Saturday 6th June 2020
WE continue our series on Dumbarton’s 100 greatest games at the Rock with the start of the top 80 today.
Supporters Andy Galloway, Graeme Robertson, Jack Crawford and Fraser Clarke have worked over recent weeks to get the games into sequence.
The matches have been ranked according to the average position given by each of our ‘pundits’.
Today, we feature games against Stirling Albion, East Stirlingshire, Airdrie (twice) and Berwick Rangers.
Numbers 75 to 71 will be online tomorrow at 10am.
80. Dumbarton 3-2 Stirling Albion – Saturday, January 28, 2006
Coming off the back of a 3-2 win at Forfar Athletic with nine men, you’d expect Dumbarton to be flying into this game against a Stirling side they’d taken four points out of six against so far.
And you’d be right. Within 27 minutes they led 2-0, starting when Iain Russell opened the scoring on 18 minutes.
John Gemmell, scorer of the equaliser at Station Park and prompter of the own goal which won it, doubled the lead.
But defending 2-0 leads was not a strong point of Dumbarton’s 2005/06 season and right on half time, Chris Aitken halved the deficit for Stirling,
Then, on 63 minutes, Stewart Devine had them level. However, that lasted only 12 minutes, with Russell making it 3-2 – a scoreline that was seen through to the end.
Regrettably, this was our last victory of the season, and thereby the last we recorded under the management of Paul Martin.
79. Dumbarton 3-2 East Stirlingshire – Sunday, July 24, 2011
This game bears eerie similarities to the one above – and not just because it came against a team with ‘Stirling’ in its name.
One slight difference is that this time it took until the 54th minute for Dumbarton to open the scoring, Bryan Prunty doing so on his debut.
Seven minutes later we’d made it 2-0 through Mark Gilhaney and everything pointed towards progress to round two of the Challenge Cup.
But on 66 minutes, Jamie Lyden conceded a penalty, was sent off for doing so, and Ally Love converted. Then four minutes later, Kevin Turner levelled for East Stirlingshire.
With Sons struggling to regain the earlier momentum, it took a slice of luck for the injury time winner to arrive.
Pat Walker pounced upon a short passback and ran in to finish. The sight of him scoring a vital late goal was something we grew used to as the campaign went on.
Copyright Fullarton Photos 2011
78. Dumbarton 3-1 Airdrie – Saturday, August 24, 2002
Until a few weeks before the new season, this fixture had been listed as one Dumbarton had relished seeing – at home to Clydebank.
Events then took their course, and it was Airdrie who took the Bankies’ place in the Second Division. Fortunately, Sons took the spirit of a derby fixture to the Diamonds instead.
Just before the half hour mark Andy Brown had them in front, and the lead was doubled by John Dillon six minutes into the second half.
On 61 minutes it was 3-0. Neill Collins may have tried to claim his second goal in as many home league games since arriving at the club, but history records that Paul Ronald put through his own net.
Midway through the second half Paul Armstrong got one back for the visitors, but just after that they had Liam McVey sent off.
Nothing was going to stop this being Sons’ day, even if it hadn’t been the West Dunbartonshire derby it was originally due to be.
77. Dumbarton 2-0 Berwick Rangers – Saturday, November 4 2006
After relegation from the Second Division, Dumbarton needed results like this to make a case to go straight back up.
An adequate start to the season was followed by a visit from Berwick Rangers, who also had an eye on the prize.
Within 19 minutes Dumbarton led, with Craig Winter finishing at close range from a low ball in from the right.
It remained competitive, but with 20 minutes left a first goal for the club for a fairly recent signing sealed victory.
Chris Hamilton, signed from Livingston less than two months earlier, finished clinically and the three points were going to Dumbarton.
76. Dumbarton 2-0 Airdrie – Sunday, November 16, 2003
Airdrie again. This was another sign that Brian Fairley’s Dumbarton could challenge.
The Diamonds had inflicted the season’s first defeat, indeed the first sustained by Fairley’s team in the league at all, back in August.
It was the start of a tough period for Sons, but back to back wins over Alloa and Berwick Rangers had them confident.
Spirits had been high since James McFadden’s winner for Scotland over the Netherlands the previous day (which is why the game was played on the Sunday) and in the second half, they were even higher.
He had his first after 64 minutes, finishing at the back post after the ball came in from the left. Within a further five minutes, he and Sons had two with another close range effort.
Small steps and all that, but things were now motoring.