Written by John - OTR Saturday, 13 February 1999 00:00

The game started brightly. Mooney, Flannery, Wilson and Brittain being involved in fast one touch stuff. But it all fizzled out after about 10 minutes and it was Brechin who almost scored first. Dumbarton were playing the offside trap, when Bruce or Jack slipped making a backpass. A Brechin player nipped in, took it round Kenny Meechan and with an empty net in front of him contrived to hit the bar.

Brechin started to take the upper hand and Dumbarton it was against the run of play when Dumbarton scored. Mooney took a corner. It was hit along the ground to the near post. I was looking through my camera trying to get a photo when all of a sudden the ball was in the net. It either went straight in or it took a deflection of a defender. The Brechin keeper wasn't too chuffed and had a good go at his defenders and a few Brechin fans. Mooney had to go off moments later with what appeared to be hamstring trouble, replaced by Joe Robertson.

The change didn't help Dumbarton's play at all. For the remainder of the half and for most of the second, Brechin looked the better side. The equalizer (in fact all three goals) came from sloppy defending. The first was a roasting shot from outside the box after the player had ghosted by three Dumbarton defenders without much difficulty. The second came from a byline cross which found a City player umarked at the back post. The third came when the City number 7 layed off the ball to an incoming midfielder. He had time to control, take two steps before hitting another unstoppable shot by Kenny Meechan, all without a single challenge from a Dumbarton defender.

At this point I thought we were going to get a hammering. Brechin looked like they could score at will and Dumbarton weren't doing much up front. The situation wasn't helped when Colin McKinnon went off injured holding his right arm. As soon as he got over the byline he almost collapsed. A silver sheet was put round him and then a heavy jacket as he trudged round to the old stand. He didn't look well at all. Billy Melvin came on in his place.

Dumbarton's second came in the 82 minute from the unlikeliest of scorers, Stevie Gow. Gow had the number 7 shirt and he found himself in the penalty box when Joe Robertson chipped in a cross. Stevie back-headered the ball over the outrushing keeper into the net. Unfortunately, the outrushing keeper hit him quite heavily and Stevie was carried off on a stretcher, with his neck in a support, to be replaced by Brown.

Dumbarton kept attacking. After a slow start, Joe Robertson came onto his game and was beating City defenders with ease. With 2 minutes to go, Dumbarton equalised. I was in the new stand at the opposite end and didn't get a good view, but a corner came in, there was a goalmouth stramash and the net bulged. 3-3. Alec Grace was credited with the goal. Moments later, the ref blew for full time.

So it was a spirited fightback but I felt we were outclassed for long periods and the defence is looking very shaky.