Match Report

Dumbarton were hoping to take the form of last week’s Premier Sports Cup win over Cove Rangers (2-0) into their League 2 opener away to Stirling Albion at Forthbank Stadium on Saturday past (August 1).

New loan signing from Celtic Owen Hartington made the bench as manager Frank McKeown went with the same team that started against League 1 Cove, Kai Kirkpatrick was unavailable due to serving a suspension carried over from last season.

Although it was sunny with the odd cloudy spell, the temperature on Saturday afternoon felt lower than it has been in past weeks, this could have been down to the bursts of rain seen over the last couple of days. But both sets of players will have welcomed any decrease, given the heat they have had to play in previously.

The Sons survived an early scare in three minutes, when Stirling bundled the ball into the net following a free kick that had come into the box from the right, but their joy was short-lived as the linesman had his flag up for offside.

Up the other end the visitors could have hit the front in seven minutes, when a deep cross from the left by dangerman Josiah Sowa was headed down by skipper Mikey Doyle into the path of Deryn Lang, but his connection wasn’t strong enough to take the ball past a Stirling defender on the line.

In 19 minutes, Stirling forward Jordan Allan got on the end of a low cross from the left but as he controlled the ball to try and get a shot away, Sons defender Ali Omar caught him with a late tackle, and the referee had no qualms in awarding a penalty.

The same player shook himself down and smashed his kick to the right of Aidan Rice, making it 1-0.

In 36 minutes, Scott Honeyman sent a powerful drive high down the middle of the goal, but home ‘keeper McNeil was equal to it, gathering the ball at the first attempt.

Five minutes before half time Bino’s Captain Calum Crane attempted a worldie, watching his 30-yard thunderbolt fly just past Rice’s top right hand corner.

Into the second half and a positive start from Dumbarton saw them engineer two corners in a couple of minutes, with the team talk at the break looking to have had the desired effect.

Nothing came of them and the good start was undone in 56 minutes, when that man Jordan Allan notched a decisive second for Stirling.

Hesitation in the Son’s midfield was capitalised on by Kyle Banner who latched onto the loose ball, playing it over the top to the unmarked Lucas Fyfe on the left.

He sent a low delivery across goal finding Allan lurking in the box, and the outside of his right boot sent the ball screaming into the net.

New signing Hartington and Scott Tomlinson were introduced to try and bring the men from The Rock back into the game.

They passed up a terrific opportunity to get back in it on 66 minutes when Leighton McIntosh sent his shot over the bar from close in after a corner from the right.

Ten minutes from the end Deryn Lang showed good close control to fashion a curling shot towards McNeil’s bottom right hand corner, but the ‘keeper got down to tip it away.

Kristian Webster then tried to beat Crane’s first half effort by sending his shot from 40 yards just over the opposite postage stamp corner in injury time.

Gaffer McKeown was straightforward in his post-match assessment, saying:

“I thought Stirling deserved to win to be honest.

“To win a game you need your players to go and hurt people, I didn’t think we did that and defensively we have to deal with crosses better.

“Listen, we just need to take that one on the chin, then hopefully go and try and get a positive result next week against Clyde.”

Match report by Paul Cooper.

Stirling Albion 2

18′ (P), 56′ Jordan Allan

Yellow cards: 12′ Lucas Fyfe, 43′ Kyle Banner

Dumbarton 0

Yellow cards: 43′ Mikey Doyle, 50′ Tommy Robson, 69′ Scott Honeyman, 86′ Josiah Sowa

Referee: Alastair Grieve

Attendance: 865

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