Scottish Cup, Round Four, The Rock, 22/1/22.

What to make of this?

Against a top division side we looked reasonably comfortable and even with ten men for 46 minutes – I don’t know what Ross MacLean did to get sent off, the Pixellot camera had done its usual panning away thing when nothing’s happening at a free kick, but he’s an idiot for doing it – were in the game. And they only scored from a penalty. It struck Joe McKee’s arm but he couldn’t have got out of the way.

In fact our best chance came late on. Stuart Carswell blazed over after a couple of headers from a free kick opened up the chance for him but he rarely scores from open play. (He rarely scores at all.)

It was a pretty nondescript game all round. Dundee hardly threatened us, a couple of close range headers in the first half – one sent wide the other easily into Sam Ramsbottom’s arms – and a long range effort Sam tipped over. Second half I can only think of a Leigh Griffiths shot dragged wide and another straight at Sam.

First half Dundee did look sharper and quicker thinking, especially at loose/second balls, but as the game wore on the difference seemed to lessen.

We can’t be judged on this. Dundee were fairly toothless and we didn’t lay a glove on them either. (Ross MacLean possibly apart.) Big Josh up front did okay but wasn’t given enough service. Defenders know he’s there, though.

Cove Rangers next Saturday is a bigger test of our league chances.

I hope the display gives the team confidence, though.

SPFL Tier 3, Recreation Park,* 20/11/21

Well.

A win.

Very welcome.

We needed it; especially as the two teams directly below us both won today as well.

And at last a better result in the second quarter than we had against that team in the first.

How much the win depended on them having a man sent off just after their equaliser I don’t know but we had taken the lead (a Stuart Carswell penalty no less) which suggests we were doing okay.

Then Eoghan Stokes pops up with the winner. He’s making a habit of making vital contributions off the bench.

A bit of a break from the league next week since we play Sauchie at home in the Third Round of the Scottish Cup. (When, I wonder, was the last time we played two Clackmannanshire based teams in a row?)

I’m not expecting an easy game. They beat Highland League leaders Fraserburgh – away – in round one.

SPFL Tier 3, The Rock, 13/11/21.

From the moment Stuart Carswell, standing in at centre half for the injured Ryan McGeever, misjudged the bounce of the ball and handed Falkirk an easy chance I watched this with an air of resignation.

Nothing went right.

Our deliveries into the area were poor, we were never first to any loose balls, we created nothing. If not for Sam Ramsbottom in goal this could have been a cricket score.

Not that Falkirk were really good: they didn’t have to be. Competence was enough.

Sure, Ryan Schiavone up front made life a bit uncomfortable for their centre backs but to no avail, he was on his own for the most part.

We are now nine points worse off in the second quarter of the season than we were against the same teams in the first. It’s seven games since we last won.

Our next seven league games are against sides above us in the table. That’s not good reading.

SPFL Tier 3, The Rock, 21/8/21.

Well, we didn’t get away with this one.

We started slowly and Cove had most of the early possession without really threatening. Our forays up the park were even less so.

Their goal seemed to come out of nothing but there was no pressure on their attackers in the build-up and Mitch Megginson (exercising the iron law of the returning ex-Son) was given far too much time to turn at the edge of the box and hit it. It was their first effort on target and it went in.

Their second effort on target came 22 seconds later. Yes, 22 seconds. Keeper Sam Ramsbottom was caught out by a looping header eerily similar to Airdrie’s second a fortnight ago. Too much room in the box again. The guy possibly didn’t head it properly as it had a weird trajectory but that doesn’t excuse poor marking and poor positioning.

We then stepped it up a bit but only made their keeper field the ball once.

In our first atack in the second half Kalvin Orsi turned and took it for a run. He was only stopped at the edge of the box where the ref gave a foul. Carsy, yes Carsy, hit a glorious shot into the postage stamp. Does he ever score ordinary goals?

We dominated the rest of the half, winning corner after corner but didn’t make any of them pay.

My live stream then started buffering and when I got it back on they were just about to take a penalty. It was apparently a dodgy one, which is beginning to look like it will be our luck this season.

My impressions from this game. Cove were the better team. We lacked menace. Young Callum Wilson in midfield looks a player but he’s still raw. Kalvin Orsi isn’t a centre forward. Sam Ramsbottom’s kicking is a disaster waiting to happen. Happen again, I should say.

That good start seems a long time ago now.

SPFL Tier Three Play-off Semi-Final, second leg, The Rock, 11/5/21.

Another unrelaxing 90 minutes.

Stranraer had the best of the first ten minutes but then we began to come into the game and dominatedthe rest of the half. We actually played some football, passing the ball around on the deck!

I thought we’d rue the two chances Jaime Wilson didn’t put away, playedd into the edge of the box and running on to shoot which the keeper blocked but the rebound he skied over. Then another good passing move saw him hit it first time but wide.

His goal came after a bit of ping-pong in their box. It fell to him and he just smashed it.

The second half Stranraer came out very lively and it was like that for the rest of the game with us only making the occasional foray upfield. It was after one of these that Carsy mistimed his challenge at the edge of the box and gave away a penalty. Thankfully their player hit it against the base of the post and it bounced out for a goal kick.

We could maybe have scored again when Robert Jones worked space for himself in their box but didn’t pull the trigger early enough and also when Nick McAllister ran almost the length of the pitch betaing several defenders only for the keeper to save his shot with his leg, and Robert Jones couldn’t get to the rebound in time.

Unfortunately Jaime Wilson hobbled off halfway through the half. What goal threat we’ll have without him is dubious.

Curiously the time seemed to fly by. 20 minutes left became 15, then 10 then 3, then injury time but Stranraer couldn’t fashion thnmselves another chance.

So now it’s on to the play-off final. Against Edinburgh City, the first time we’ll have played them, I think – in this incarnation anyway. Away on Monday, then home on Thursday of next week.

SPFL Tier 3, The Rock, 12/12/20.

Our first ever game against the visitors – and we got a welcome win.

It probably wasn’t that long ago but I can’t remember the last time we beat a team above us in the league.

Watching on the live stream is a peculiar experience. It seemed even more nerve-racking than actually being at a game. It didn’t help that, once again, as against Clyde, we were holding out for a win – this time only for 40 mins rather than the majority of the game.

It was fairly even in the first half but I felt Cove always looked more comfortable on the ball than us. We had the first effort on target though, a fairly centrally aimed Ross Forbes free-kick. Our failure to score despite some pressure (and no truly clear-cut chances) is the sort of thing that can come back to bite you. And it almost did as Cove forced Kevin Dabrowski in goal into two very good saves indeed and a further block outside his near post. Then Rico Quitongo danced round the defender on the bye-line and cut it back to Jaime Wilson who hit it fiercely but nearly straight at their keeper. Half-time 0-0.

Not long after, we were ahead – from an unlikely source. Nat Wedderburn – a strong presence in midfield throughout – bulleted a Ross Forbes corner into the net on 50 minutes, his first goal for the club.

From then on Cove pushed forward and we did not seem to be able to find an out ball. Hence the racked nerves. They did hit the post late on and it seemed the ball must go in but it trundled along the goal line for what seemed like ages before Stuart Carswell cleared it sideways – Kevin Dabrowski having to dive over his clearance.

We did manage to venture forward in the last few minutes but the final whistle still came as a relief.

So we’re now two points off third place and five clear of ninth.

It’s a tricky visit to Montrose (in fourth) next week though.

SPFL Tier 3, The Rock, 3/3/20.

That should do it. Forfar can still reach 54 points and we’re on 38 but they’ve averaged less than a point a game up to now so if they kept that up they’d only get to 35. We’re now 22 points ahead of Stranraer so they’re definitely out of sight. We’ll be in Tier 3 again next season I should think. (I can’t see us reaching the promotion play-off places.)

We dominated the first half and played some pretty stuff at times but never really threatend their goal until a cross reached Stefan McCluskey whose close effort from near the bye-line was saved by the keeper and went for what all the Sons fans near me thought was a corner – as did the linesman – but the ref gave a goal-kick. I suppose it could have rebounded back off McCluskey but it didn’t look like it.

The goal wasn’t long delayed, a neat move leading to a header into the path of Ross Forbes who finished it well.

Ir was much the same in the second half with Forfar having a bit more of the ball but mostly being woeful with it. Conor Brennan only had one save to make, from a long-range effort.

The clincher was again a good move with Jai Quitongo hammering home after a neat P J Crossan pass following a Forbes through ball.

Stefan McCluskey had the best game I’ve seen from him but he still doesn’t have much end-product and too often takes a negative option. Rico Quitongo continues to make strides at left-back; he’s a much improved player from the one of the beginning of the season. His brother Jai can clearly play a bit, with a good touch, but he has a tendency to go up blind alleys or overdo things. And Stuart Carswell looks to be coming back to his best. He’s been off the boil for a long time. I wonder if he’s been carrying an injury.

Clyde again on Saturday at their place. (Weather permitting.)

SPFL Tier 3, Stark’s Park, 21/12/19.

It is, as they say, a funny old game. Granted they were several players short but so were we. We only had three on the bench – and one of them is the reserve keeper.

I’d have taken a draw. To say I’m happy with a win against the league leaders away when they hadn’t lost at home before today would be an understatement. And with a clean sheet too, more than a rarity for us. It’s days like this that make supporting a wee team worthwhile.

We were at it from the off and had much the best of the early exchanges but our failure to punish their misplaced midfield passes threatened to bite us when a delightful chip left their forward one on one with Conor Brennan who managed to get his fingertips to the attempted lob to push it on to the bar and reacted well to get the rebound.

Not long after, we scored. Conor Scullion tussled for the ball but seemed to lose it only for it to fall for Stuart Carswell whose delicious back-heel set up Scullion for a cross into the box. He pulled it back to P J Crossan who slotted it home (apparently via a deflection.)

Raith had a warning when Morgyn Neill’s header from a corner went straight to a well-positioned keeper but a few minutes later it was two. Crossan won a free-kick. He feinted to take it quickly but thankfully relented. Joe McKee drilled it into an unmarked Ryan McGeever who powered it into the bottom corner.

I was dreading forty-eight or so minutes hanging on to a lead but in truth Raith didn’t threaten us too much second half. They kept playing it down the inside right channel but only made Brennan make one save – a header from a cross. Otherwise any efforts they had were off-target.

So that’s now three away wins in a row, we’re up to fifth again, only four points from fourth position and five from first place.

That’ll do.

Scottish League Cup* Group E, Galabank, 13/7/19.

A win! A win I wasn’t expecting – certainly not after only signing five of the players on show within the previous forty-eight hours.

But this ought to be tempered with caution. Annan were far from impressive even if they are only one tier below us. But compare last season’s equivalent game at Spartans – two tiers below us – where we only got a draw.

With nine new players starting I had no idea who was who to begin with – apart from Kyle Hutton and Stuart Carswell, the latter now Sons captain and the stand-out player on the park.

We had the better of the early stuff, several efforts on goal (Annan’s first did not arrive till 40 mins in – their second was only a couple of minutes later but both were wide of the mark; indeed, crosses aside, Jordan Pettigrew in Sons’ goal did not have a save to make in the entire game) and a lot of corners in our favour but I still never felt our defence was comfortable. Too many years watching Sons does that to you.

New right back Lewis Crawford – a local lad – was solid and got forward well, he had our first shot on goal but it was blocked and not long after a header which unfortunately was straight at the keeper. He’s no Sam Wardrop though. Rico Quitongo on the other flank seemed defensively sound and got forward too.

Paul Crossan (P J Crossan on the club’s squad list) looked effective on the wing, reminiscent of Andy Stirling in build. He cut inside well and looks to be an upgrade on Bobby Barr.
Ryan Tierney up front held the ball up impressively but whether he’ll be able to do it against better defenders remains to be seen. He took his goal well though. Neither of our front two is on the tall side but Tierney still managed to win quite a few balls in the air. Mati Zata in midfield, though, looked like a fish out of water, not really getting into the game at all.

An Annan fan sitting near me said to his mate sometime during the second half that Dumbarton looked organised. How that’s so is a miracle given our lack of time together or maybe it’s just a reflection of Annan’s lack in that regard. Or (at the risk of getting ahead of myself and despite Sons fans less than enthusiastic embrace of the signings so far) do we simply have better players than them?

Three games against teams in higher divisions now before the league starts. Make the most of the win.

SPFL Tier 3, Station Park, 13/4/19.

The scoreline tells you all you need to know about this game.

Sometimes you get an entertaining 0-0 draw. Sometimes you don’t. Today we didn’t.

The nearest we came to scoring was with long distance efforts by Ross Forbes and Dom Thomas but they were fired down the goalkeeper’s throat. Calum Gallagher had a couple such off target as did the two previously mentioned.

Not that Forfar were any better. Grant Adam only had two shots to save all day.

Mind you I’d feared the worst as just when the teams were coming out the announcer said that due to an injury in the warm-up Stuart Carswell was being replaced by Boris Melingui. Carsy is so important to our midfield. It’s really an obvious miss when he’s not there. The announcer still gave out Carsy’s name as playing when he read the teamsheets again at half-time, though.

Boris was up front with Calum Gallagher pulled back into midfield where he put a good shift in (he’s like a modern day Chissie*) but his attacking partnership with Dom Thomas was therefore missing. Boris ran about well and pressed with a will but there was no spark to our play. Dom Thomas had few opportunities to run with the ball, they doubled or trebled up on him at times and his control got away from him too often. Plus he needs to play folk in when they’re better placed.

Looking at this Forfar side I’m amazed they’re pushing Raith for second spot. They looked as bad as us, with very little in the way of creativity.

So it’s all squeezed up again at the bottom. We could have done without the wins for Stranraer and Stenhousemuir. We’re four clear of ninth and the dreaded relegation play-off spot with three to play but the bottom two play each other on the last day. The highest either of them could reach is 44 points. They could both reach 42. We’re on 39.

*Ian Chisholm, late of this parish.