DUMBARTON slumped to their third league defeat in a row as part-time rivals Alloa took their first points of the season at the Cheaper Insurance Direct stadium in Saturday.

Second-half goals from Graeme Holmes and Eddie Ferns were enough for the Clackmannanshire side. However the Sons will reflect on a lacklustre performance in the first league tie of the season where they started as favourites.

Dumbarton manager Stevie Aitken made one change to the side which lost out 2-1 at Falkirk last week. Steven Craig returned to the starting lineup and replaced Kevin Cawley.

Alloa boss Danny Lennon rung the changes after his side’s 1-0 defeat to Morton. Douglas Hill, Graeme Holmes and on-loan Rangers midfielder Robbie Crawford replaced Mikk Reintam, Michael Duffy and Geoff Mitchell.

Sons started in their usual 4-2-3-1 formation with Garry Fleming moved to the wide right position and Grant Gallagher in a central role behind lone striker Steven Craig.

There was little in the way of goalmouth action in the opening exchanges, Sons enjoyed more of the ball but a final incisive pass to create a chance eluded them.

Dumbarton had their first sight of goal after 19 minutes. Willie Gibson expertly took down a long pass from Frazer Wright. His cross was headed out as far as Scott Brown, his effort was blocked before Fleming had a swing at it. It was scuffed though and never even made it out of play, summing up a fairly turgid opening quarter of the game.

Sons boss Aitken reacted to his team’s sluggish start by switching to a 4-4-2 formation, moving Fleming up front alongside Craig and Gallagher to the right.

It nearly had the desired effect immediately when Fleming found Gallagher in space on the right. His overhit cross was greeted with groans from the home support as frustration grew inside the Cheaper Insurance Direct Stadium.

The frustrations were almost quelled a minute later. A Gibson corner was met well by Gregor Buchanan, his header was goal bound but Holmes was the man on the post there to clear it off the line.

The Wasps then had a chance of their own. Mark Williams crossed for Michael Chopra, the former Cardiff striker swivelled in the box and got a shot away but Mark Docherty was there to block.

All of Dumbarton’s five league goals this season have come from set pieces, and that was nearly the route to goal once again after 38 minutes. Gibson’s corner was headed back across goal by Darren Barr at the back post. Fleming looked set to open the scoring but his header at the opposite post went over, it was a glorious chance that should’ve been converted. Half-Time 0-0.

Seven minutes into the second half and Mark Brown was forced into action for the first time.

Colin Hamilton squared the ball from the left to Connor McManus, his sweeping left footed effort was heading for the top corner but Brown clawed it out for a corner with a terrific diving save.

Just before the hour mark the Wasps would provide the sting in the tale. Gibson was aggrieved to have been penalised for a foul on the edge of the area. Sons were caught off guard by the quick thinking McManus who took the free kick quickly, playing in Holmes who got a shot off on the stretch and put the ball beyond Brown and Alloa on course to register their first points of the season.

The away side almost doubled their lead soon after. Wright was slack and gave away possession to Ferns, he took a touch past the centre half and made it to the byline, his cut back for the arriving Crawford was good but Darren Barr was there to make an important intervention and deflected the midfielder’s shot over.

Dumbarton’s need for inspiration was becoming desperate, Gibson has provided that in their early fixtures and nearly did so again after 72 minutes.

After a short corner with Docherty he swung in a dangerous cross that looked goal bound but Jason Marr was able to hook it clear, the ball eventually came for Gallagher whose strike from 20 yards flew high over the bar.

Sons brought on young Donald McCallum to replace Craig in the hope of inspiration. The forward did well to set up a strike for Gibson but his effort was blocked.

Docherty was next to try his luck, a left footed dipping volley from 20 yards following a corner, however it dropped onto the roof of the net.

Gallagher had Sons’ final effort, he rose well to meet a Gibson corner but got slightly underneath the ball and couldn’t keep it down.

Alloa wrapped up the points in injury time. Ferns controlled a long ball forward well, he drove on and left Wright for dead before firing a left foot shot low into the corner. The final whistle was greeted with some boos from the home support.