Dunfermline Athletic

Dunfermline Athletic 3 Dumbarton 4

Author: Alistair Campbell Date: Saturday, 23rd Mar 2013

Another Saturday, another game – but for how much longer? Once again, pre-match chat revolved around announcements from the Steering Group, rather than team news. On the field, it look like the Pars might be coasting to a comfortable win after Ryan Wallace’s opener and an Andrew Barrowman double had given them a 3-1 lead. However, the Sons fought back to equalise before Stephen McDougall scored a late winner.

It was a bitterly cold day, but there were no worries about the pitch being unplayable, and a slightly above average crowd congregated at East End Park, strengthened by a number of fans of other clubs showing their solidarity for the Pars in their hours of need. Ironically, the injury crisis is now receding and Jim Jefferies was close to being able to name his first choice eleven. He was forced to make a change at centre-back as Callum Morris had tweaked his hamstring, so in came John Potter, but his other change from the side that had drawn at Kirkcaldy was unenforced with Andrew Barrowman replacing Andy Kirk. There were another couple of changes on the bench with the return of Josh Falkingham and Craig Dargo from injury, with Alex Whittle and Allan Smith missing out before the big under 20 game on the Sunday. That meant a starting eleven of Gallacher; McMillan, Dowie, Potter and Jordan; Husband, Geggan, Thomson and Cardle; Wallace and Barrowman. Chris Kane was also a named substitute, with Hrivnak, Kirk, and of course Dargo and Falkingham.

Dumbarton have improved a bunch since Ian Murray took the helm, and they started with a 4-5-1, looking to make it difficult for the Pars to play their passing game, although the bumpy pitch would also put paid to that. Two of the five would be very familiar to Pars fans; Steven McDougall has played most of the Sons’ games this year without scoring too many goals, but Nick Phinn was making a welcome reappearance after his horrendous injury problems, even if he was booed when the team lines were read out.

Dumbarton won the toss, and elected to defend the goal in front of the Norrie McCathie stand, or more accurately to attack the Cowdenbeath end, as they enjoyed the better of the early skirmishes.

In the 4th minute Cardle and Thomson lost the ball between them, and a swift break from Gilhaney, who had started on the right, ended with the ball being cut back to Agnew at the edge of the box, but just when you expected to see the net bulge, his shot was deflected wide.

The next chance was again due to a defensive mix-up, Jordan being loose with his pass-back, and Gallacher crashing the ball off Phinn, but although the ball rebounded goalward, Potter was always there to clear up.

This seemed to wake the Pars up, with Wallace going down the right in 12 minutes before cutting back to Husband, who tried to side-foot the ball home, but fluffed his kick. His next shot was also mishit in 17 minutes, although the ball bobbled, and Barrowman managed to divert it on target where Grindlay saved. The resultant corner was overhit, but when Wallace returned it Dowie narrowly drove over the bar.

This was better from the Pars – they began to dominate possession, but lacked the cutting edge. Even when Husband’s volleyed pass found Cardle and he cut inside and sent in a decent ball, Wallace and Barrowman seemed slow to react.

It looked as if it might take a mistake for the opening goal to arrive. Geggan had earlier charged down Grindlay’s clearance only for the ball to flash past the wrong side of the post, and then Smith and his keeper nearly got into a fankle under pressure from Wallace, but it was Ryan who ended up in the net as the ball found Grindlay’s gloves.

Soon the ball was in the net, at the other end, as Phinn showed he had lost none of his ability to ghost behind the defence but his timing was a little off and he was flagged off-side. Barrowman replied, getting on the end of a Cardle cross but a little too much muscle had been used and the whistle had already been blown. However, the Pars took the lead 4 minutes from the break. Geggan was allowed to drive forward with the ball; when Graham moved out to challenge, Andy laid the ball off to Wallace who went through the gap, cut onto his right and simply buried the ball beyond the keeper from 10 yards. 1-0 Pars, and that was the way it stayed at the interval despite both sides having chances thereafter, a Cardle cross just evading Wallace, and McDougall being allowed space to shoot but not finding the target.

Half time: Pars 1 Sons 0

Dumbarton kicked off, but this time they found themselves on the defensive. An early Thomson header nearly looped below the bar, before the Pars doubled their lead. Barrowman was demanding the ball 40 yards from goal, but Geggan wouldn’t give it him, at least not at first. When he did get it, Andy dummied, got the ball back from Wallace but as Ryan had slipped, he had to go it alone, holding off 3 players before sticking the ball in the bottom corner from just inside the box. 2-0



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