DOUGIE Hill accepts that Dumbarton will need to find considerably better form this week if they are to retain their Championship status in the two-leg play-off final against his former club Alloa.
The centre-back accepts The Sons were fortunate to scrape through the semi-final and there is the added spice that five of Alloa’s side used to ply their trade at the Rock.
Hill, who coincidentally was in the Brechin side that edged Alloa in last season’s final on penalties, knows Scott Taggart, Andy Graham, Jordan Kirkpatrick, Kevin Cawley and Gary Fleming will have extra motivation to succeed.
However, Hill, whose goal ultimately secured Dumbarton’s place in the final, is confident they can repel the Wasps.
He said: “Alloa have good players – and a lot of ex-Dumbarton players who will have a point to prove.
“That makes it a bit tougher and gives it a bit of an edge. I know from my time there that there are some cracking players who can hurt you.
“But we need to concentrate on ourselves. We will need to be better defensively than we have been and we will need to do a lot better going forward.
“I played against Alloa last season in the play-off final when Brechin beat them and I think they have a better team now.
“They have finished the season very strongly. It’s a tough place to go at any time but they are on a bit of form.
“I’m sure they won’t be scared of playing us and we won’t be scared of playing them.”
Hill, in for the suspended Craig Barr, chose the right moment to grab his first goal of the season when he connected with Tom Walsh’s corner in nine minutes.
However, when Andy Dowie gifted an equaliser to Gavin Swankie in 27 minutes it was Arbroath who completely dominated but had no punch up front.
Hill, added: “I felt I was due one so it was good to get the goal that proved to be the difference.
“It wasn’t pretty but we’re through and that’s the main thing.
“No-one is going to look back on how we played. If we can get through the play-offs it doesn’t matter if we’re horrendous in every game.
“Hopefully we can turn up against Alloa. I think we only played decently for about 25 minutes over the two legs against Arbroath – 10 in the first game and the first 15 on Saturday.
“It’s irrelevant if I keep my place or not. It’s not about me it’s about the club as a whole.
“Stevie Aitken picks the team. I want to play and I will do my best when I’m in but it’s up to him and he will play who he feels is right for the game.
“If I’m in then great, if not I’ll cheer the boys on.”
There was a suggestion that Arbroath did not actually want to go up this season given that there will be 16 Angus derbies in League One next season with the promotion of Montrose and the relegation of Brechin.
However, winger Bobby Lynn shot that down n flames insisting Dick Campbell was desperate for consecutive promotions.
Lynn said: “The manager had made it plain to us – and he didn’t use nice words – that he wanted to go up.
“That’s the way he is. He’s a winner but we have come up short.
“The boys are gutted that we didn’t get to the final but we will go away in the summer and we will look to push on next season.
“We just didn’t have enough in the final third but it all goes back to the goal in the last minute in the first leg when we lost concentration.
“We felt we would score in the second leg and we did and it’s so deflating that we didn’t complete the job.
“It’s disappointing but it doesn’t detract from the season we have had and it gives us real hunger for next season.”
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