Saturday February 27 2016
Delighted Sons boss Stevie Aitken hailed his side, as they recovered from a midweek hiding to shock Hibernian at the Rock.
Days after losing 5-0 to Dundee in the Scottish Cup, Aitken’s men found themselves 3-0 up against Alan Stubbs’ side - with goals from Liam Henderson and Farid El Alagui setting up a tense finale.
But Aitken’s side held on to secure a historic home double over the Edinburgh side - having triumphed 2-1 at the Rock on the opening day of the season.
And afterwards, a beaming Aitken said: “After losing five goals to Dundee away in the Scottish Cup midweek, people were asking questions. But we trust our players.
“We asked them to come in this weekend and give everything they’ve got and they did that.
“I thought everyone, to a man, was outstanding.
“We had to dig deep in the second half. Hibs threw everything at us.
“A lot of teams, when they’re 3-0 down, don’t come back.
“You might say they deserved something but overall I’m delighted and it’s a massive three points for us.”
Aitken made four changes to the side which had lost heavily to Premiership Dundee - with Calum Waters, Steven Saunders, Kevin Cawley and keeper Jamie Ewings replacing Grant Gallagher, Scott Taggart, Kler Heh and Mark Brown.
The struggling Sons almost found themselves a goal down inside the opening five minutes however, as Celtic loanee Liam Henderson cracked the bar from close range.
Aitken’s switches had an almost immediete impact however, as the hosts took the lead after 21 minutes.
Kevin Cawley spun away from John McGinn before drilling an effort low into the bottom corner of Mark Oxley’s net to end his 16 game goal drought.
Twenty minutes later, Dumbarton added a second against a shellshocked Hibernian who could see their title challenge slipping beyond them.
Mark Docherty floated a cross into the area, with Christian Nade towering above Oxley to nod home.
The former Hearts man, who had been the subject of taunts and abuse all match, ensured that the away end got a full view of his celebrations.
Another former Hearts star then put the Sons in dreamland early in the second-half.
Calum Waters’ corner from the right was perfect for the former Jambos skipper, who bulleted a near post header beyond Oxley.
Just as the home end started to party, the hosts ensured that fingernails would be fully nibbled down by full-time.
First Liam Henderson - by far the Hibees best player on the day - curled in a beauty from the edge of the box.
Then, with 20 minutes remaining, Farid El Alagui knocked the ball home from close range to set up a grandstand finale.
Henderson then had a shot cleared off the line, whilst a glut of corners came to nothing for the hosts - with the recalled Ewings in fine form between the sticks.
The full-time whistle sounded to cheers of both relief and joy from the home end - with fans left to reflect on a remarkable 90 minutes.
Dumbarton would go on to secure safety that season by six points, finishing ahead of Livingston and Alloa Athletic.
It would remain a season for Hibernian fans to remember too meanwhile, as they lifted the Scottish Cup for the first time in 114 years, thanks to a last gasp winner against Rangers.
