Arbroath went down to a controversial goal in the first leg of the First Division promotion play-off semi-final.
With the tie all-square, Bryan Prunty shot from 16 yards through a forest of bodies after Scott Agnew had tapped a free-kick from inside the visitors’ penalty area.
However, the Arbroath players were fuming with referee Craig Charleston for the initial free-kick award after Mark Baxter was penalised for a passback that looked more like an attempted clearance especially as goalkeeper Darren Hill had to leap high into the air to collect the ball.
Red Lichties boss Paul Sheerin, though, refused to make an issue of the decisive moment.
He said: ”Mark Baxter claimed he tried to hook the ball clear but, to be brutally honest, from where I was standing I could see why the referee gave a free-kick.”
The Lichties had got off to a flying start when Stuart Malcolm rose highest to head home Josh Falkingham’s cross in the sixth minute.
But, on 16 minutes, Anthony Wallace tapped in after Darren Hill failed to hold on to Scott Agnew’s original effort to level for The Sons.
Sheerin added: ”The game started up in a very open fashion and we took the lead with a great header from Stuart.
”After that Dumbarton had us hemmed in and I thought we were lucky to get in level at half-time.
”The second half was better but we didn’t create too many clear-cut opportunities. It is very much still only half-time and it will be a case of giving it a real go at Gayfield.”