Up for the Cup once more

Nicky Devlin launches Sons onto the attack again

A youthful Dumbarton team got back to winning ways on a sunny evening in Larbert tonight, claiming a place in the Stirlinghsire Cup semi-final courtesy of goals either side of the break against Stenhousemuir. The Warriors hit back just before the final whistle with a finely taken strike, but by that time Sons had done enough to ensure victory. On occasions the match ebbed and flowed pleasingly across Ochilview's synthetic surface. But for much of the time both sides struggled to maintain possession and to impose a lasting shape on the match.

Dumbarton certainly owe a debt of thanks to 'keeper Michael White, who pulled off two exceptional reaction saves in the second half. His reward was loud applause from Sons' fans ... and one wry shout of "hold it next time!"  Ryan Metcalf and Tony Wallace got their names onto the score sheet for the visitors, with Iain Chisholm being the provider on each occasion. Overall, this was an enjoyable evening of  football following the results misery of the last few weeks.

Credit also to Stenhousemuir for producing a programme to mark the occasion. This includes a report of the Under-19s match between the two sides on Sunday, which Dumbarton won 3-2, details of previous Stirlingshire Cup encounters, and a complete list of winners since 1883/4. Sons joined the regional association and hence the Cup in the 1939/40 season, and have won the tournament on 14 occasions since then - including a purple patch between 1980 and 1990 (six titles) and last year's triumph (again versus Stenousemuir).
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