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COVE RANGERS 2–1 DUMBARTON

The players extended our unbeaten league run to five matches as they picked up three big points from a hard-fought encounter. The team dominated possession for long spells, but fell behind early, and had to rely on a Mitch Megginson penalty to go in level at the break.

Throughout the second half, attack after attack came to nothing, with the final pass just not accurate enough, but the boys never lost hope, and eventually won it thanks to a superb Fraser Fyvie free-kick with just three minutes left on the clock.

Will Gillingham remained on the sidelines, joined there by Declan Glass, who will be out for three weeks after suffering an ankle injury in training. On the plus side, Fyvie and Megginson passed late fitness tests.

Fraser took his place on the bench while Mitch was back in the starting line-up, alongside Adam Emslie, who returned yesterday for a second loan spell from Aberdeen. The other change saw Liam Parker making his first start since the win at Montrose in late October.

Glass, Quinn Coulson and Grady McGrath dropped out from last week’s victory over Annan Athletic.

It was a positive start by the team, Connor Scully heading over from distance after Dylan Lobban crossed from the right, then Emslie raced clear of Webster, his delivery snatched by the keeper with Megginson waiting in the middle.

Out of the blue, the visitors went in front, and it came from a Cove corner. That was cleared, Dumbarton mounted a swift counter-attack, and when Gray crossed from the left, Carlo PIGNATIELLO eased the ball beyond Suman with a clever sidefoot flick.

Scully had a cross knocked out for a corner, then the midfielder shot high over from the edge of the box, and Lobban hooked his effort wide after good link-up between Megginson and Blair Yule.

Mitch then played in Ryan Harrington, and the full-back turned outside Webster before unleashing a powerful angled drive which the keeper parried behind.

We were dominating possession but finding it difficult to break down a packed and well organised away defence.

Megginson was closed down in the area and a succession of corners came to nothing, and as we kept up the pressure, Marshall fed a pass through for Yule to chase down, but the midfielder’s cross was inches too high for Megginson to get a decisive header on.

The breakthrough finally came in the last minute of the half. Marshall swung in a corner from the left which bounced off the top off the crossbar, Adam Emslie had an effort blocked, then Blair Yule volleyed from the edge of the box, Sliwinski tipping the ball over.

Scully whipped in the resulting corner and Ryan Harrington was bundled to the ground as he tried to make contact, referee Kirkland pointing immediately to the spot.

Mitch MEGGINSON stepped up confidently and found the bottom left corner, sending the keeper sprawling in the opposite direction. It was our fiftieth goal of the season in all competitions and could not have come at a more opportune moment.

The manager changed things up at the interval with Liam Parker coming off and Myles Gaffney on to lead the line, supported by Mitch. Arron Darge dropped back alongside Mikey Doyle with Yule and Scully at the heart of the midfield.

Dumbarton had the better of the early exchanges though, without creating any clear-cut chances, and after ten minutes, we began to see more of the ball. One flowing move saw Emslie and Harrington link-up to set Megginson free in behind. His cutback found Findlay Marshall at the back post, but the midfielder’s effort lacked power, and was scrambled off the line.

Marshall then delivered into the area for Gaffney, who held the ball up and laid in into the path of Blair Yule, whose shot was charged down, then after Findlay was fouled twenty-three yards out, Connor Scully’s free-kick went straight into the hands of Sliwinski.

The pressure was incessant now, but all too often the final ball failed to find its target.

With seventeen minutes remaining Mitch Megginson was upended and the foul awarded. Fyvie struck his attempt well, but it deflected off a defender and out for yet another corner. Substitute Quinn Coulson sent that into a good area, and Darge got his head to the ball, but the keeper grabbed it on the line.

With time running out, the boys were still pushing hard, and eventually got their deserved reward when Mitch Megginson was again brought down as he tried to find a way through. Having already had a sighter a few minutes earlier, Fraser FYVIE was spot on this time, his expertly struck free-kick from twenty-six yards flying over the wall and into the top corner.

The players then saw the game out in a professional manner, securing three massive points and moving to the top of the table ahead of the evening encounter between Stenhousemuir and Arbroath.

COVE RANGERS (4-4-2): Suman; Lobban, Doyle (c), Parker (Gaffney 46), Harrington; Yule, Darge, Marshall (Coulson 70), Scully (Fyvie 70); Megginson (McGrath 89), Emslie

Substitutes: Demus, Murray

Goalscorers: Megginson (pen 45), Fyvie (87)

Booked:

DUMBARTON (4-2-3-1): Sliwinski; Webster, Durnan (c), Miller, Clark; Wilson (Orsi 77), Niang; McGuffie, Pignatiello (Wallace 88), Gray; Ruth (Mumbongo 89)

Substitutes: Kelly, Lynas, Young, Blair, Gilfedder

Goalscorers: Pignatiello (5)

Booked: Ruth (77), Miller (90)

Referee: Steven Kirkland

Attendance: 353

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