Irn Bru Scottish Second Division               Att 557

Dumbarton 3 [Prunty 1, Gilhaney 32, Agnew 75] Stenhousemuir 0

 

Going into this game Warrior’s assistant manager Kevin McGoldrick in his pre-match interviews had emphasised that it was important that the team did not start as slowly as they did against Arbroath when they allowed the opposition to set the tempo of the game in the first half and go two goals up.

 

He must have then been tearing his hair out in exasperation then when Stenhousemuir went behind in this match after only 55 seconds. The overhead kick by Bryan Prunty from a Mark Gilhaney was from the top drawer but from a Stenhousemuir point of view the room he was given to execute it was excessive.

 

With Dumbarton flying high in recent weeks and having a string of victories this was a disaster for Stenhousemuir as Dumbarton’s confidence grew more and more and throughout much of the first half they ran Stenhousemuir ragged.  Ally Brown had to make a brave save with his feet in the seventh minute to stop Prunty scoring a second. In 13 minutes Stenhousemuir had to make an enforced chance when Sean Dickson leaving the field through injury and ex-Son Stevie Murray came on in his place. Two minutes later Dumbarton almost doubled their lead and once again Prunty was the dangerman as he got behind the defence following slack play but his effort went just wide of the post with Brown beaten.

 

Stenhousemuir were struggling at this stage but they could have equalised in the 25^th minute when Stewart Kean picked out Andy Rodgers but his header from 8 yards out went just over the bar much to the joy of the Dumbarton supporters who had booed his every involvement in the game as they proved that he is definitely not one of their favourite ex-Sons.

 

The home side scored their second in the 32^nd minute and once again the Stenhousemuir defence were culpable in their own downfall as time and time again they failed to clear their lines in a goalmouth scramble before Gilhaney dispatched the ball into the net.

 

Before the end of the half Dumbarton keeper Stephen Grindlay was called into action twice making smart but comfortable saves from Brown Ferguson and Gary Smith.

 

Stenhousemuir came close to emulating Dumbarton at the start of the second period as within the first minute a Brown Ferguson corner was headed onto the crossbar by Ross McMillan and Andy Rodgers was agonisingly close to getting to the rebound. The Warriors continued to have a better second half and they had the ball in the net in 53 minutes when Gary Smith converted a Kevin McKinlay pass. However the effort was ruled as offside.

 

In the 70^th minute Stewart Kean did well to control the ball before firing a first time strike from close range but he was thwarted by a top class save from Grindlay to maintain the two goal margin.

 

In the 73^rd minute Kevin McKinlay fell awkwardly and after lengthy treatment was stretchered off the pitch with what looked to be re-occurrence of the shoulder injury that he had previously. Dumbarton finished the game off two minutes later with a sweet strike by Scott Agnew pu them three up.

 

The last time Dumbarton beat Stenhousemuir there was numerous gripes about decisions by the officials costing Stenhousemuir the game, this time however there was no doubt that Dumbarton deserved victory with Stenhousemuir looking only a shadow of the team that they were earlier in the season and if they continue to deteriorate not only will a promotion play-off be out of the question they could quite conceivably be in a relegation dogfight instead.      

 

Dumbarton – Grindlay, Nugent, Creaney, Lithgow, McNiff, Lamont [Finnie [85], Gilhaney [Borris 65], Wallace, Prunty, Agnew [b34] and Graham [b54][Walker 60. Subs not used – Lyden and Gastal

 

Stenhousemuir –Brown, Lyle, McKinlay [Lawson 73], Devlin, McMillan, Thomson, Ferguson, Rodgers [b35] [McHale 75], Kean, Smith and Dickson [Murray 13]. Subs not used – Campbell and Diamond

 

Referee – Craig Charleston         Assistants – Alan Newlands and Stuart McMillan