Dumbarton 2 Stenhousemuir 1: Managerless Warriors hit bottom

Veteran striker Colin McMenamin took charge of the Warriors for the trip, with the game featuring the league’s bottom two sides heading into kick-off.

It was a tentative opening to the game, but the home side carved out the first real chance of the game when striker Iain Russell scooped the ball over the bar from close range after good work from on-loan Kilmarnock winger Dom Thomas.

But Jim Duffy’s side were soon given a golden chance to open their account on 23 minutes when referee David Lowe pointed to the spot after Mark Ferry handled Thomas’ low drive inside the area.

Stenny felt that it was a harsh decision, but Ross Forbes squeezed the spot kick home, despite Graeme Smith getting a strong hand to the shot.

However, the visitors were soon given their own chance from the spot ten minutes later, when a poor punch from home goalkeeper Chris Smith led Cammy Ballantyne to bundle over Mark McGuigan as he went for the loose ball.

And McGuigan tucked away the penalty for his fourth goal of the season.

Thomas was proving a constant menace to the Stenny defence and showed his class again with the winning goal on 56 minutes, crashing a superb left-footed strike from 30 yards past Smith.

The game tightened up in the final quarter as the heavens opened, with the referee’s notebook kept busy with some tough tackling on both sides.

Kevin O’Hara enjoyed a good chance to level the game on 74 minutes when he was released by sub Harry Paton from the edge of the area, however his tame effort was easily saved by Smith.

There would be one more golden opening for Stenny to claim a point on 84 minutes when Paton’s delightful reverse ball found McGuigan in the area, but he failed to get a clean connection on the shot and it was scrambled away on the line by a Dumbarton defender.