DUMBARTON 2 SHIRE 0

Shire’s dismal record of never having won at Dumbarton’s Strathclyde Homes Stadium remains intact after a disappointing evening for the team and its loyal band of travelling fans.

The game never reached the heights of Saturday’s exciting encounter; ironically, that meant Shire were under less pressure throughout the game than they had been at the weekend. But likewise Shire failed  to find the cutting edge that gave them a 3-1 win only four days earlier.

And they had to put up with another setback when Colin Cramb was sent-off in injury-time for choosing to continue an argument with referee Tom Robertson.

As expected Shire left out Colin Cramb and Jamie Stevenson from the team that had beaten Dumbarton at Ochilview on Saturday. In their place came Eddie Forrest and David Dunn as Jim McInally re-jigged his team to play a 4-5-1, with Brian Graham acting as the lone striker, although Andy Rodgers was given the role of supporting him wherever possible.

The game kicked off in torrential rain and the first few minutes were just as dreich, in total contrast to the lively opening at the weekend. Paul Weaver tried the first shot at goal after two minutes but his 20 yard effort went high and wide.

A minute later Sons’ striker Dennis McLaughlin tried his luck from even further out and came closer to finding the target than the Shire man but it still wasn’t close enough to trouble Mark Peat.

The tame fare continued as was only enlivened by a Ross Forbes 30 yarder which again flew over Peat’s crossbar. But it became clear they were simply direction-finders as Dumbarton continued a shoot-on-sight policy and that brought them rewards with a goal out of the blue on 21 minutes when McLaughlin turned and curled one from 35 yards out high into the corner of the net.

After 27 minutes Dunn fired over a right-wing corner, Craig Tully sent in a free header but McGeown made a comfortable save. On the half hour Derek Ure crossed and Andy Rodgers headed goalwards but again the home keeper made a comfortable saved.

Life got harder for Shire on 32 minutes when Ben Gordon’s first time pass out wide caught the defence exposed and Pat Boyle took the ball on and crossed for their Trialist forward to sweep in into the net from six yards to make it 2-0.

It could have been 3-0 two minutes before the break but Peat pulled off a full-length diving save from Steve Murray’s 35 yard free-kick.

Shire began the second period with a flurry of corner kicks but the best they could manage was a Graham effort from 12 yards which went well over the crossbar.

After 57 minutes Jim McInally went for broke, bringing on Colin Cramb, Sean Anderson and Marc McKenzie and withdrawing Paul Hay, Craig Donaldson and David Dun.

Some of Cramb’s touches around the box gave the team a bit more attacking threat but there was little in the way of goal chances.

Cramb did lay the ball into the path of Anderson but his 18 yarder was easily saved by McGeown and his pass put McKenzie in the clear but the winger couldn’t even get his shot away and the Dumbarton defence cleared.

And there was always the threat that Dumbarton would score more. Andy Geggan hit a 30 yarder again Peat’s left-hand post with the keeper beaten.

Shire did create a few chances towards the end. On 83 minutes Rodgers should have burst the net after an Anderson cross but mis-hit his shot and allowed McGeown to make an easy save.

Two minutes later Tully got free inside the box but his shot was a deflected off a Dumbarton leg and into the keeper’s arms, and McKenzie did have the ball in the net but he was controversially flagged offside.

The game ended in farce when the referee booked Cramb for disputing a foul, then produced a second yellow  when the Shire striker decided to continue the discussion.

DUMBARTON : McGeown, Geggan, Boyle, Lennon, Gordon, Dunlop, Chisholm, Trialist(Carcary 74), McLaughlin(Keegan 89), Forbes, Murray(McAnespie 83)

SHIRE : Peat, Hay(Anderson 57), Forrest, Tully, Bolochoweckyj, Weaver, Donaldson(McKenzie 57), Dunn(Cramb 57), Graham, Ure, Rodgers.

REFEREE : T. Robertson