.*

Mind you, we were playing against ten men for most of the game. Yet earlier in the season that would have made no difference.

I can’t avoid the feeling that there’s a fall round the corner.

*Edited to add:- if there was a monkey on Stephen Grindlay’s back (and the defence’s) let’s hope it’s gone now.