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DUMBARTON 1-3 COVE RANGERS

Dylan Lobban scored the first two goals of his senior career, the teenager’s double added to by Fraser Fyvie, as the team secured a vital win in the battle to clinch a play-off place. Dumbarton had given themselves hope soon after the interval, but Dylan’s second settled any nerves, and the boys comfortably saw out a deserved victory.

With Mitch Megginson completing his two-match ban, the manager shook things up with Findlay Marshall and Connor Scully dropping out from last week. It was the first time in over two years that Connor had failed to start, ending a run of 93 games.

Will Gillingham and Liam Parker resumed their central-defensive partnership, Mikey Doyle reverting to right back and Arron Darge stepping forward into midfield alongside Blair Yule. Dylan Lobban and Adam Emslie filled the wide positions with Fraser Fyvie supporting Myles Gaffney.

Dumbarton made eight changes from their stunning 6-0 win at Kelty.

Both sides mounted early attacks in what was an open start to the match, Lobban and Ryan Harrington each getting to the bye-line but unable to find a team-mate with their deliveries, before McGuffie did likewise for Dumbarton.

Dylan Lobban then drove forward from the halfway line, but Niang cut out his pass intended for Gaffney in the area. After link-up between Fyvie and Yule, the teenager forced a corner in our next attack, which led to another, but we were unable to profit from either.

There was a scare in the fifteenth minute when, after a scramble in the box, Craig McGuffie curled an angled shot inches wide of Nick Suman’s right post.

The pitch was causing problems, a succession of unpredictable bounces and bobbles making it difficult for the players, who were having to be precise in their passing to avoid losing possession.

Yule went long in the twenty-fourth minute, Myles Gaffney pressurising the home defence into conceding a corner, which came to nothing, then Gaffney was inches from connecting with Emslie’s low cross in our next attack.

Our next foray forward brought the opener.

Adam Emslie ran at Webster, gliding past the full-back, then fed the ball through for Fraser Fyvie. The skipper took a touch and looked up before sending in an inch perfect cross which Dylan LOBBAN met with a diving header to net his first Cove Rangers goal.

Six minutes later it was 2-0.

Fraser FYVIE collected wide left and cut infield before shooting from distance. That effort bounced back off Myles Gaffney, but the midfielder pounced on to the ball, turned away from Niang, then drove low into the bottom right corner from twenty yards.

The rest of the half passed by without incident, the team heading into the break in a strong position after a controlled forty-five minutes.

Dumbarton were first to threaten after the restart, Hilton shooting wildly over with an angled effort, but they did get back into the game soon after. Darge delayed in clearing, allowing Niang to gain possession in the area, and from his cross from the right, Kristian WEBSTER hammered home from fifteen yards.

The boys steadied after that, Lobban racing clear on the right, but Gaffney was unable to divert the ball on target with a backheel effort. Had he left it, Fyvie would have had a more clear-cut opportunity.

Webster then flashed a low delivery across our box which missed the back post by inches before Hilton shot from twenty yards, Suman collecting comfortably.

Ryan Harrington found Fraser Fyvie with a chipped pass as we hit back, the captain cleverly wriggling free and cutting in, but shooting wide of the far post. Harrington then let fly from long range, but his drive was too central, and grabbed by the keeper.

As the game moved into its final quarter it had become an open contest, play swinging from end to end, and there was a glut of substitutions, Dumbarton making three changes and Connor Scully coming on for Myles Gaffney. Connor took over on the left with Adam Emslie going through the middle.

Chances were at a premium at this stage, but Dylan Lobban and Emslie almost set up Scully, the ball running away from the midfielder before he could get a shot off. We then came agonisingly close in the seventy-ninth minute when Lobban crossed for Emslie, but his close range header was superbly saved by Sliwinski.

The third goal was however delayed only briefly.

After picking the ball up in midfield Fyvie drove forward before picking out Dylan LOBBAN on the right side of the box. The teenager cut inside, looked up, and curled a low angled shot beyond the keeper and into the bottom corner.

The team then saw the game out in a professional manner, moving a big step closer towards guaranteeing a place in the end of season shoot-out.

DUMBARTON (4-2-3-1): Sliwinski, Webster, Miller, Durnan (c), Young (Shiels 70); Niang (Pignatiello 70), Wilson (Blair 82); McGuffie, Hilton (Orsi 70), Gray; Ruth (Wallace 82)

Substitutes: Kelly, Lynas, Gilfedder, Clark

Goalscorers: Webster (49)

Booked: Webster (71)

COVE RANGERS (4-2-3-1): Suman; Doyle, Gillingham, Parker, Harrington; Darge, Yule; Lobban, Fyvie (c), Emslie; Gaffney (Scully 70)

Substitutes: Demus, Murray, Glass, McGrath, Coulson, Marshall

Goalscorers: Lobban (28), (81), Fyvie (34)

Booked: Parker (83)

Referee: Graham Grainger

Attendance: 531

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