Dumbarton v Forfar Athletic – match preview

The ‘Loons’ will play their first away fixture since early January when they head for the Dumbarton Stadium on Saturday to tackle Steve Farrell’s side who currently sit fourth in the cinch league2 table.

Andy Munro and his colleagues will head west in confident mood having recorded two wins and a draw in their last three league fixtures albeit on all on home soil.

In fact the Athies go into the contest currently sitting second in the league2 form table with eleven points from their last six games, only runaway league leaders Stenhousemuir above them.
By contrast Saturday’s opponents have picked up five points over the same period.

The Athies upturn in form and results recently has undoubtedly been built on a solid and more or less unchanged defensive formation, so consistent in fact that Roberto Nditi on his return from AFCON duties has had to content himself with a seat on the bench.
Allied to this, the manager has had options to freshen up when he has seen fit both the engine room and the forward line formation to good effect.

Ray McKinnon is as usual thoroughly looking forward to the game, at the same time acknowledging it will be no easy task to get a result against a side who have already triumphed 3-1 and 4-2 against the ‘Loons’ in their two clashes to date this campaign.
However he is content with the make-up of his injury free squad going into the game with Seb Ross fully fit following the injury which ruled him out of Saturday’s single goal success against a far from ordinary Spartans side.

The ‘Sons’ will go into the game minus the services of Ryan Blair shown a red card in their 1-0 reverse at Ochilview last time out. Five new faces have arrived at Dumbarton in recent weeks, four of them including one loan Rangers custodian Jack Hogarth involved against the ‘Warriors.’

For the ‘Loons’ tomorrow’s contest in the shadow of the imposing Dumbarton Rock is the first of four away games due over the next three weeks, a visit from Peterhead on Saturday week the exception.

Hopefully and there is no reason why not the recent return to more positive results and performances can continue.

Chris Fordyce who took charge of our away game at Bonnyrigg in November is the man in the middle on Saturday.

Admission charges at the Dumbarton Stadium are £17 for adults, £11 concessions and £5 for under 16’s.

Tickets can be purchased in advance, see the ‘Sons’ website for further details, but cash turnstiles are also available on the day.