SPFL Tier 2, The Rock, 20/12/14.

I wasn’t at the game but witnessed it via BBC Alba.

I needn’t have bothered. We didn’t turn up for the first half and should have been down by more than one goal at half time. With Mark Gilhaney and Chris Turner missing from the starting line-up we were short in midfield. The only spark at all was, as usual, Chris Kane – and we won’t have him in the New Year.

Once Chris Turner replaced Steven McDougall for the second half things improved but we never really tested their keeper. When the second went in and David van Zanten was taken off for Archie Campbell I knew Falkirk would score again… and they did.

And…. Did Scotty Linton even get a kick of the ball after coming on for Mitch Megginson? I don’t think Archie touched it either and he was on the pitch for longer.

I hope things are better at Central Park next Saturday.

SPFL Tier 2, Falkirk Stadium, 20/9/14

Sons fans gave over the first minute of this game to applause in appreciation of Kirsty Mackie, a dedicated Dumbarton fan who died unexpectedly this week. So it goes.

In many ways this was a case of getting out of jail. For at least three quarters of this game we weren’t in it. Falkirk’s players seemed to have acres of space, we didn’t seem to be pressing, our passing was woeful. Their goal followed three missed tackles, an evasion of Scott Linton that was far too easy and a cross to an unmarked man. They also hit the bar in that half and Danny Rogers had to come out quickly and spread himself well to prevent a second. Apart from that though Falkirk were pretty unimpressive.

In the second they made Danny Rogers make one more save, a blinding, twisting, reflex effort that was out of the top drawer.

Credit to manager Ian Murray, though, who made his substitutions and went for it, even to the extent of putting Andy Graham up front in the attempt to salvage a point, a tactic I’ve not seen Murray use before. (Sadly this only showed why Andy is better employed at centre half – but his presence may have been a factor in upsetting Falkirk’s defence.)

We dominated the last ten minutes and the equaliser was coming, their keeper had to make several saves and Colin Nish got just too much onto an Archie Campbell cross. The goal followed a sublime piece of footwork from Steven McDougall to get into the box and square it for Chris Kane to score yet another of his late goals.

SPFL Tier 2, Stark’s Park, 14/12/13

Not a good day for a game. High wind and driving rain for most of it.

Sons held their own in the first half yielding one chance which the guy blazed against the bar and over, while at the other end ours fell to Colin Nish (two headers wide and one shot right at the keeper) and another header – by whom it was too far away to see – that flashed past the post.

Second half we were on top and they broke away while sub Mitch Megginson and Mark Gilhaney were both on one side of the park and they exploited the space to score.

The sending off might have chaned the game but we got hopelessly out of shape (again!) and got caught three on one on the counter.

Late on Andy Graham played a great forward ball (he was our most incisive player all game – from centre half) to other sub Garry Fleming who swept it across for final sub Steven McDougall to score.

We should have got a draw from this but Raith had three real chances and took two of them. Pity most of ours fell to Colin Nish – whose name would make good rhyming slang. At one point he was unchalleged going for a high ball and still missed it.

Things everywhere did not go well for us. Jordan Kirkpatrick was our best player but was carried off injured in the first half and with all subs committed Chris Turner had to go off too meaning our midfield next week is probably going to look decidedly strange. Then Cowden go and win at Dens! You can’t trust anyone these days.

I’ve now got a very bad feeling about the season. Ian Murray’s going to be tested as a manager from here on in.

SFL Div 1, Falkirk Stadium, 16/4/13

Falkirk impressed me. They looked good on the ball, passed it well – for the most part – and seemed to know what they were doing. However, perhaps due to their exertions on Saturday in the Cup semi-final, they didn’t really create much even if in Lyle Taylor they have the best footballer I’ve seen all season. There’s just something about him that speaks class. Our defence did what it had to, though, and restricted his opportunities.

We had four chances and took three of them, all three very good goals; the second so outstanding Onebrow opined it was the best goal he’d ever seen us score. (He’s young though.)

Falkirk had the best of the match up until we scored, their forwards finding space in our half, but the final ball was never quite right for them. Then almost out of nowhere, a couple of quick passes saw Mark Gilhaney evade his man and place it past the keeper. A few minutes later it got even better as a brilliant passing move with at least three one-twos in tight situations was finished off by Garry Fleming slotting it in.

After that we began to push up too far, left too much space and Falkirk’s goal was coming. It was expertly taken following a fine chip to Lyle Taylor who finished in the only place Stephen Grindlay wouldn’t be able to reach his header.

I began to worry then but we held out till half time.

Stephen Grindlay had a few good saves including a one-on-one with Lyle Taylor in the second half. Taylor also got through once more and was perhaps nudged at just the right time to prevent him getting his shot away cleanly.

Our third chance came when a cross from Steven McDougall was flapped out by the keeper to Mark Gilhaney whose shot was knocked away by a defender on the line. The third goal followed a fine through ball from Chris Turner. Garry Fleming ran on and finished into the corner.

These were three points I wasn’t expecting. When was the last time we beat Falkirk twice at their place in the one season? I thought it might have been in the days of the Spring Cup! (We beat them at Brockville in that competition. I was there. But no. I’ve just checked. Falkirk beat us twice in the league that year. We did do it though in 1980-81.)

One more win should see us stay up.

SFL Div 1, East End Park, 24/11/12

I was going to say no complaints, but…. see below.

I was going to say the better team won but… the faster, stronger, fitter team won. Does that make them better? I suppose it does. They were in the Premier last season after all and we were in Div 2.

We were okay for a while; even forcing their keeper to make more saves than Stephen Grindlay had up till their first goal. I was in line and thought Josh Falkingham was offside but he was also totally unmarked. The game was then effectively all over.

I shouldn’t have said to GordyBrow when the teams were announced that they hadn’t given Josh Falkingham’s full name. He replied, “I suppose that’s ‘diver’ followed by something rude.” I said, “Yes.”

The second goal was a joke. James Creaney failed to cut out a ball to the winger and then the cross wasn’t collected by Grindlay – he’s always been terrible for spilling low crosses – and came off Andy Graham’s leg to screw towards the line. He just failed to clear it before it crossed. Exactly the sort of thing that happens to you when you’re way adrift at the bottom of the league.

So here’s the complaint. In the second half I’d thought it was Falkingham who ran through one on one with Stephen Grindlay, pushed the ball past him and fell down. From where I was it certainly looked a dive. Falkingham is famous for it. It turns out it was Joe Cardle who couldn’t stay on his feet. Whoever, the ref gave the penalty and showed Grindlay a red card to boot. Down to ten men and a penalty to come…

I say again; when a penalty is given, in what sense has a goal scoring opportunity been prevented? A penalty and a red card and a goal is a triple punishment. Too many times does something like this spoil a game. It didn’t affect the outcome here, Dunfermline were always going to win, but often it can.

Jim Lister was withdrawn to allow Jamie Ewings to face the pen which he almost got to. 3-0 down with ten men against the joint league leaders was only going to end one way.

Curiously we played better after that. Onebrow opined Dunfermline had stopped playing. But we were left cruelly exposed whenever we sallied upfield.

Their fourth was a peach. Due to the man shortage Joe Cardle was one on one on Nicky Devlin with no extra cover, duly took it past him and curled a beauty behind Jamie Ewings into the corner.

It seems we don’t have the personnel to compete effectively against the better teams in this division. (And the not so good teams too?) There was a litany of weak challenges, hurried touches, misplaced passes and stretched interceptions. The players appear shorn of confidence, not wanting to take time on the ball. Chris Turner was an exception to this last, as was Steven McDougall when he came on (but like at Cowdenbeath he carried it too far and was crowded out.)

Ian Murray’s got a big job on.

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.