Albion
Rovers 1 v 1 Dumbarton 
Division 3
16th March 2002
Albion
Rovers 1 v 1 Dumbarton
Division 3
16th March 2002
Attendance : 503
Scorers ~ Albion Rovers : Harty (22). Dumbarton : Flannery (4).
Could this match have been the one which goes a long way to deciding which of the chasing pack will accompany Brechin City upstairs? The sharing of the spoils didn’t really help either Rovers or Sons, especially with the other Third Division results panning out as they did. Arithmetically all is not lost, for with seven matches still to play there are still plenty of points up for grabs.
However, the stark fact is that if they want to make a serious claim for elevation, Rovers will have to play better on a regular basis. There’s little point in playing a team off the park one Saturday only to succumb to another seven days later. OK, the much-publicised injury situation has not helped, but those players drafted in on Saturday didn’t do much to augment their claim for regular matches.
The match was still warming-up when Rovers were hit with a sucker punch. Paddy Flannery - that man it seems very easy to dislike - collected a Mark Crilly pass just inside the area, neatly turned his marker and calmly stuck the ball behind Chris Fahey. Only four minutes played and already behind. Sometimes we make things really difficult for ourselves. Three minutes later, Charlie McLean worked wonders on the right wing and fired over a strong cross which Sons’ goalkeeper John Wight parried. Although the ball spun away from the ‘keeper, Mark Booth’s drive from the rebound struck a defender’s leg and was cleared.
A few minutes more and after a booking for Iain Diack, Chris Fahey had to look lively to block a good effort from Robert Dunn before experienced visitor Joe Robertson also unsuccessfully tried to beat the home blockade. Following a spell of quite intense pressure, Rovers equalised in 22 minutes. From near the left touchline, birthday boy Chris Silvestro took a free-kick which was further knocked into the middle where Martin Harty was waiting to casually divert the ball into the net. Rovers were alive and kicking!
Then a Silvestro corner was headed over the bar by Jordan Smith before things began to hot up on the coloured cards front. Sons’ Kevin McCann and Rovers’ Stewart Easton were booked, and it looked even worse for the visitors when Michael Dickie went in hard on Colin Waldie, leaving the Rovers’ man sprawled on the deck. It was Dickie’s last act of the day as referee Dougie Smith sent him to the stand. With barely a minute of the first half left, Martin Harty seemed about to fire for goal but lost his balance at the last moment.
Within seconds of the restart, Silvestro sent over a tempting low cross, but the ball raced past the front of the goal with no foot, friend or foe, able to connect. Some minutes later, McLean’s excellent control got him close to goal, but he was foiled in the act of shooting. In 55 minutes James McLees replaced McLean and six minutes later, Silvestro had his name added to the list of sinners. Then Mark Booth’s instinctive volley flew high over and Fahey had to race from his goal to clear a dangerous Dumbarton attack.
Paul Rodden replaced Silvestro for Rovers and Steve Bonar of Sons came on for Martin O’Neil before Easton’s first booking came back to haunt him. In 76 minutes he got into another spot of bother and for the second time saw yellow, leading to the inevitable red and dismissal. Iain Diack was next to be withdrawn, Kevin Donnelly taking over, before Sons’ Mark Crilly and Jordan Smith brought the yellow card tally to nine - at that stage.
In a storming finish, Dumbarton might have taken all three points, but Crilly’s superb free-kick clipped the top of Fahey’s crossbar, then Flannery took the ball round the ‘keeper but found the angle just too tight and could only find the side net. Even then, there was time to take the bookings tally into double figures when Flannery was booked for diving - now there’s a surprise!
So, with manager John McVeigh somewhat less than enamoured with his lads, it’s likely that there will be some tough talking round Cliftonhill way during the next few days.
Albion Rovers : Fahey, Coulter, McKenna, Smith, Easton, Booth, Waldie, Harty, McLean (McLees 55), Diack (Donnelly 77), Silvestro (Rodden 66). Unused Subs : Tait, Shearer.
Dumbarton : Wight, Dickie, Brittain, Jack, McCann, Dunn, Crilly, O’Neil (Bonar 68), Flannery, Brown, Robertson. Unused Subs : Dillon, McKeown, Lynes, Connolly.
Referee : Dougie Smith
Man of the Match : Robert Coulter
No pic yet