SHIRE 1 DUMBARTON 1

A draw at least stopped Shire's run of eleven straight defeats but it is no consolation to a Shire team who were deprived of all three points by a Dumbarton goal just four minutes from the end.

Despite dominating the match from start to finish, Shire saw themselves thwarted time and again by some inspired play from  Sons' keeper David Crawford, and his heroics created the platform for David McNaught's 86th minute leveller.

It was cruel luck on Shire, who must have hoped Michael Bolocheweckyj's 10th minute header would have been enough for all three points.

Boss, Jim McInally, kept faith with ten of the starting eleven who had played so well at Stranraer.

The only change saw Paul McBride drop out to make way for a trialist, none other than former Falkirk, Dunfermline Athletic and Gretna veteran, David Nicholls.

Shire certainly started briskly and after five minutes a long throw-in from Scott Gibb found Andrew Brand who cut the ball back for an Andy Rodgers shot which Crawford saved.

But there was nothing the visiting goalkeeper could do to stop Shire taking the lead after ten minutes. A Kevin McBride free-kick was swung in to the near post and Bolocheweckyj met it with a deft header to send the ball looping over Crawford and into the net.

Not long after a neat one-two between Andrew Brand and McBride saw the Shire full-back shoot for goal but Crawford was equal to it.

Brand tried his luck from just outside the box in 22 minutes before, a minute later, Crawford made a magnificent stop from a Bolocheweckyj header after a McBride corner, somehow tipping it onto the crossbar from point-blank range.

The Shire skipper then fired in a shot from wide on the left and even though the angle didn't seem the best he would have scored had it not been for a great diving stop from Crawford.

Dumbarton's best efforts in the first period were all from outside the box, the best of them a Mark Canning effort that Gary O'Connor did well to save.

The visitors began the second half in a better frame of mind and tested O'Connor with decent shots from Tommy Coyne and Andy Gegggan.

Bt it was Shire who should have gone 2-0 up after 64 minutes when Andy Rodgers burst clean through on goal. However, his effort in the inside-right channel ended up in the side net,

A minute later a lovely one-two on the edge of the box between Craig Donaldson and Scott Gibb saw the Ulterman release a rasping shot which flew across the face of goal and narrowly wide.

On 74 minutes McBride played another tantalising ball in and Brand this time pulled the trigger only foir Crawford to make a brilliant stop.

But the visiting keeper surpassed himself just a minute further on. McBride crossed from the left and Gibb met the ball at the back post with a perfect, netbound header. Somehow, though, Crawford managed to prevent the ball crossing the line.

That was to prove crucial. With just four minutes left Craig Brittain hit a speculative shot into the Shire box, it took at least two deflections, the last of which came off McNaught's shins and looped up over O'Connor into the net.

Shire : O'Connor, Gibb, K. McBride, Oates, Bolocheweckyj, King, Donaldson(Thywissen 90), Brand, Rodgers(P. McBride 82), Trialist, Ure.

Dumbarton : Crawford, Potter(Brannan 80), Brittain, Lennon, O'Byrne, Canning, Hamilton(Orrstrom 62), Geggan, Coyne, Gentile, Russell(McNaught 31).

Referee : A. Muir

Attendance : 359.