Dumbarton v Peterhead: Stevie Farrell post-match reaction

The Sons suffered their second league defeat in a row on Saturday, their third in all competitions, with a 1-0 home loss to Peterhead.

The hosts were on top in the first-half and missed a number of great chances with Mark Durnan blazing the ball over from six yards and Michael Ruth hitting the side netting twice, whilst Matty Shiels and Tony Wallace were frustrated by goal-line clearances.

They were then dealt with a sucker punch in the final moments of the game when Hamish Ritchie, who had also come close on a couple of occasions just minutes before, tapped in from close range to earn the Blue Toon three points.

Farrell, who made four changes to his side on Saturday, believes if his side had found the first goal, both last week against Elgin and on Saturday against Peterhead, they would have gone on to earn all three points - and reckons his attacking players are making life difficult for his defenders.

Speaking post-match, he said: “The chances we are missing at important parts of the game are killing us just now. We’re just going to have to keep working on the training ground because it’s hurting us.

“The longer that goes, it has that nervousness about it, and then you’ve got to defend absolutely magnificently when you’re not taking your chances. It’s putting so much pressure on us defensively.

“I don’t think Peterhead had many chances - they had a couple of shots that were wild and wide, but apart from that they didn’t really have anything that hurt us - but as long as it’s 0-0 you have a chance of losing the game, and that’s what happened.

“We’ve lost the last two games when we were excellent in the first five and deserved everything we got, and the last two we haven’t been good enough - and you’ve got to take that on the chin as a manager.

“We’ll not go through a season not scoring goals, but we’re just going through that wee spell just now where we’re not punishing teams. We’re still looking for that magic formula at the top end of the pitch, but that will come.

“If we had scored last week against Elgin, I think we would have gone on and won the game and it was the same today, I was really happy with us in the first half.

“The only thing we never did was score a goal, and the longer games go like that then we’re putting ourselves under pressure.

“It’s everybody, it’s not any individual, because over the course of the last two games we are getting into great positions, but the decision-making is so poor at the top end of the pitch.”

The first half of Saturday's game was overshadowed by a serious injury to Dumbarton wing-back Greig Young.

The 20-year-old went down screaming in pain and holding his knee, which resulted in a 10-minute delay whilst he was treated by doctors, physios and first aiders before being stretchered off.

The former Raith kid has caught the eye for Sons this season with his bombing runs down the left and whipped crosses, but is now set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

He was taken to hospital where he received an X-ray, and is now awaiting a scan to determine the extent of the injury.

Faz said: “He’s been a great signing for us, and we just wish the kid all the best, because at times like that football doesn’t really matter.

“When you see a kid of 20 being told it’s a serious injury, and he breaks down on the pitch, it’s not nice.”

Sons are back at the Rock on Saturday with the visit of Stranraer, managed by former Dumbarton favourite Scott Agnew.

Results in the last couple of weeks have seen the Castle Road side fall to fourth in League Two, level on points with this Saturday's visitors, but Faz insists his side are still on track for their first quarter target.

He added: “We’ve got 11 points, and we know what we set our target as for the first quarter. 

"We’ve still got two games to go and we’ve still got an opportunity to reach that target.

“The last two games have been disappointing so we need to get back on the training ground and if we get that bit right in the final third then it will come.”