Written by John - OTR Saturday, 26 September 1998 00:00

This proved to be an expensive Saturday, more so for me than for Gary and Graeme. Another 18 pounds given to ScotRail for the train to Montrose. But it was only a fiver to get into the ground.

Montrose started the better out of the two teams and Kenny Meechan was forced into a good flying save in the first ten minutes. Then McKinnon came close for Dumbarton but the Montrose keeper, who had a superb game, came out and smothered the ball at Colin's feet. After seeing off the early Montrose pressure, Dumbarton totally dominated the play. Paddy Flannery scored yet another offside goal and the Montrose keeper made a number of good saves to keep the score at 0-0.

In the 38th minute, Flannery made up for his earlier miss with a well taken goal. He got the ball just inside the box and took it toward goal. Usually he'd try the low shot which would inevitably be saved but this time he coolly took round the outside of the keeper and sidefooted the ball into the net to make it 1-0.

The half time interval was illuminated by some vocal Montrose fans who believed that manager Tommy Campbell, now that he's been banned on doctor's orders from attending Montrose games, was sitting comfortably at Celtic Park watching Hearts. And the young lad wearing the Scotland top who had to ask these Montrose fans what team they supported even though they were bedecked in Montrose colours was quiet funny too.

As they players lined up for the second half there was a change in atmosphere. The Montrose players were fired up, raring to go while the Dumbarton players were quiet and didn't look too interested. Montrose started to take the game to Dumbarton. Their passing game improved dramatically and was ultimately rewarded with an unstoppable 30-yarder which just flew into Kenny Meechan's top left corner. Stunned into action, Dumbarton raised their game and players like Joe Robertson, who Gary thought was playing like he had a hangover, started to waken up. Robertson and Mooney had some good combinations and Billy Melvin was twisting and turning his way around players on the right wing. But once again, Dumbarton were thwarted by the Montrose keeper, Murray. His save from Robertson's shot was tremendous and it was enough to secure Montrose a point.

After the game we headed to the Park Hotel for a pint and to catch the results. While we watched Sky make a total arse of the Scottish Division 2 and 3 results we got talking to a DFC official, who I think was our beloved Chairman Douglas Dalgleish. And did he offer to buy us a drink ? Did he hell. Aye, I remember the good old days when directors would come into the pub and buy the whole bar a drink like Bobby Cawley in the Tutties Neuk after a particularly controversial defeat at Arbroath.

The Park Hotel was followed by a couple of pints in the Black Horse. Then we went for a wander and found Montrose's trendy place, Sharkey's, which sold Apfel Korn. Me and Gary were in seventh heaven. After another pint and two shots of delicious Apfel Korn we staggered back to the town centre through Montrose's dark alleyways to finish up at the Star Hotel. The bottle of Polish Pure Spirit (see last year's Match Reports) was still there and it didn't look like much had been drunk since our last visit in May. Two shots of that and it was time to go for the last train. By the time Gary and Graeme got off at Stirling I was decidely the worse for wear. In fact, I was so drunk that, for the first time in my life, I fell asleep on the train and missed my stop. I woke up at Haymarket and had missed the last train from Edinburgh to Falkirk. So some Hearts-supporting taxi driver made himself 40 quid richer chauffering me back to Falkirk.

As I was saying, it was an expensive Saturday.