Monday 16th September 2019
BY the time Stuart Carswell left the Dumbarton changing room after Saturday’s game against Airdrieonians, he was a picture of calm.
Which, at the time, seemed improbable. The best part of an hour and a half before that, he’d been at the centre of a major flashpoint.
Would Sons have rescued a draw against the Diamonds, or even gone on to win the game, had his effort in the last minute of the first half been adjudged to have crossed the line?
And WAS it over the line?
The decision that it wasn’t provoked a furious reaction from the neighbouring home end of the stadium.
But come 5pm, it wasn’t such a talking point for Stuart, whose regret was that he didn’t simply burst the net.
Speaking to www.dumbartonfootballclub.com, he said: “It looked as if it was in. I would hope to score from there; it was a sitter really.
“To be fair to us, we were really good. In the second half we battered them and it’s not often we do that. All we can do now is take the good things into our next game.
“There was nothing we could really say to the officials. They said it wasn’t in and if you keep talking you just get booked for dissent, which would be silly.
“The Airdrie keeper had a really good game, which is just what happens sometimes. If it hadn’t been for him we’d have run in three or four goals.
“It’s not been the result we wanted but we played really well, and if we can replicate that workrate and attacking play we will score goals.
“There are a lot of teams up at the top end of the division. There is not going to be one team that is there all year – it’s tough and we know everybody will beat everybody.”
Copyright Fullarton Photos 2019
After a day when Dumbarton could justly feel hard done by at being beaten, they now have to look to respond.
And there would be few better places to do that than at the home of the leaders, which is currently East Fife’s New Bayview Stadium, where Sons are heading on Saturday.
Stuart added: “I can’t stand here and say we were poor. It was the best we’ve played in a while – we didn’t win the game, but that’s football. We’ll take that performance next week.
“At the start of the season it was tough and the manager has now set up a team that is hard to play against. Defensively we look a bit better.
“We know we will bounce back from that and we will look to do it at East Fife on Saturday.”
Andy Galloway