Fewer than two hundred souls turned up for this afternoon's match (again, the Fifers outnumbered the locals....) which was a shame because today's was a much improved performance over last week's 'heads up our arses' display at Montrose. Our hosts were never going to better us in footballing terms but their gutsy team spirit and downright hard work in the end earned them a well deserved point. In fact, their desperate defending in the dying seconds of the game was all that stopped Jonathan Smart pinching all three points for the Fife!

After an initial five minutes of frenetic (and by that, I do, of course, mean both teams running around like heidless chooks) activity, the Candy Stripes calmed down and began to play the great passing football that's propelled us to the top of the tree this term. We had a number of chances (a couple certainly should have been taken) but were to go in at the interval only one goal to the good.

However, if all your team's pressure is only gonna result in one strike, this one was well worth all the effort. On the fifteen minute mark we swept forward, easily brushing aside the Sons' efforts to tackle. The ball fell to Gary Greenhill whose deft wee flick was perfectly weighted for Paul McManus to reach and blast low into the net. Once again, I was witness to a cracker of a goal that only you, me and a shoogly one will ever see. We really need tae speak to East Stirling about how much it costs tae 'televise' their games. Certainly, while we're in this kind of form, and while old Mikey's stuck in Vancouver, you have to think that there'd be a market....

So, one up at the break - and that would normally mean worries about letting them get back into it. Despite only having the one goal lead, however, I was more than confident that we'd add to that tally - fuck sake, the only thing that the Sons had to fight us with was Tommy Coyne (what a guy - did ah no' see him once scoring for Celtic with his boaby; so finishing another dismal season for the huns.....). And ex-Celt or not, that surely could never be good enough to drag his team back into this one.

Sadly, he and his pals came out refreshed and regrouped - the effort they'd put into defending in the first forty five, they now focussed on attack. It's always a moot point as to whether your team's defending too deep or simply being pushed back by the pressure of the opposition. Well, you pay your money and take your choice. From where I was watching it looked like we were giving them way too much respect. But it's always easy when you're sitting in the stand so I shouldn't be so critical. And, in any case, it was the Fife who were unlucky not to double the lead after a fine counter attack and great effort by Paul McManus. He was frustrated to see the ball glance off the outside of the post!

The Sons' breakthrough came with twenty five minutes remaining; despite sterling efforts by the Candy Stripes, the best we could do was block the shot on the line before Dumbarton's Fergus Tiernan bundled the ball into the goal. It wasn't pretty but the three dozen Sons' fans who'd turned up weren't bothering....

Rather than letting our heads drop, it was encouraging to see the Fife seek to regain the lead with a renewed vigour. For the last twenty minutes it was open, end to end football, with both teams having chances. The best of them all, however, fell to East Fife just a couple of minutes from the end. Stevie Nick and Ryan Blackadder combined well and left Jonathan Smart wide open and just two yards from goal. It looked like all he had to do was touch the ball to claim all three points but, from somewher, Dumbarton's Kenny Haswell summoned the strength to make one last lunge at the ball and was able to clear it off the line.

So, a bit disappointing not to pick up maximum points but some stout defending by our hosts meant that they certainly deserved something out of the game. The important thing is that we're still top of the table and that, following this afternoon's display, the guys can go into the Rangers game next`week full of confidence. A decent display, plenty of spirit and a wee bit of luck and you never know what might happen on Wednesday! Bring them on!