Dumbarton vs Arbroath

[Jan Vojáček]

If you'd offered me a draw when Ruth missed the penalty I would've bitten your hand off for it. If you'd told me I would've been really frustrated with a point 20 minutes later I would've laughed. But here we are.

It's difficult to know what to make of that game. It does feel like two points dropped, but we also came back from 2-0 down. So it's a point gained? Who knows. But it was good fun at least, and I enjoy watching this Sons side. Just as I enjoyed watching us for most of last season. We create chances, we usually score a few, we're just a bit kamikaze at the back.

The wind really was horrendous for the first 25 minutes or so. And Arbroath had us penned right in. They weren't playing great football around us or anything, they just looked really tenacious and up for the game. You could tell there was a bit of a new manager/failing manager sacked bounce.

Scott Stewart's goal was the very least they deserved for the first-half. And although it did look like we could cause them problems at the back, we had Brett Long to thank for some very, very good saves.

I fancied us to come out and really pen Arbroath in in the second-half. And we started well...Then immediately got hit on the break and went 2-0 down.

The game was crying out for an injection or something. And fair play to Faz, all three of his subs brought that.

Joel Mumbongo brought total chaos. It was great to have someone alongside Ruth, and the Lichties defenders just didn't know how to deal with him. He all limbs and ungainly running, but god knows how you stop him running at you full tilt. 

His very limby run led to the penalty. But Michael Ruth briefly transformed into 2018 Kevin Nisbet. And that was that I thought.

Fair play to Ruth though. His head could've gone down, but if anything the penalty miss really sparked him into life.

His goal saw him spring the offside trap and finish superbly. And for the rest of the game he was a nightmare for Tam O'Brien and Keith Watson.

Our other early-ish sub was Cammy Clark. And he was superb. 

His first touches saw him drive forward and win a throw in deep inside Arbroath's half. And that sort of set the tone for his performance. He used the ball very well, he didn't put a foot wrong defensively and his long throw was a nice surprise. It was the best I've seen him play by some distance.

From the penalty onwards we were absolutely camped in the Arbroath half. The atmosphere really ramped up and it felt like the fans were willing the ball into the net. I don't think anyone was surprised when Matty Shiels stabbed in after Aidan McAdams had gone all Gordon Banks from Div Wilson's header.

Joel had two great chances to win it, caught both well but missed the target twice. And Shiels had a good couple of his own, but McAdams was looking like there was no way on earth he was leaving empty handed.

The final 10 minutes were as dominant as the Berwick first-half. That's no exaggeration. It was chance after chance. Shiels - on left-wing by this stage - was having a field day in particular.

Finlay Gray picked up everything that they cleared. And big Sena was probably the only guy (Brett aside) who could say he played well in both halves.

You could tell Arbroath are on a poor run. At 2-0 they looked fine. They slowed play down, had a bit of a threat on the break - especially through Scott Stewart - and seemed comfortable. But I think everyone felt one goal would absolutely spook them, and so it proved. As soon as Ruth scored they collapsed and were lucky to leave with a point.

I suppose over the piece though it was a fair outcome. Even if the recency bias of the last 20 minutes maybe skews my feelings a wee bit. 

There are some good players in the Lichties side. McAdams was superb, I liked Spalding although he was overrun by the end. Everyone rates Scott Stewart and Gavin Reilly is a neat player, albeit one who maybe doesn't score as frequently as he should. But they didn't ever really scare me. And they look fragile at the moment. 

I still think they'll turn it around, but it's a big job for whoever comes in. Probably bigger than I - as an outsider - had expected. 

As for us? Well Faz's game management has been really impressive in all four matches this season, making subs that have changed the game. But a few guys must be really banging on the door now for a start, it'll be interesting to see how we line up next week.

[Jan Vojáček]

11 minutes ago, O'Kelly Isley III said:

Jan's 500-worder incoming folks......

Had to look out my window there to make sure you weren't peeping in.

[FifeSons]

59 minutes ago, Sweet Pete said:

Didn't we score first against Alloa? Or am misremembering?

 

56 minutes ago, microdave said:

We did but we we also came from behind too.

What microdave said.

Yeah, I guess we took the lead originally, but we did also come from behind. Most of all, it suited my narrative, and that’s what’s most important!

Edited August 24 by FifeSons

[Boghead ranter]

30 minutes ago, O'Kelly Isley III said:

Jan's 500-worder incoming folks......

^^^Mystic Meg found^^^

[Sweet Pete]

Come back BallochHunsFan, all is forgiven.

[lorenzo71]

Would like to see us start 3-5-2 for a change as the 2 strikers tend to cause teams in this league problems.It might also help the defence if Cammy Clark can come in there and do a ood job.A lot i suppose will depend on the opposition and also if this Friday we are able to land our man.Seriously hoping its Newbury but thats probably just wishful thinking.

Our 2 home games have been decent but I do feel we could and should have won at least 1 if not both.Still early days and a decent start in terms of overall performance.As Jan says if we can sort out the kamikaze defending then I really feel we do not have anything to fear in this league.

[George Parr]

Lucky not to be 5 nil down; unlucky not to win the match 

[squeezebox-son]

41 minutes ago, George Parr said:

Lucky not to be 5 nil down; unlucky not to win the match 

I wouldn't have said 5 nil down, maybe 3. I'm still shocked that we weren't put under more pressure in the first half. There was only one time where they left more than 1 man up the pitch when Brett had the ball. Can't believe how much they allowed us to play it out from the back, especially given how much we were struggling at corners and set plays.

[1320Lichtie]

14 hours ago, Jan Vojáček said:

If you'd offered me a draw when Ruth missed the penalty I would've bitten your hand off for it. If you'd told me I would've been really frustrated with a point 20 minutes later I would've laughed. But here we are.

It's difficult to know what to make of that game. It does feel like two points dropped, but we also came back from 2-0 down. So it's a point gained? Who knows. But it was good fun at least, and I enjoy watching this Sons side. Just as I enjoyed watching us for most of last season. We create chances, we usually score a few, we're just a bit kamikaze at the back.

The wind really was horrendous for the first 25 minutes or so. And Arbroath had us penned right in. They weren't playing great football around us or anything, they just looked really tenacious and up for the game. You could tell there was a bit of a new manager/failing manager sacked bounce.

Scott Stewart's goal was the very least they deserved for the first-half. And although it did look like we could cause them problems at the back, we had Brett Long to thank for some very, very good saves.

I fancied us to come out and really pen Arbroath in in the second-half. And we started well...Then immediately got hit on the break and went 2-0 down.

The game was crying out for an injection or something. And fair play to Faz, all three of his subs brought that.

Joel Mumbongo brought total chaos. It was great to have someone alongside Ruth, and the Lichties defenders just didn't know how to deal with him. He all limbs and ungainly running, but god knows how you stop him running at you full tilt. 

His very limby run led to the penalty. But Michael Ruth briefly transformed into 2018 Kevin Nisbet. And that was that I thought.

Fair play to Ruth though. His head could've gone down, but if anything the penalty miss really sparked him into life.

His goal saw him spring the offside trap and finish superbly. And for the rest of the game he was a nightmare for Tam O'Brien and Keith Watson.

Our other early-ish sub was Cammy Clark. And he was superb. 

His first touches saw him drive forward and win a throw in deep inside Arbroath's half. And that sort of set the tone for his performance. He used the ball very well, he didn't put a foot wrong defensively and his long throw was a nice surprise. It was the best I've seen him play by some distance.

From the penalty onwards we were absolutely camped in the Arbroath half. The atmosphere really ramped up and it felt like the fans were willing the ball into the net. I don't think anyone was surprised when Matty Shiels stabbed in after Aidan McAdams had gone all Gordon Banks from Div Wilson's header.

Joel had two great chances to win it, caught both well but missed the target twice. And Shiels had a good couple of his own, but McAdams was looking like there was no way on earth he was leaving empty handed.

The final 10 minutes were as dominant as the Berwick first-half. That's no exaggeration. It was chance after chance. Shiels - on left-wing by this stage - was having a field day in particular.

Finlay Gray picked up everything that they cleared. And big Sena was probably the only guy (Brett aside) who could say he played well in both halves.

You could tell Arbroath are on a poor run. At 2-0 they looked fine. They slowed play down, had a bit of a threat on the break - especially through Scott Stewart - and seemed comfortable. But I think everyone felt one goal would absolutely spook them, and so it proved. As soon as Ruth scored they collapsed and were lucky to leave with a point.

I suppose over the piece though it was a fair outcome. Even if the recency bias of the last 20 minutes maybe skews my feelings a wee bit. 

There are some good players in the Lichties side. McAdams was superb, I liked Spalding although he was overrun by the end. Everyone rates Scott Stewart and Gavin Reilly is a neat player, albeit one who maybe doesn't score as frequently as he should. But they didn't ever really scare me. And they look fragile at the moment. 

I still think they'll turn it around, but it's a big job for whoever comes in. Probably bigger than I - as an outsider - had expected. 

 

As for us? Well Faz's game management has been really impressive in all four matches this season, making subs that have changed the game. But a few guys must be really banging on the door now for a start, it'll be interesting to see how we line up next week.

We really lack any legs, physicality and someone who can tackle in middle of midfield. Coulson is our only ball carrier, notice he was off the park last 20 minutes. No physical presence uptop kind of like Mumbongo you can just launch the ball up to and he’ll take you up park. Need they things badly. 
 

Dumbarton are clearly a really decent team though that can score goals. That’s 15 in 9 now I think, unbelievable really. Was a rough fixture for Goldie and Hamilton yesterday and next two very much the same. 
 

The first 3 games were shockers for us and we’re playing catch up and it will take a wee bit of time to get there 

Edited August 25 by 1320Lichtie

[O'Kelly Isley III]

14 hours ago, Jan Vojáček said:

As for us? Well Faz's game management has been really impressive in all four matches this season, making subs that have changed the game. But a few guys must be really banging on the door now for a start, it'll be interesting to see how we line up next week.

There's an obvious counter-argument to the game management aspect, and it's simply that better starting selections may have avoided (again) staring down the barrel of a defeat before making the required changes.

For me, yesterday again showed that Shiels and Pignatiello give us much more when they operate in more forward positions.  Matty again looked uncomfortable at left-back yesterday and with Cammy Clark having performed decently in his cameos thus far I think he deserves a start this coming Saturday.  And If we are sticking with 4-1-3-1-1 then Lynas comes in at right-back.

Faz is probably far too cautious to start big Joel up front with Mikey so I'm guessing he'll stick with Hilton just behind.  A midfield three of Carlo, Finlay and Matty should inject dynamism, with Sena providing the muscle behind them.

And I think Faz has to also consider the balance of player loyalty to team performance.  Tony Wallace has been a great servant to DFC but League One is looking a big ask and I think his value is now in being a squad player as opposed to a starting pick.

[ExiledLichtie]

17 hours ago, squeezebox-son said:

You were lucky to get a point in the end. At half time I thought Arbroath should have had a couple more at but, by full time we should have had 5 or 6 more... 

In the last 6 months, we have almost invariably started out solid but without looking like we would score, then conceded a goal out of nowhere, lost our minds and conceded at least one more, before scoring a late meaningless consolation.

The fact that we scored two goals and could have had more sounds like a massive progression!  Clearly that fragile mentality is still there though.  We're a team that desperately needs a couple of scabby 1-0s.

[The Moonster]

27 minutes ago, O'Kelly Isley III said:

There's an obvious counter-argument to the game management aspect, and it's simply that better starting selections may have avoided (again) staring down the barrel of a defeat before making the required changes.

For me, yesterday again showed that Shiels and Pignatiello give us much more when they operate in more forward positions.  Matty again looked uncomfortable at left-back yesterday and with Cammy Clark having performed decently in his cameos thus far I think he deserves a start this coming Saturday.  And If we are sticking with 4-1-3-1-1 then Lynas comes in at right-back.

Faz is probably far too cautious to start big Joel up front with Mikey so I'm guessing he'll stick with Hilton just behind.  A midfield three of Carlo, Finlay and Matty should inject dynamism, with Sena providing the muscle behind them.

And I think Faz has to also consider the balance of player loyalty to team performance.  Tony Wallace has been a great servant to DFC but League One is looking a big ask and I think his value is now in being a squad player as opposed to a starting pick.

Ironically Tony went off yesterday a few minutes before he could use the value he has left and slot home a penalty with minimal fuss. 

[timlichtie]

2 hours ago, 1320Lichtie said:

Coulson is our only ball carrier, 

Scott Stewart did a magnificent job of dragging us upfield on several occasions yesterday. Plenty of physical presence too.

[O'Kelly Isley III]

29 minutes ago, The Moonster said:

Ironically Tony went off yesterday a few minutes before he could use the value he has left and slot home a penalty with minimal fuss. 

We narrowed the pitch two seasons ago to accommodate a player with a long throw and it has produced f*** all, so I'm not thrilled about starting someone in case we get a penalty.

[The Moonster]

53 minutes ago, O'Kelly Isley III said:

We narrowed the pitch two seasons ago to accommodate a player with a long throw and it has produced f*** all, so I'm not thrilled about starting someone in case we get a penalty.

Couldn't agree more. 

[squeezebox-son]

1 hour ago, O'Kelly Isley III said:

We narrowed the pitch two seasons ago to accommodate a player with a long throw and it has produced f*** all, so I'm not thrilled about starting someone in case we get a penalty.

Absolutely, I mentioned it yesterday. Unfortunately, Tony looks to be playing a level above where he should be. He will be absolutely fine as a sub/squad player but we can't afford to be starting him every week on his current form. He is too slow and keeps getting caught on the ball.

We really missed Kalvin Orsi yesterday, who would have been great in the first half, as he prefers to run at the opposition with the ball on the deck  rather than lump it forward.

I actually quite like the look of McGuffie and think he is improving every week!

Edited August 25 by squeezebox-son

[Sweet Pete]

I'll physically fight anyone who criticises Sir Tony Of Wallace. He's my boo

[FifeSons]

15 hours ago, Sweet Pete said:

I'll physically fight anyone who criticises Sir Tony Of Wallace. He's my boo

[36-0 Maroon]

Should easily have been game over at half time. Dumbarton were left in awe and couldn’t handle us at all ️ Lucky to be only 1-0 as we were outstanding and they just couldn’t keep up.
 

When we got the second I thought it was game over but credit to the wee club they kept plugging away and got their rewards and could even have won it in the end as we showed complete complacency thinking the points were already in the bag A draw though will feel like a win for them just because it’s Arbroath but for us it probably feels like a defeat. 

Arbroath have progressed immensely over the last decade on and off the pitch and that’s what happens when you work hard and are a well supported, respected and fantastic run community club, It’s not until you come back down a league from the Championship you notice the massive contrast now, No offense to Dumbarton but they are a still a wee club that have never evolved and still the same club they always have been not doing much. Nothings really changed. Still it was great to be back there on Saturday as you miss the trips to the smaller clubs after being away so long. 
 

 

[Jan Vojáček]

Imagine only being able to spend five consecutive seasons in the second tier as a part-time club. How embarrassing.