Recap

Elgin City (0) v Dumbarton (4)

Saturday 12^th November 2022, Kick Off 3pm

cinch League Two

THE length of the A9 on a cold evening, in the pitch black all the way, maybe does not appeal to everybody.

But when you have just witnessed this, it does not matter as much.

This, from Dumbarton, was simply sensational. At a time when the statements of intent have been coming back, it was the biggest one yet.

Not that it necessarily looked that way at half time. Ross MacLean’s close range goal on 27 minutes was the only one of a fairly evenly-contested first half.

However, as soon as Gregg Wylde doubled the lead seven minutes into the second, things changed. Sons didn’t just look like they could score every time they went forward – they did score, twice more.

Aron Lynas’ netbuster on 75 minutes ended any lingering doubts, and the icing was put on the cake by Ryan Wallace in the final minute of the standard 90.

If the previous two victories, against Annan Athletic and Stranraer, were signs that they just might have cracked it in terms of scoring goals again, this was absolute confirmation.

There is a lot of hard work to be done of course. It needs done as soon as next week, with the match against Forfar Athletic being another blank canvas.

But this result put Sons further clear at the top of cinch League Two, and they looked like a team in that position.

It could, though, have been different had Elgin City’s Kane Hester put away his 21st goal of the season from close range after seven minutes.

Instead he found Brett Long once again on top form. When play immediately went to the other end of the field, Kalvin Orsi had an opportunity from a Lynas assist, but sliced wide.

Chances were fewer from there, but on 27 minutes the breakthrough went to the visitors. Orsi set up a goal instead, cutting the ball back for MacLean to finish from close range.

Elgin fought back, with Russell Dingwall looking to follow up his hat-trick of last week with another goal, but shooting wide.

Tempers flared to some extent, with a couple of bookings for each side dished out, but there was no further scoring before the interval.

But after some brilliant skill by Wylde early in the second half, Dumbarton were in a stronger position.

David Wilson did well to set him up before he jinked past the Elgin defence and scored the second with a shot which proved to take a deflection.

Now Dumbarton had the opposition right where they wanted them. A Gregor Buchanan header was saved at close range, while a corner resulted in a scramble before Elgin cleared off the line.

But a break upfield with 15 minutes to play saw the ball break to Aron Lynas on the edge of the box.

The right back started the game with a single goal to his name in his entire senior career. His thunderous finish was the hallmark of somebody with far more.

That firmly ended the contest, and it looked as if the final stages of the game were all about seeing it out.

However, Wallace had other ideas, and after making space for himself on the edge of the area, rolled home the fourth goal.

The journey to Borough Briggs was a long one. The road back was glorious.