Loons lead three times – but suffer agonising loss

FORFAR 3 DUMBARTON 4

Forfar‘’s recent run of positive results came to a frustrating end when they were beaten in a game they led three times as Dumbarton completed a smash and grab at Station Park.

“It’s definitely a difficult one to take today,” shellshocked manager Stuart Malcolm said.

“We score three goals at home and the players did everything I asked of them in terms of going forward and being more creative and positive in the final third, which we were, but we didn’t quite have the same resilience that we’ve shown in previous games.

“We were beaten by three exceptional strikes and an unfortunate one for the winner, but previously we’ve had that defensive rigidness and solidness in not conceding.

“We need to piece these two things together; there’s no point scoring goals when you’re leaking them at the back.

“I’m certainly not angry, the boys have absolutely run themselves into the ground for me but to score three goals and not win the game, or get anything out of it at all, that’s disappointing.”

It took less than two minutes for Forfar to break the deadlock. Callum Tapping displayed some sharp footwork on the edge of the box to slot through Murray Mackintosh and his shot from a narrow angle was parried by Connor Brennan into the path of captain Michael Travis, who slotted into the empty net.

Travis turned the villain however, in the 22nd minute, when a pop shot from Joseph Mckee squirmed off the underside of his boot and into the corner of the helpless Marc Mccallum’s net to level the scores.

Soon afterwards it was Travis again who was at the centre of the action. This time he got on the end of Ross Forbes’ corner and bulleted a header low into the corner of Brennan’s net.

Dumbarton equalised in the 45th minute, substitute PJ Crossan’s strike from 25 yards fizzed past Mccallum in the Forfar goal to bring the Sons level against the run of play.

But that was not it for the first half. The home side immediately charged forward and when Tapping drove his way into the box he was barged over by Dumbarton winger Adam Frizzell and referee Scott Lambie pointed straight to the spot. Dale Hilson blasted the ball past Brennan to restore the Loons’ advantage for the third time.

Dumbarton had clearly brought their shooting boots as Regan Tumility hit an outrageous long-range volley over Mccallum and smacked the underside of the crossbar on its way into the net 12 minutes after the interval.

Dumbarton snatched the lead for the first time in the 73rd minute through a massive slice of fortune, Crossan’s shot squirmed through Mccallum, struck the post, struck the head of the Forfar keeper and trundled over the line.

Dale Hilson came closest to grabbing the home side an equaliser, his volley from the edge of the box looped just wide of Brennan’s post.

Michael Travis scored twice.