Dumbarton Harp fail to break down Campsie defence

Nov 21 2008 by Laura McLachlan, Lennox Herald (main ed)

A STUBBORN Campsie defence held a disappointed Dumbarton Harp to a league cup draw on Saturday.

Harp had gone into the match with confidence on the back of a series of good results, but were brought back to earth with a thud as they battled to beat the Campsie defence.

Harp were under pressure from the start when a defensive mix-up resulted in Campsie being awarded a first-minute penalty which they duly converted.

For the next 89 minutes, Harp pounded their opponents’ goal but were rewarded just once when Gardiner got on the end of a McGuiness cross.

Other notable events over the 90 minutes were a fine 30-yard shot from Allen which rattled the bar, a low drive from Docherty which the keeper did well to turn round the post and an astonishing tackle on O’Neill by the invisible man when he was clean through.

The match was a twisted tale of misplaced passes, shots and crosses which taught Harp a series of valuable lessons.

The young Harp team will have better days this season but sometimes, no matter how much possession you hav,e there needs to be a cutting edge to your play to break down stubborn defences.

Dumbarton Harp: J McFall (c), C Niven, N Allen, N McIntyre, J McEwan, S Dobbin, D McElroy, B O’Neill, B Docherty, R McGuiness, S Arshed, S Gardiner, J MacFarlane, R McGuiness, A Rankine, S McIndewar, A Ward.

For more information, www.dumbarton harpboysclub.co.uk