Stevie tells Sons to stay on their toes
ARBROATH ........ 1 DUMBARTON ..... 2
DUMBARTON boss Stevie Aitken saw Craig Barr’s injurytime strike seal the first leg for his side but warned his men there’s still work to do.
Defender Barr struck in 92 minutes from close range after Bobby Linn levelled a Callum Gallagher opener to make it advantage Sons in the Championship play-off semi.
Aitken said: “I’m delighted but I’ve just warned the players not to think the tie is won. We’ve still got work to do on Saturday.”
The home side dominated the first half with defender Tam O’Brien heading a Ricky Little free-kick inches wide.
Sons keeper Scott Gallacher then made saves to deny longrange efforts from both Ryan Wallace and Danny Denholm.
Wallace then skimmed the bar with a 20-yarder.
But it was the visitors who struck in 61 minutes as Andy Stirling’s cross was nodded over the line by Gallagher.
Arbroath drew level just four minutes later as Linn met a Wallace free-kick to nod a header over Gallacher.
The game was now ebbing and flowing from end to end and Stirling’s looping cross cracked off the base of the post.
With time running out Barr netted the winner for Sons with a rebounded close-range effort.
Arbroath manager Dick Campbell said: “This tie’s far from over. There’s one goal in it and we have one of the best away records in the country.”