Saturday 16^th April 2022

By Glen Douglas

DUMBARTON will have to go through the play-offs to avoid relegation for a second consecutive season after a fightback at Airdrie proved to be in vain after a 3-2 defeat.

That’s the sad news after a busy soccer Saturday when Hearts beat Hibs 2-1 in a close fought match at Hampden Park to go through the Scottish Cup Final against the winner of tomorrow’s Celtic v Rangers game.

Down south, Liverpool who looked to be strolling through their Wembley encounter with Manchester City scraped to a narrow victory against Manchester City in a 3-2 thriller, which Jurgen Klopp’s eleven were up 3-0 at half time.

In Lanarkshire, Sons soaked up pressure from the home side at the start, and had a couple of efforts at goal themselves. A penalty claim for handball was also rejected.

But all of the decent work started to be undone after 24 minutes when Dylan Easton opened the scoring for Airdrie.

Three minutes later, Airdrie punished a poor passback when Calum Gallagher was set up to finish into an empty net.

It looked like another long afternoon, but after Ross MacLean was denied by a fine save, a lifeline came to Dumbarton in the late stages of the first half.

Firstly George Stanger, pictured right, headed home a goal back from a corner, and then ex-Sons forward Adam Frizzell was sent off for Airdrie after a bad tackle.

Out of nothing, Dumbarton were right back in the match. And early in the second half, things looked promising when Stuart Carswell was unlucky to see his shot hit the post.

Then with 20 minutes left, Rhys McCabe headed past his own keeper to give Sons the equaliser.

With time running out, the two teams threw everything at it for their own respective causes.

But Airdrie stole it with two minutes left when Jordan Allan tapped home.

This result, and those elsewhere, confirms that Dumbarton will finish ninth in this season’s cinch League One.

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Cinch League One

Dumbarton v Clyde

30 April 2022
Kick-off 3pm

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