Thursday 8th October 2020
HE could have gone down in history.
With 18 minutes left of Tuesday’s game against Dunfermline Athletic, PJ Crossan made space for himself of the edge of the area and swung his boot.
But it turned out he wasn’t the first Dumbarton player to score a competitive goal at the C&G Systems Stadium and be greeted by eerie silence.
The only sound was the clunk of the ball coming back off the post. It was the closest Sons got to scoring a goal all evening when the only one they conceded was from a disputed penalty.
It was an evening which had its positives for PJ, who was going close to scoring two years to a day when he did score – for Stranraer, to give them their winning goal against Dumbarton at Stair Park.
Now he wants to see a 90-minute performance from Sons on a regular basis.
Speaking to www.dumbartonfootballclub.com, PJ said: “There are positives to take from the game tonight – certainly from the second half anyway.
“It was much like last season – we do well in one half and the other is a big drop. Tonight we weren’t good enough in the first half but a lot better after the restart.
“If we can get a bit more consistency into our play we will do not too badly. Dunfermline are a good team and we gave them a decent contest tonight.
“It looked as if my shot was going in, and when it doesn’t, that’s kind of when you know it’s just not going to be your night.
PJ in action during Tuesday’s game. Copyright True Scott Photography 2020
“We started to create a lot more in the second half and it was just a pity we couldn’t get a goal at the end of any of it.
“It felt really good being back in competitive action tonight. We’ve spent a long time doing nothing but train by ourselves and then as a team.
“You’re just wanting to be back playing football again, and having people watching you. We don’t have that yet, but it was just a relief to be playing again.
“You just have to bring a towel, get dried and get in the car and go home, but that’s fine – it’s better than sitting in the house.”
Now it is on to face Clyde in the second Betfred Cup sectional tie on Saturday before a week’s rest ahead of the league opener against Forfar Athletic.
It’s a fixture PJ is keen for a result from, and he’s just as anxious that the campaign in League One which starts at Station Park will go well.
He added: “Clyde were a good team last season and gave us a good game. They keep the ball well on their pitch, but hopefully we can go there and get a result.
“Things are looking a lot better for us than they were at this stage last season, that’s for sure. At the start of last season we struggled but things look more positive this time around.
“Hopefully, if we stay clear of injuries, we can have a successful campaign.”
Andy Galloway