FROM a distance, the socks of Dumbarton’s new away kit were almost invisible.
And, by almost 5pm on Saturday, a first victory on the league’s opening day since 2007 was also well out of sight.
Sons spent long spells of this game trying to walk the ball into the net and score the perfect goal.
Raith Rovers showed there’s more to be said for simply putting it away by any means necessary as they were 3-1 winners.
Not that it was always easy for the Kirkcaldy side. This game was there for the winning by Sons at half time, having forced several chances in the opening 45 minutes.
But as soon as Paul Watson opened the scoring for Raith, the game changed. The visitors weren’t the same team and were punished by further goals from Dumbarton man Ryan Conroy and Christian Nade.
Scott Agnew did pull an injury time goal back but Dumbarton’s horse had so long bolted it was almost on the A92.
Sons’ first half efforts deserved more than they got. But what they ended up with was a lesson for the remaining 35 league fixtures.
The time for scoring world-class goals was in Brazil over the summer. Now it’s back to Scottish lower league fare.
And if every goal is as scrappy as the one scored by Andy Graham to win the League Cup tie at Brechin – fine. Just get the ball over the line, between the posts and under the bar.
The match was slow to get going before a flurry of chances around the 20-minute mark. Archie Campbell’s volley from the edge of the area was saved while keeper Danny Rogers did well to keep out Conroy’s low shot.
Soon after that, Agnew got a sight of goal after Colin Nish flicked on Lee Mair’s through ball, but the midfielder shot over.
Further opportunities fell to Jordan Kirkpatrick, and then Campbell again, but the keeper saved both efforts.
Then Sons should have gone in at half time ahead. Campbell played a low ball across goal which beat the keeper but just missed the vital touch from Nish, almost on the goal line.
The warning signs were there, early in the second half, that Sons had missed their chance. Only a clearance by Mair denied Nade, who then played a low ball across which Martin Scott just missed.
In between those chances for Raith, Campbell lobbed the ball into the net but was denied by an offside flag – a decision which looked 50/50 from the Railway Stand.
But on 57 minutes the hosts were ahead, with a throw-in causing a scramble in Sons’ area and Watson slamming home the loose ball.
The game got scrappy again, but after a 15-minute spell, the visitors were getting forward again. Kirkpatrick spun round a defender inside the area only for a second opponent to block at close range, while a 20-yard drive from Agnew just missed the post.
However, Raith then got on top of the game, with Rogers saving in quick succession from Nade and then Mark Stewart.
There was nothing he could do, though, with 11 minutes to go as Conroy lined up a free kick 20 yards out. The midfielder bent the ball over the wall and into the net.
Immediately, Bryan Prunty was thrown on by Sons in an effort to salvage a draw. With eight minutes to go, any hope of that was lost.
Nade outpaced the defence and ran in to apply a low finish to make it 3-0.
As tough as it would have been on Sons, there were more goals in it for Raith. Conroy missed with a close range header while Scott was also off target with an angled shot.
In a late rally, Sons almost had Prunty’s obligatory overhead kick goal after one game of the season, but his effort was wide.
However, some pride was salvaged after two added minutes when Agnew got the break of the ball inside the area and made no mistake.
Had Dumbarton put the ball away earlier in the match, things might have been different.
Lesson learned, ahead of the season’s first home game against Queen of the South – Iain Russell and all – next Saturday.
And those socks…seriously?
Raith Rovers: Cuthbert; Thomson, Perry, Watson, Fox (Callachan 90), Anderson (Moon 80), Elliot (Stewart 9), Scott, Conroy, McKeown, Nade. Subs: Laidlaw; Vaughan, Ellis, Matthews.
Dumbarton: Rogers; Van Zanten (Prunty 80), Linton, Graham, Mair, Turner, Agnew, Nish, Megginson (Gilhaney 66), Kirkpatrick, Campbell (Fleming 75). Subs: Grindlay; Taggart, McDougall, Murray.
Referee: John Beaton.
Crowd: 1,642.
The Dumbarton Terrace 