Dumbarton beat Peterhead convincingly

This article appears as the match report on the official DFC website. 

Sons leave the field to rapturous applause

Dumbarton continued their current fine run of form with a convincing 3-0 victory over Peterhead at SHS - their second win over the Toon in four days.

Sons got a good passing game going early on, but Peterhead were solid in central defence and looked to break from deep positions.

On the quarter hour a floating cross found Jon McShane on the edge of the area, but his second-touch shot flew just wide of John Bateman’s upright.

Minutes later the big number 9 nearly opened the scoring for Sons with a well-struck free kick from 25 yards which rose and dipped before clipping the post.

Ryan McStay had another close range opportunity for the home side four minutes later, as Sons piled the pressure on, and only a high, long-distance shot from the Blue Toon’s Ryan Strachan showed any real menace at the other end.

Then on 33 minutes Mark Gilhaney, who moments earlier had almost caught the Peterhead ‘keeper and defence off-guard with a teasing lob, got onto the end of a well crafted, determined attacking move and slotted the ball low past Bateman. 1-0 to Dumbarton.

Toon’s first real opportunity of the half came on 39 minutes, but was thwarted by a fine, diving save from Stephen Grindlay and then a decisive tackle by Ben Gordon to block the follow-through.

Instantly Dumbarton were back on the attack, and when Peterhead’s David Donald pulled down Sons’ Jordan Halsman just as he was about to shoot on goal, the referee had no choice but to pull out his red card.

Another angled shot from Pat Walker, going inches wide, marked both Sons’ overall dominance and the end of a busy half.

The ten-man Peterhead came out in determined mood for the second period, claiming some sustained possession for the first time in the match.

But Dumbarton resisted the pressure, and on 55 minutes broke again. Tormenting the visitors’ defence on the right, Mark Gilhaney deservedly claimed his second goal of the evening with a neatly taken shot, making it a comfortable 2-0 for Sons.

Things got even better on the hour, as Nicky Devlin went on a devastating run and Jon McShane found himself in the right place in the centre of the box to square the ball firmly past Bateman in the Peterhead goal. 3-0 to Dumbarton.

Sons kept pushing forward. At one point a 36-pass sequence, cheered wildly by the crowd, was brought to an end only by the offside flag.

On 68 minutes Derek Carcary replaced Jordan Halsman for Sons. Almost immediately McStay and Walker combined down the middle and almost added a fourth.

The Blue Toon responded with a double substitution, which included bringing off ex-Dumbarton striker Dennis Wyness - himself an earlier sub. But they still could not conjure up a fight back.

Sons’ Andy Geggan almost had another 'Goal of the Month' contender on 78 minutes, heading just over the bar from a long, looping 45-yard lob by McStay. Ben Gordon was denied when a powerful close range header was tipped over by Bateman moments later.

Ross Campbell replaced Walker on 82 minutes, followed by Iain Chisholm on for Devlin on 84 minutes. Campbell nearly added another goal for Sons before the end, but at the final whistle it remained 3-0 to Dumbarton.
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