Dumbarton manager Stevie Farrell admitted he felt it was no surprise his side returned to winning ways on Saturday afternoon.

The Sons boss was able to welcome the likes of Declan Byrne, Kalvin Orsi and David Wilson back to the starting eleven after the trio have missed a number of weeks through injury.

Byrne found the score sheet in the 2-0 victory against Bonnyrigg Rose before Russell McLean sealed the points.

Faz’s troops had struggled in recent weeks, not winning any games in five which has allowed Stirling Albion to all but seal the League Two title with their unbeaten form, and the Sons boss was delighted with his side's attitude in Midlothian.

Speaking post-match, he said: “We were really good today; it was a good, disciplined performance and I thought 2-0 was a reasonable and fair scoreline.

“We knew they were one of the form teams in the league and teams come here and it’s very difficult.

“The players are together in the dressing room and I felt sorry for them in the last ten days going through that wee spell but they showed a lot of character today because there was a wee bit of pressure on them and questions asked in the last couple of weeks but they stuck together.

Dumbarton and Vale of Leven Reporter: It was a first win in five for SonsIt was a first win in five for Sons (Image: Andy Scott)

“I think it was Brian Clough that once said, ‘It’s not about tactics, it’s about players’, and the reality is when you’ve got players like David Wilson, Declan Byrne, Kalvin Orsi back in the team and Stuart Carswell is back on the bench and that’s looking a bit stronger, it’s no coincidence we get back to the form we were on before we lost those players.”

Byrne found the net for the first time since September with the opening goal on Saturday and Farrell believes his absence has hurt Sons.

He added: “We’ve missed him, other clubs that are up there with us have players that have went and scored a lot of goals and I think if Deco had stayed fit then he would be well into double figures.

“We’re going into an important part of the season so to have him back fit and well is a bonus.”