Sons need to give their drop rivals six of the best
DUMBARTON boss Stevie Aitken has warned his players they face a sixgame season to survive in the Ladbrokes Championship.
The Sons fluffed the chance to put six points between themselves and Ayr United at the basement when they crashed 2-1 at Somerset Park.
Robert Thomson put the visitors ahead in 21 minutes but Farid El Alaguibuit levelled on the stroke of half-time.
Sons then suffered a twin blow when Robbie Crawford put Ayr in front before Garry Fleming was shown a red card for violent conduct.
The result leaves both teams tied on 31 points at the bottom – four ahead of St Mirren who have played a game less. Aitken’s side take on promotion-chasing Morton next week in a must-win clash.
But he is positive that his boys can claw their way out of danger.
He said: “It is a sixgame season. But we are in a good position with a good goal difference.
“We are disappointed but not disheartened.
“I thought for long spells we were comfortable, very comfortable.
“But I am disappointed with the two goals we lost as we should be doing better than that.
“I thought, though, we took a grip of the game even when down to ten men but it wasn’t our day.”
Aitken admitted he wasn’t able to pass judgment on Fleming’s sending-off which left Sons with an even bigger mountain to climb.
“I will need to see it again,” he said. “The referee was quick to give it. I don’t think it helped that the Ayr United boys were right in the linesman’s ear
“But after that I thought the boys rallied round. In the last 15 minutes we threw everything at it but we just couldn’t get the equaliser.”
In League 1, Albion Rovers eased their relegation fears with a 3-0 win at rock-bottom Stenhousemuir.
Two goals from Ross Stewart and a third from Scott McBride gave them their first league win since January.
It means Rovers have a four-point cushion over Stenny and are a point ahead of secondbottom Peterhead.
Rovers boss Darren Young said: “We can take confidence from it and it gives us some breathing space.”
Queen’s Park remain six points off the play-off zone after a 2-2 draw with Alloa.
But it took a lastminute header from Ewan Macpherson to earn them a share of the spoils at Ochilview.