Dumbarton boss Stevie Farrell says side "shot themselves in foot" in East Fife loss

Sons boss Stevie Farrell says his side “shot themselves in the foot” in their defeat to playoff rivals East Fife.

With the game poised at 2-2 the Sons enjoyed a nine point cushion over their rivals with eight games left of the League Two season.

However deep into injury time Nathan Austin looped in a winner for the hosts, leaving the Sons looking over their shoulders after a bruising week.

The boss said: “We should’ve been on the bus with a solid point. And we’re not. That’s because of our naivety. Nothing else.

“In the last three minutes we’d have taken 2-2. It would’ve been a decent result away from home.

“We’re under unnecessary pressure now. And the players have to deal with that. These are the fine lines in football. There’s a fine line between a solid point, keeping them at nine points, and a defeat. We’ve just got to make the right decisions. And we don’t.

“We have a lot of young players. But I’ve got experienced players there who have to understand what to do at crucial parts of the game. They’ve got to make the right decision.

“We’ve shot ourselves in the foot.”

Farrell did praise his side for their response to a 5-0 mauling at the hands of relegation threatened Stranraer midweek, but stressed that injuries are hurting his side ahead of the run-in.

He continued: “I’m gutted because we showed a really good reaction after Tuesday night.

“To go down 1-0 at a team that has been flying and play the way we did showed a strength of character.

“The injuries are hitting us hard. Nobody will bat an eyelid at that, it’s not a reason for anything. But they are killing us.

“I’ve had three players in Sean Crighton, Kalvin Orsi and Div Wilson who are all arguably starters out.

“We’ve had three or four starters out for the last