Albion Rovers vs Dumbarton

[Frank Quitely]

Well that sounds like a right hard fought result if the BBC stats are anything to go by.  A great away win though so well done guys

[FifeSons]

We were pretty honking there, not even sure we deserved a point, let alone all three.

We did defend very solidly, though. We gave away so many corners, I was sure one of their big guys would stick one in, but we dealt with them well. Definite stroke of luck for our goal with Sonkur kicking fresh air in the build up.

Massive win, will take it all day long. Seen us lose plenty of times when we deserved something.

Edited December 31, 2022 by FifeSons

[FifeSons]

2 hours ago, Bring Back Paddy Flannery said:

I think he looks more comfortable with the ball at his feet than Buchanan does (who 9 times out of 10 just blooters it up the park) and in terms of being an attacking threat - he’s not there to make marauding runs up the line and he provides plenty of threat from set pieces. If we had two full backs bombing up the park we’d be badly exposed at the back IMO. I just feel a lot of the criticism or singling out as being a weak link is hugely unfair on one of the guys who has been a consistently good performer for us since he signed.

I’d agree about Buchanan hoofing it, but I think McNiff is guilty of that, too. The number of times we did that again today was criminal. 

Albion Rovers should feel very hard done by to lose that today. It definitely didn’t look like a top vs bottom clash. 

[lorenzo71]

Great result and all that matters when you are in L2.

Well done Sons...Happy new year to all P n B s.

[FifeSons]

We gave away 12 corners today and a number of free kicks in dangerous positions. That said, Long wasn’t really tested. The closest they came was the one cleared off the line, which would’ve been a tremendous goal. The pass that created it was sublime.

[microdave]

I wasn't there so can't comment on the performance but winning when not playing well is the hallmark of champions so for that reason, I'm delighted.

[Silverton End]

Well done Sons

Great result 

[Sons Fan]

We didn’t really turn up today but got the result so can’t complain to much.

I think the game highlighted the season both teams are having. AR playing well it anther a result and we find a goal for somewhere.

[Jordo1872]

I wasn’t there but by all accounts a pretty dismal performance, but the result as they say is all that really matters. Anyone who was there able to comment on the pitch and if that affected our play given the recent heavy rainfall?

Another result not backed up by an equal performance then, but when all said and done we’ll be finishing 2022 top of the league by at least 4 points. We’d all have taken that in August.

[Bring Back Paddy Flannery]

By all accounts it sounds like we nicked one there but it’s another clean sheet and another win. We seem have really struggled against Rovers this season and have come away with 2 wins and a draw so far - it’s hard to grumble with that! 

Nine yellow cards dished out by Cook today, was there a bit of needle or was he just being a pernickety wee fanny as per usual?

[FifeSons]

3 minutes ago, Jordo1872 said:

Anyone who was there able to comment on the pitch and if that affected our play given the recent heavy rainfall?

I wouldn’t say the pitch was that bad. I expected it to be a lot worse. I think it would be an excuse to blame how we played on that.

We were solid enough, though, and 3 points is all that matters.

[FifeSons]

13 minutes ago, Bring Back Paddy Flannery said:

Nine yellow cards dished out by Cook today, was there a bit of needle or was he just being a pernickety wee fanny as per usual?

A bit of both, I’d say. Some were definitely nailed on bookings (Buchanan’s and Lynch’s for sure and some of theirs). He gave so many soft fouls, in general; mainly to them but a couple to us. It felt like a red was on the cards with the amount of bookings, but It only really got a bit feisty right at the end.

Edited December 31, 2022 by FifeSons

[TamCarson]

I was there, pitch looked as good as could be expected after the rain. Dumbarton played like Albion Rovers today. We didn't give away 12 corners, AR earned them. 

Definitely a classic Dumbarton game, counter attack, score a goal and win the game.

Happy New Year troops when it comes.

Mon the Sons 

[EdinburghBlue]

Went along as a neutral since Stranraer had already played their New Year game. Enjoyable afternoon’s football. Rovers definitely deserved to take something from the game, and arguably three points. TBH Dumbarton looked as if they came for a draw and would have been happy with that, and didn’t trouble the Rovers defence much. But while Rovers looked more enterprising and had many corners they rarely tested the Dumbarton keeper. One Rovers fan commented at half-time that a neutral told that one team was top of the league and one bottom would not know which was which and he was right. 

The yellow card tally doesn’t tell you what sort of game this was. One might have been a red, and one was deserved for a cyclical pull-down, but most of the rest were just the ref being his usual fussy self.

While Rovers stay bottom, I don’t think they will end up there. The playoffs will be interesting this year. There’s no rank rotten team like Berwick, Brechin, Cowdenbeath and the Shire in previous years, and any of the sides currently third to tenth could finish bottom with a bad run. So playoffs likely to be much more competitive than in most years since the current system started. And I don’t agree with those saying that Rovers are odds-on to be in the Lowland League next year. 

[Bring Back Paddy Flannery]

3 minutes ago, EdinburghBlue said:

And I don’t agree with those saying that Rovers are odds-on to be in the Lowland League next year. 

Considering the fact the Lowland League is a complete stain in Scottish football at the minute I sincerely hope one of the current League 2 sides or the Highland League champions keep the Lowland League ‘champions’ in that cesspit of a league. Special dispensation can be granted for any team who have voted to keep the shitey B teams out of the pyramid. 

[FifeSons]

18 minutes ago, EdinburghBlue said:

Went along as a neutral since Stranraer had already played their New Year game. Enjoyable afternoon’s football. Rovers definitely deserved to take something from the game, and arguably three points. TBH Dumbarton looked as if they came for a draw and would have been happy with that, and didn’t trouble the Rovers defence much. But while Rovers looked more enterprising and had many corners they rarely tested the Dumbarton keeper. One Rovers fan commented at half-time that a neutral told that one team was top of the league and one bottom would not know which was which and he was right. 

The yellow card tally doesn’t tell you what sort of game this was. One might have been a red, and one was deserved for a cyclical pull-down, but most of the rest were just the ref being his usual fussy self.

While Rovers stay bottom, I don’t think they will end up there. The playoffs will be interesting this year. There’s no rank rotten team like Berwick, Brechin, Cowdenbeath and the Shire in previous years, and any of the sides currently third to tenth could finish bottom with a bad run. So playoffs likely to be much more competitive than in most years since the current system started. And I don’t agree with those saying that Rovers are odds-on to be in the Lowland League next year. 

I was sure I spotted a Stranraer jacket when I went to the pie queue, which was presumably you! Unless there were several Stranraer neutrals there 

[O'Kelly Isley III]

26 minutes ago, EdinburghBlue said:

Went along as a neutral since Stranraer had already played their New Year game. Enjoyable afternoon’s football. Rovers definitely deserved to take something from the game, and arguably three points. TBH Dumbarton looked as if they came for a draw and would have been happy with that, and didn’t trouble the Rovers defence much. But while Rovers looked more enterprising and had many corners they rarely tested the Dumbarton keeper. One Rovers fan commented at half-time that a neutral told that one team was top of the league and one bottom would not know which was which and he was right. 

The yellow card tally doesn’t tell you what sort of game this was. One might have been a red, and one was deserved for a cyclical pull-down, but most of the rest were just the ref being his usual fussy self.

While Rovers stay bottom, I don’t think they will end up there. The playoffs will be interesting this year. There’s no rank rotten team like Berwick, Brechin, Cowdenbeath and the Shire in previous years, and any of the sides currently third to tenth could finish bottom with a bad run. So playoffs likely to be much more competitive than in most years since the current system started. And I don’t agree with those saying that Rovers are odds-on to be in the Lowland League next year. 

That sounds like a fair account and one that could have applied several times already this season, and especially against Rovers.  However, considering the state of affairs when we dropped into this division, to have reached the halfway point with two defeats and ten shut-outs in 18 matches is a record all Sons fans will happily accept - I doubt any of them would have envisaged this in early August.

Hard work and organisation has got us here and we need that to continue.  A couple of new faces to freshen the squad would be very welcome too.

Edited December 31, 2022 by O'Kelly Isley III

[EdinburghBlue]

1 hour ago, FifeSons said:

I was sure I spotted a Stranraer jacket when I went to the pie queue, which was presumably you! Unless there were several Stranraer neutrals there 

There were at least two of us!

[cedrick1]

No doubt rovers seem to play against us but as others have said didn’t really look like scoring.

the one off the line closest 

ref had a awful game with worst being giving a goal kick to us when it was a corner.

Orsi came into it in second half and our back 4 were solid enough .

good 3 points considering not a great performance 

pitch if a bit uneven was in great nick after rain yesterday 

[Jan Vojáček]

That was a great result today. The sort of thing we've seen teams do to us countless times as they've gone on to enjoy successful seasons. It was a dreadful spectacle but, ultimately, our bit of squad depth and quality won us the game.

It's been said so often it's now a cliche, but Albion Rovers aren't the worst team in this league. Despite sitting at the bottom of the table. And the game was exactly like I expected it to be - and exactly like the other two matches between the sides this season. Absolutely brutal on the eye at times, but with the 'Vers looking well up for a battle and doing some great work in midfield. Only to be let down in both boxes.

If they can add a striker with a bit about them I think they'll be fine. And we're not talking Kane Hester or Dale Carrick here; someone like a fit Declan Byrne, a Tam Orr, even someone like Kevin Smith is all that's missing from that team. Strikers are like gold dust mind you, so it could take a stroke of luck to find that man.

Stevie Farrell labelled our offensive performance "absolutely rubbish" afterwards, and I don't think I could disagree with that. Save for the goal, and a Joe McKee free-kick in the first-half and Ryan Wallace effort that was cleared off the line we created next to nothing.

I thought they won the midfield battle too - Blair Malcolm especially was picking up loads of second balls, winning cheap fouls and charging about all over the park dominating things. We couldn't really get Joe McKee, Finlay Gray and Div Wilson on the ball. And that meant we couldn't get much service to the likes of Kalvin Orsi and Ryan Wallace.

What we did do though was defend really well. Albion Rovers looked threatening far more often. But I don't think Brett actually made a save all game. Albeit he was bailed out by a superb Martin McNiff clearance for their best chance.

On his first start since April, Edin Lynch dealt well with Charlie Reilly. Stop him and you stop Albion Rovers. Gregor Buchanan was dominant in the air and on the deck and Stuart Carswell was largely excellent. 

I thought, and maybe it's because I was paying extra attention to him after the posts on her pre-match, that Martin McNiff was our best player though. He was absolutely solid, didn't shirk a challenge, barely lost a header and performed what could be our most important goal-line clearance of the season.

Fair play to Faz too. He made a bold decision switching to 4-4-2, brought on Love and MacLean and they both combined for the winner. It could've been defended better, but it was clinical from Love - and hopefully something we'll see more often from him. He's scored goals throughout his career, and I feel there's a fair whack more to come from him this season.

I remember back in August saying that we'd only know come May if our win in that game was the sign of title challengers, or the sign of a poor side scraping a win against relegation favourites. Lightning doesn't strike twice. And not many teams will leave Cliftonhill with a 100 percent record this season.

Edited December 31, 2022 by Jan Vojáček