Stenny v Airdrie

[Neilly]

That's so over complicated.

One team has better players than the other and will probably win. It's that simple.

[kerrdavidson95]

Apart from Kerr I wouldn't say we are massively a threat from set plays in all honesty.

I am shite in the air so mark that one off too.

[Kennboy1978]

Stick on 1-0 Stenny then, with the 96 year old with no testicles to score ?

I was only kidding......

[++Ammo - Airdrie++]

Mcmenamin isn't the quickest so I am confident fitz and boetang will keep him quiet.

Yep you're right [emoji849]

You really are a brain donor.

[onlythelonely1]

Mcmenamin isn't the quickest so I am confident fitz and boetang will keep him quiet. Cook does look physically stronger, and should be a good challenge for Stewart. I believe we will have more possession and that Conroy is more than capable of bossing the midfield and with Ryan and Russell up top it will be to much for stenny. I hope Kevin is fit also as the more pace we have the more trouble we will cause stenny. I Just feel with Kevin,Adam,Russell Ryan and conroy it would take a big performance from stenny to get anything from the match.

Nae bother [emoji23][emoji23]

[Cooper81]

It's very well quoting my statement saying I felt fitz and boetang should keep mcmenamin quite. The first goal was lost because McDonald our full back was overlapping and no one covered for him. The 2nd goal we lost as a team at a corner. I did post earlier stating I felt stennys main threat would come from set peices and a stenny fan on here said he felt Kerr was the main threat at set peices actually scored the equaliser. A draw wasn't the worst result in the world when your 1 nil down at half time and take everything into account.

[el Gringo]

I think a draw was probably a fair result, but why do FECKING Stenhousemuir always get a FECKING late goal against us. Feels like a defeat because we conceded so late.

Stenny were the better side in the first half hour without ever really dominating, and were probably worth their lead. We came back into it last 15 minutes of the first half and then the second half was the complete opposite of the first. We controlled the first half hour and did enough to get in front, but Stenny came back strong at the end and you could see their equaliser coming (not least because they FECKING always get a late goal).

Ref was card happy, and a red was always likely. Daft of the boy to get involved so soon after being booked.

That's about that.

[Diamond Oracle]

It's so frustrating watching Airdrie. We should have been out of sight in the second half but dropped points due to a late goal from a corner.

How did Russell miss that header at the end?!

Scott Stewart and Andy Ryan were real stand outs for us today.

Don't think the two young wingers did enough.

[Diamond8]

We had enough chances today to win about 4 games, we didn't take them. Draw was about fair in the end

[Cooper81]

Scullion struggled in the first half. His 2nd half performance was a lot better and he did well. Adam brown did okay on the other wing. Ryan and Stewart were standouts.

[waysider]

Was at the match. Annoying that we didn't win but there were positives. Some of our movement and passing from our attacking players was excellent. McDonald was miles better today and McIntosh looks much more comfortable in midfield than at the back. We were miles better than them but we didn't win which is bad as we should be beating Stenhousemuir if we want to be challenging.

As ever our problem is at the back and in particular cross balls. The first goal was a good header from their totally unmarked centre. Can't blame the goalkeeper because it was too far out. The centre had an almost identical unmarked header later in the first half but fortunately straight at Ferguson. Second goal was another header from much closer in. Not the first time we have lost a goal like this. 

What is the answer? We have tried 2 different centre back combinations but still we lose silly goals like this. Answers on a postcard.

[Francesc Fabregas]

An entertaining game with plenty of talking points and the correct outcome. I thought a point apiece was fair enough - both teams had good spells of play and both teams created a number of decent chances and, on balance over the 90 minutes, I don't think you could really separate the sides.

Airdrie probably started the better of the two teams and they looked a threat whenever they went forward. Probably their best piece of play of the first half came in the opening minutes when Iain Russell slid a handsome pass through the defence for Andy Ryan (I think) but the ball was gobbled up by Colin McCabe before he could pounce. That said, the game changed after 15 minutes when Colin McMenamin thumped Mark Gilhaney's right-sided cross into the net. It was an excellent goal but it did raise some questions about the Diamonds centre-backs, especially Daniel Boateng, who looked all over the place throughout. (How on earth he ever played for Arsenal I have no idea but his positioning and clearances were really poor.)

Stenhousemuir began to enjoy more of the ball, shutting down Airdrie's ability to get into the final third. McMenamin should have scored a carbon copy of his first goal but his header was straight at Rohan Ferguson, and there were a couple of half-chances that were passed up. Airdrie could have scored when a corner kick pinballed around inside the penalty area and rolled across the goal-line.

After such a positive first half, it was very disappointing that two errors allowed Airdrie back into the match. Ross Meechan should have forced Russell (I think) towards the byline but ended up tripping him, drawing a penalty kick, and Alan Cook should have been far firmer in with his clearance, but instead he played it straight to an opposition player, whose cross was nodded onto the post by Russell and then converted by Adam Brown.

Rather than characteristically wilting and conceding even more goals, Stenny came right back into the match and finished strongly, forcing Airdrie into their own half for long spells. Fraser Kerr's late equaliser, bulleting home Cook's corner kick, was deserved. That said again, Russell should have won the match when he headed over unmarked from six yards. A shocking miss!

I didn't see what Kerr did to earn a second yellow card (it looked like handbags with Marc Fitzpatrick) but it seemed pretty daft to get involved with pushing and shoving immediately after getting booked.

I don't think I could fault any Stenny player for effort, everyone put a great shift in, especially Stephen Stirling, Colin McMenamin and Oliver Shaw, but Colin McCabe's performance was alarming. I don't think he claimed one crossball all afternoon, either coming out and missing completely or dropping the ball and gathering it at the second attempt. I think he got away with a lot last season because he had an excellent debut against Dunfermline Athletic (first impressions are so important) and, perhaps more importantly, he wasn't Jamie Barclay, but someone of his stature has to command his area far better than that. Anyway, delighted to collect our first point of the season, especially against one of the division's more fancied sides.

Airdrie were okay, very handy going forward but brittle at the back. Boys like Boateng and Fitzpatrick just won't do for a team with serious aspirations of Championship football next term.

[Chapelhall chap]

Thanks for a fair report from Fabregas, and it was Ryan who was fouled at the penalty. Airdrie did dominate second half but Stenny finished much stronger by being more direct. Can't believe our defending at that corner, nor how poor our returns are when we get a complicated cornet routine wrong so many times. I enjoyed the end to end nature of the game but somehow Russell missed a pinch which might have won it, although knowing Airdrie's record at Ochilview who knows what calamity would have happened. Fraser Kerr was stupid in getting a red card, as was Iain Russell who is getting too many yellow cards already. Thought Ryan was our best player along with Stewart, but despite Brown scoring and setting up Russell's late miss, I feel we don't get enough from him, especially when our right wing guy is just too light weight. We had real disagreements where I was sitting on the aerial abilities of Boateng at the two goals. Certainly better than last season but I don't think anyone predicted a 2-2 draw.

[Chapelhall chap]

I typed cornet when I meant corner-a brass neck comment indeed. Their goalie was horrendous and may well cost them a lot of games.

[Francesc Fabregas]

Shouts to Airdrieonians for boasting so many brers with Alice bands in the starting XI. Three lads - both full-backs and the wee #10 - all had big, bad, bouncy haircuts, neatly held together with elastic.

I never seen so many players at this level look so glamorous.

[AFC1878]

I was totally underwhelmed by the performance today. Will need to win these games if we are to have any aspirations of challenging up top. My biggest gripe is they are not learning from a lot of their mistakes. Almost all of the Airdrie fan, if not all of them saw Stenny's equaliser coming a mile off.

[diamondman]

Two points dropped.

 

[Tulloch Gorum]

That was frustrating - three points were there for the taking, but sloppiness at the back and a failure to really dominate the middle of the park let us down.  I was impressed by Scott Stewart again, and though I was not really convinced by Scullion, it's hardly fair to rule him out after only seeing him once, properly.  
Seen a few criticisms of Ferguson on the FB group (and heard at the game last week) - yes, he's made a few mistakes, but we need to remember this is his first year as the first team goalkeeper, and he's still learning and gaining experience.  

[touchedbymadness]

1 hour ago, Francesc Fabregas said:

Boys like... Fitzpatrick just won't do for a team with serious aspirations of Championship football next term.

Good write up but just dont go there.  Just dont go there or you'll have a posse of happyclappers with pitchforks out soon.

[kerrdavidson95]

Centre halves always the issue with Airdrie thus far. Not sure what Gorman has done to find himself on the bench again, surely he'd be a superior option to Fitzpatrick Going forward we look sharp but in defence we look hopelessly brittle. McDonald had a poor game as well and the jury is still out on Scullion. As a team I think it's time we toughen up, as against Livingston the players shy'ed out of so many tackles which just won't do at this level.

But still, we remain a working progress and we'll get it right and someone is due a proper scudding.