With the three biggest clubs in the SPFL Championship all idle on Saturday, the division was able to get back to its unpredictable best.

Dumbarton were the big movers on the day, clambering into fifth place in the table following an emphatic 3-1 home win against Alloa Athletic.

It has been a remarkable turnaround for the Bet Butler Stadium side who, having lost in each of their first three games, are now unbeaten in four. "Anyone who can work out this league is a genius," said Ian Murray, the Dumbarton manager. "We got off to a poor start but after our 3-2 defeat to Hibs [in the League Cup] I wasn't too unhappy because we were playing well.

"Today I thought some of our performance was average and Alloa started extremely well but we got a goal out of nothing and it settled us. Now we're two points away from our target for the first quarter of the season and overall I'm very happy."

Archie Campbell set Dumbarton on their way with his first goal for the club before Jordan Kirkpatrick and Colin Nish sealed victory. However, Stephen Simmons scored the best goal of the game with an injury-time volley.

"We gifted them goals and missed chances and when you do that it's difficult to win games," added Barry Smith, the Alloa manager.

Cowdenbeath produced the surprise result of the day, securing their first victory of the campaign against a Queen of the South side going for a third game unbeaten under caretaker manager James Fowler.

Kudos Oyenuga and Callum Gallagher gave the Fife side a cushion before Derek Lyle's goal set up an anxious finish. "It's a massive win for us. They fired everything at us in the second half and we just had to stand up to it," said Jimmy Nicholl, the Cowdenbeath manager.

There was also an element of surprise a few miles away in Kirkcaldy where Raith Rovers and Falkirk battled out a goalless draw. It was a missed opportunity for the Fife side to narrow the gap on the top two side, but there might still have been some satisfaction in preserving a clean sheet given that they went into the game having conceded more goals at home than any team in the Championship.

Peter Houston, the Falkirk manager, was also content with a clean sheet but perhaps not with a third draw in their last four matches.

League 1 has new leaders this week but that detail was overshadowed by events at East End Park where Peterhead had three players sent off before losing 3-0 to Dunfermline Athletic. Jamie Redman, Steven Noble and Jordon Brown were all shown red cards before half-time to leave the home side cruising to victory. Meanwhile, Forfar Athletic took top spot, with Dale Hilson scoring a double in their 3-1 derby success over Brechin City at Station Park.

Ayr United lost their place at the summit as two goals in the last four minutes gave Airdrie United their first win of the campaign, while Morton also lost ground as Stenhousemuir came from behind to secure a 2-1 win at Ochilview. Stranraer notched their first home win of the season by beating Stirling Albion.

While two points separate the top four teams in League 1, Arbroath enjoy a five-point cushion at the top of League 2 after Simon Murray's late goal was enough to beat Elgin City. Albion Rovers and Montrose slipped up with home defeats by East Stirlingshire and East Fife respectively, while Clyde remain bottom after a draw with Annan Athletic.

However, Queen's Park are heading in the right direction, securing a 2-0 win over Berwick Rangers.