News

DUMBARTON 0-3 COVE RANGERS

The team eventually romped to another win, our fourth victory and clean sheet in a row, thanks to three second half goals, including a memorable Mitch Megginson strike, but it took an outstanding first half from Balint Demus to keep us in the match.

The big keeper pulled off a string of superb saves to defy Dumbarton, and we looked a different side after the break, immediately taking control and ultimately deserving to take full points.

With Liam Parker ruled out for up to weeks, Paul Hartley was forced into changing the side which had kicked-off the last three matches. The manager opted to move Ryan Harrington in alongside Will Gillingham, with Connor Scully filling in at left-back, and Dylan Lobban coming in for his first Cove start. It was a notable afternoon for Arron Darge who made his fiftieth appearance for the club.

Nick Suman, injured against Inverness in September, returned to the bench.

We forced a corner with just sixty seconds on the clock, Gillingham finding Fyvie with a long free-kick, and the skipper’s cross knocked wide by Brown with Megginson attempting to make contact. Scully’s delivery was comfortably cleared.

The home side had been penned-in during the early exchanges, but in the seventh minute, after a throw-in found Hilton unmarked, the midfielder drove in on goal and unleashed a powerful close-range low shot. Balint Demus dived smartly to his right to make an impressive one-handed save and Wilson, under pressure from Gillingham, failed to collect the rebound.

There followed a long period of Cove possession, but we were unable to find a way through what was a well-structured Dumbarton set-up. The closest we came was a direct run by Dylan Lobban who was eventually crowded out inside the area.

In the twenty-first minute the home side countered, and when a cross from the right was knocked down by Ruth, Hilton found himself free on the edge of the box. His shot was sliced and flew well wide.

Back came Cove, and Adam Emslie curled in an inviting delivery, Brown making an important interception to clear the danger. Darge then clipped a superb pass over the top for Doyle to chase down. He got the cross in, and Megginson’s shot was deflected wide, but the ball was adjudged to have gone over the line before Mikey delivered.

The play went straight up the other end, Hilton getting in behind on to a long pass forward. Demus seemed to slip, but recovered to make the save, and from the resultant corner, he was again called into action, throwing his body in front of a powerful Orsi strike.

The home side were enjoying their best spell of the match and again came close soon after. Blair was given too much space and his cross was pin-point, Shiels rising highest to head goalwards, but Balint Demus again came to our rescue, making a superb stop to tip the ball over. The corner fell for Durnan who mis-hit an attempted overhead kick, the ball falling kindly to Hilton, but his shot was sliced wide of the far post.

Blair then curled in a wicked low free-kick from the right which Demus somehow kept out at his near post before it was scrambled away. Almost immediately, the home side were again on the attack, the keeper saving from Ruth before managing to deflect Hilton’s effort from the rebound on to the upright and behind.

The half-time whistle came at just the right time for us, the team going into the break goalless thanks only to an inspired forty-five minutes by Balint Demus.

There were more promising signs after the restart, Scully sending in a long free-kick which was half cleared, allowing Blair Yule to feed in Doyle. The full-back’s cross found Megginson, who was outnumbered, but still got his shot away. Unfortunately, it curled wide of the far post.

The breakthrough came in our next attack when Dylan Lobban teased the home back line before firing in a dangerous skidding cross. With Fraser Fyvie wating to get a touch, Mark DURNAN slid in to divert the ball past his own goalkeeper.

The side took confidence from that and piled on the pressure, the second goal coming five minutes later. The ball was played up to Mitch MEGGINSON who took a touch and held off a challenge before unleashing an unstoppable left-foot drive beyond Long and into the top corner. Having last week celebrated his 100th goal in Scottish League football, it was the striker’s third in successive games and sixth of the season.

Mitch might have added to his tally shortly afterwards, gathering a Yule pass before shooting from twenty yards, his effort slipping just past the left post.

Dumbarton made a couple of changes and pushed hard to try to get back into the match, but we looked dangerous with every attack, Lobban and Emslie offering a real threat on the flanks, while the reshaped back line dealt comfortably with anything thrown at them. After his frantic first half, Demus was only rarely called into action, and then, only to take cross balls.

With eight minutes left, Arron Darge did superbly to win possession on halfway and flick the ball wide to Adam Emslie. The winger ran at Miller, cut inside, and curled an excellent effort, the ball flying inches over the crossbar with Long beaten.

Findlay Marshall replaced the tiring Lobban for the closing stages, playing his part as the team managed the remainder of the game. The only scare came when McGuffie’s powerful strike, which looked on target, was inadvertently blocked by Durnan on the edge of the six yard box.

The icing on the cake came in the eighty-ninth minute when we countered, and after Fyvie and Megginson had combined, Adam EMSLIE raced on to the loose ball, showing composure as he chipped over the diving keeper and into the net.

Having ridden our luck at times in the first half, we were dominant after the interval, and thoroughly deserved our latest victory,

DUMBARTON (4-2-3-1): Long; Miller, Durnan (c), Brown, Blair (Gray67); Wilson, Niang (Mumbongo 67); Orsi (Wallace 76), Hilton (McGuffie 76), Shiels (Clark 78); Ruth

Substitutes: O’Neil, Lynas, Young, Shields

Goalscorers:

Booked: Durnan (58)

COVE RANGERS (4-2-3-1): Demus; Doyle, Gillingham, Harrington, Scully; Yule, Darge; Lobban (Marshall 85), Fyvie (c), Emslie; Megginson

Substitutes: Suman, Murray, Glass, McGrath, McAllister,

Goalscorers:  Durnan (OG 50), Megginson (55), Emslie (89)

Booked:

Referee: George Calder

Attendance: 568

Article Copyright © 2024. Permission to use quotations from this article online is only granted subject to appropriate source credit and to www.coverangersfc.com

Match Gallery | Dumbarton (A) »