Dumbarton & Vale of Leven Reporter | Sport

Thursday, 20th November, 2008

Published: Friday, 19th September, 2008 11:35

3-goal Sons sharpen up

By Alan Findlay

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Albion Rovers 1 Dumbarton 3

Scottish Third Division

DUMBARTON discovered their cutting edge to dispatch Rovers at a dreich and soulless Cliftonhill on Saturday.

Two fantastic finishes and a striker’s penalty ensured a well deserved win and lifted Sons into fifth spot, five behind league leaders Stenhousemuir.

Boss Jim Chapman, who bemoaned the failure to capitalise on goalmouth chances, will be delighted by the clinical finishing from Ross Clark and Ben Gordon.

And a neat finish from new boy Paul McLeod rounded off a pleasing afternoon’s work.

Chapman’s men felt the force of Rovers pressure in the opening minutes. Sons stopper David McEwan fumbled an Adam striker, but was fortunate no onrushing forward was their to capitalise on his error.

McLeod then showed the fans a taste of what’s to come, flashing a powerful header from a Gary Wilson cross past the left upright of Rovers’ keeper Scott’s goal.

And with just eight minutes played, Dumbarton edged ahead. Livewire midfielder Ross Clark picked up the ball midway in the Rovers half and, with the home team allowing him space, he fired home a cracking 20-yard drive, already an early contender for goal of the season.

It was just the start Dumbarton wanted and needed. Sons now bossed the game, with Andy Geggan and Clark first to every tackle and the two wide men Stevie Murray and Derek Carcary tormenting the Albion full-backs.

Paul Keegan headed a Murray free-kick wide, but it wasn’t long before Sons doubled their lead.

After a sustained spell of pressure, Rovers failed to clear their lines and, in a busy penalty area, the ball found it’s way back to the unmarked Ben Gordon, who rifled the ball past Scott from 18 yards out.

Unlike his team-mates, Keegan was not having the finest day in front of goal. His woeful miss from six yards, after his strike partner McLeod’s header had rebounded off the Rovers keeper’s chest, denied Sons a killer third before half-time.

An error by skipper Gordon Lennon presented Albion’s Ciaran Donnelly with a chance early in the second half.

After he failed to convert, the match soon flowed from end-to-end, with each side countering the others attack with one of their own.

Dumbarton wrapped the game up on the hour mark. On yet another foray into the box, McLeod was up-ended and he took over the duties from normal penalty taker Clark to net his first goal in the gold jersey.

Not even a consolation penalty after O’Byrne was cruelly adjudged to have upended Walker, could put a dampener on a deserved — and vital — away day win.

The performance and result were a vast improvement on recent showings with Stevie Murray and Ben Gordon the pick of the players. And it’s now onto Raise the Rock day this Saturday when second top Cowdenbeath arrive at the Strathclyde Homes Stadium.

A big game by any standards and one which everyone at DFC will be going into with renewed confidence.

Albion Rovers: Scott, Reid, McGowan, McGoldrick, Lumsden, Donnelly, Barr, Harris, Coyne (Pollock 46), Patrick Walker (Watt 79), Adam. Subs Not Used: Robert Walker, Smith, Mitchell. Booked: McGowan, Adam.

Dumbarton: McEwan, Lennon, Wilson, O’Byrne, Gordon, Clark (Tiernan 63), Carcary (Cusack 89), Geggan, McLeod, Keegan (McNiff 84), Murray. Subs Not Used: Gray, McGeown. Booked: O’Byrne.

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