IRN-BRU CUP
THE NEW SAINTS 1 Ebbe(52) DUMBARTON 2 Handling (74), Froxylias (84)
Cypriot Dimitris Froxylias fired Dumbarton into their first Irn-bru Cup Final by scoring a sublime winner as the Scottish club saw off Welsh side The New Saints, who play in England, with the Sons possibly playing Northern Irish outfit Crusaders in the Final.
Manager Stephen Aitken deserves great credit for his substitutions as the Sons looked dead and buried at Park Hall, however they can now watch today’s other semi-final between Inverness Caledonian Thistle and the Belfast side with great interest.
The Welsh team started on the offensive and within three minutes Aeron Edwards rattled the bar with a header.
With six minutes gone Simon Spender broke free, however he shot wide.
Spender charged forward again on 25 minutes and sent another shot towards Scott Gallacher in the Dumbarton goal, but Kyle Hutton got his body in the way and the danger was cleared.
The visitors started the second half brightly and Iain Russell fired a 20-yarder just wide.
Then the New Saints took the lead on 52 minutes.
Ryan Brobbel tricked his way past David Smith on the right and when his low cross was only partially blocked, Dean Ebbe fired the loose ball home from six yards.
Aitken looked to get his team back into things with 24 minutes left by making a double substitution, with Mark Stewart and Liam Burt coming on.
The move paid off with 16 minutes to go when Hutton ran at the home defence and, as they backed off, he picked out Danny Handling who beautifully curled home from 22 yards. It got even better for the visitors with six minutes left when Froxylias, who replaced Handling on 80 minutes, let fly from a free-kick from 40 yards and it flew past Paul Harrison.
The drama was not quite over as Greg Draper looked set to net an equaliser with a diving header until Craig Barr blocked with Gallacher making a fine one handed stop from Tom Holland’s drive.