Sunday 10th July 2022
MANAGER Stevie Farrell said that Dumbarton would learn from defeat by Stirling Albion in their opening Premier Sports Cup fixture.
Sons were defeated 2-1 after a poor second half against a team they will face only three weeks later in their opening league fixture.
Although disappointed, the manager is looking forward to further opportunities to see the new-look squad in action against Aberdeen and Peterhead in this week’s group matches.
He said: “The first half was even and there wasn’t a lot in the game. We had two great chances but going in level at half time was fair.
“In the second half they started better than us and we became stretched, which we were not in the first half.
“We had another great chance just before they scored, and if that goes in then Stirling are the ones chasing the game. The first goal was always going to be important.
“It is our first competitive game and we have probably learned more than we knew before, and that is the important thing.
“That is a team we will play in the league. They are very direct and that is cinch League Two football. We will learn from this game to get more joy on how we want to play.
“I said before the game that we will treat these cup ties as an extended pre-season. Every player will play at least two games where possible.
“It is going to be a long week coming up by we will go to Aberdeen expecting a different type of game. They will be expected to have a lot of the ball and we must try to work around that.”
The manager also spoke about the narrower pitch at Dumbarton Football Stadium – and the reason for it is something he hopes will benefit his team.
“Aron Lynas’ throw-ins,” he said.
“We were only able to use those two or three times in an attacking position and we spoke about that after the game.
“When he came to the club the boys were shocked at how far he could throw the ball into the central area of the pitch.”
Dumbarton Football Club