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Francesc Fabregas

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Francesc Fabregas last won the day on October 1 2021

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  • The world set ablaze.
  • Location
    FK5
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    Stenhousemuir

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  1. It's first versus second at Ochilview on Saturday as Stenhousemuir take on Peterhead. This one should be an entertaining encounter - the past two meetings between the sides have been fun - and Stenny can either take one enormous stride towards clinching the title, or be made to wait a little bit longer. It really is that simple. The Warriors weren't amazing at Forfar Athletic at the weekend but there were some decent passages of play here and there and on another day, they could have taken all three points. I wonder how Gary Naysmith will approach this one - I have a feeling he'll stick with the same that started at Station Park. James Berry played well, scored a goal, and turned in his best performance since he joined the club; he deserves to keep his place in the team for the time being. Beyond Berry, there's no obvious alterations. I'd like to see more from Matty Aitken, who's been hot and cold in recent weeks (he couldn't get into the game at Balmoor back in February and the whole team suffered as a result), and Matty Yates. We all know how good a player he can he and I just hope he can provide a bit more quality on the ball. We have the options to change things if the game is going against us. We will go with: - Matty Aitken - - Euan O'Reilly - James Berry - Matty Yates - - Mikey Anderson - Nat Wedderburn - - Kinlay Bilham - Nicky Jamieson - Gregor Buchanan - Ross Meechan - - Darren Jamieson - Peterhead are obviously a decent side but they've never once been able to take advantages of our various slip-ups over the past few months and that's why they're lagging behind. We're in for a good game here and I believe we can beat them if we play to our strengths. There's no need to be as direct as we've been recently as we've got the personnel who can knock it around nicely, as well as mixing it up if need be. I'd like to see a wee bit more intensity here - I'm impatient and I don't want to wait much longer! Home win! I'll see you there!
  2. What planet are you living on? Liam Scullion will be lucky to play again this season. That video clip was appalling and both the Bonnyrigg Rose supporter and Scullion should be ashamed, even if the latter reacted in retaliation.
  3. There's not a lot to assess here. It was a fairly mediocre game of football but a game of football we shouldn't have lost all the same. Nicky Jamieson had a great opportunity to win the game late on but inexplicably put a free header over the bar, while Forfar Athletic had one chance and scored from it (I'd need to see it again but it looked like a poor goal all round from a Stenhousemuir perspective). I couldn't see the hosts getting anything from the game, so fair play. I thought Nicky Jamieson had a good game, despite passing up a good chance in front of goal, and Ross Meechan was solid at right-back. James Berry maybe had his best game for the club and was in the right place at the right time to open the scoring. Nat Wedderbun and Mikey Anderson got through a power of running in midfield. Matty Yates huffed and puffed and Matty Aitken showed some nice touches but Adam Hutchinson marshalled him well. Daniel Scally and Stuart Morrison stood out for Forfar, but Russell McLean did not and struggled against Jamieson and Gregor Buchanan - these were the worst kind of opponents for a striker who's not really into the tough stuff and he couldn't get into the game at all. To back up Neilly's point about the referee, I thought his first-half performance was mince. I can accept unpredictability from the players but not from an offical. Nat Wedderbun was booked for a slide tackle but was then kicked by an opponent who escaped a caution. Berry and Meechan were both yellow carded for dissent but Andy Munro, yelling at the referee, gets a talking to. The standard of refereeing this season in League 2 has been noticeably poor and it's spoiling it. It's funny following the team at the moment - it seems like a matter of time before we win the league and that seems to have taken the tension and jeopardy out of games. I would have been annoyed by dropping points to a late, preventable goal, but I left Station Park with a sense of indifference. It doesn't matter, we'll make up for it next week. It sounds like I'm complaining - believe me, I'm not, this is brilliant! - but I'd like to see a wee bit more intensity between now and the end of the season.
  4. A reasonably diverting game of football is taking place this weekend at Station Park as Forfar "the Athies" Athletic take on Stenhousemuir. There doesn't really appear to be all that much at stake here - Forfar should just about be safe after beating Clyde last weekend while Stenny are counting down the days until they lift the title - but it should be a decent contest all the same. The last three meetings between the sides have been entertaining and I'm expecting something similar here. Stenny have been okay-ish in recent weeks. We've been solid at the back and we've got plenty of energy and dynamism but I'd argue we've looked a bit pedestrian in attack and only really look like scoring from set-pieces. I think it might be worthwhile changing things up for this game and bringing Ross Taylor into the starting XI. I'd field Taylor wide on the right, move Matty Yates in behind the striker, and drop James Berry to the bench. I'm pleased Berry's getting a run in the team, and he's been fine in our last two matches, but I think it's time we try something different courtesy of Taylor's pace and trickery. Taylor's had a funny season, with some brilliant moments (his cameo in the home win over Dumbarton) and some stupid gaffes (the red card at Clyde), and I hope he can show us his value over this final run of fixtures. We have options on the bench if things aren't going in our favour. The team, otherwise, picks itself: - Matty Aitken - - Euan O'Reilly - Matty Yates - Ross Taylor - - Nat Wedderburn - Mikey Anderson - - Kinlay Bilham - Nicky Jamieson - Gregor Buchanan - Ross Meechan - - Darren Jamieson - I'd like to see a bit more from Matty Aitken, as I've found him frustrating in recent weeks, but I'm sure he won't need any motivation here. One of his best performances of the season came at our last visit to Angus. I'd like to think Stenhousemuir can remind us all why they're top of the league by turning in a scintillating display and bringing home the three points. The Spartans game was a bit flat and I want us to go out there and score at least four times. Come on Stenny!
  5. A decent game of football between two handy sides, but neither team showed much attacking intent and a draw was the fairest outcome. A lot of the comments above sum up the match well. I thought Michael Anderson and Nat Wedderburn were our two best players (although the latter fluffed a decent chance at the death), and Ross Meechan had a strong game at right-back. I felt Matty Aitken threw himself to the ground too easily at points, and we could have made our substitutions earlier - Ross Taylor should have been on the pitch long before the 82nd minute. On the whole, there's not a lot to quibble over, other than a late penalty shout that was somehow ignored. It boggles my head that Blair Henderson is the division's top scorer. Every time I see him, I struggle to see what he's good at. Henderson barely won a header and there was a moment in the first half where we were caught out on the counter and the ball broke to him, but he didn't have a clue what to do with it in a deeper position and Euan O'Reilly was able to recover and make a tackle. Marc McNulty showed some nice touches here and there but didn't really influence the match. Nevertheless - we're 15 points clear with 24 left to play for. We're one small step closer to glory.
  6. Thank you for the kind words! Weirdly enough, the three-part Andy Graham interview from 2019 is still available - you can get it from all reputable podcast apps. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Andy is probably the most charismatic person I've ever met and I'm delighted to see him doing so well with Wasps. Long may it continue!
  7. That makes sense, my counting is terribly askew and I've wrongly attributed the relegation in 2017 to Mr McMenamy. I agree with your overall point - he leaves big shoes to fill!
  8. As well as our chairman, our media team are moving on at the end of the season. I'll very sorry to see Iain, Conor, Chris, Angus et al leave the club - I think their work over the past year has been very good and they've done a great job of documenting this momentous campaign (especially the recent videos from full time at Ainslie Park and New Dundas Park). They've given us a great base to build on and will be difficult to replace.
  9. Our chairman, Iain McMenamy, will step down at the end of the season. Mr McMenamy posted a state-of-the-nation address on the club website, celebrating our upcoming 140th anniversary and looking ahead to the future, both immediate and long term. I'd like to think he'll still be involved in some capacity at Ochilview - I've always found him to be friendly, open, honest and a good ambassador for the club. It's fair to say it's been a mixed six years under his chairmanship, with a promotion, two relegations and a series of underwhelming managerial appointments, but if you're going to bow out, our first ever league title win is the way to do it. This season has been extraordinary, the best I've ever had watching my team, and he leaves a hero. All the best, Iain!
  10. Stenhousemuir begin the final quarter with a game against the Spartans at Ochilview. The Warriors currently enjoy a 16-point gap over the Edinburgh side and have won their three previous encounters this season. Every game has been pretty entertaining - the Spartans are one of the more enterprising sides in League 2 and boast some good footballers in Jamie Dishington and Rhys Armstrong - and I'm expecting something similar here. When I think about Stenny's most decisive games over the season, the 1-0 win at Ainslie Park at the beginning of September is up there. Despite playing for half an hour with 10 men, James Berry somehow scored a 97th-minute winner, and this match really showcased our best characteristics - defensively strong, tactically assured, and an outstanding team spirit; these same qualities will be on show on Saturday and all the way through the remainder of the campaign. It feels as though it's only a matter of time before we win out first ever league title and a victory on Saturday would take us one step further to glory. I'm not sure if Gary Naysmith will go with the same XI that defeated Bonnyrigg Rose the previous week or tinker a little. I think it might be the former: - Matty Aitken - - Euan O'Reilly - Mikey Anderson - James Berry - Nat Wedderburn - Matty Yates - - Kinlay Bilham - Nicky Jamieson - Gregor Buchanan - Ross Meechan - - Darren Jamieson - Whatever the manager goes with, I fully trust whoever's on the park and whoever's in reserve to do the business here. I hope the Spartans are tired and deflated after their draw with Bonnyrigg on Tuesday night - the New Dundas Park pitch was in some state at the weekend and was probably worse three days later - but regardless, we'll be in for a good game here. We'll need to keep an eye out for Marc McNulty. He's not looking fit or sharp at the moment but he's obviously a quality player who can cause damage if we let our guard down. The head and the heart say a home win. I'll see you there!
  11. No it didn't. You can't pass the ball or dribble with it on that surface. The game at the weekend was a brutal spectacle. I always like watching my team playing at New Dundas Park - it's a different kind of challenge, you have to adapt your gameplan accordingly - but that pitch takes the cake!
  12. I think this could well be the weekend the 2023/24 League 2 title heads to Ochilview. While Stenhousemuir ground out a win at Bonnyrigg Rose, both Peterhead and the Spartans lost, meaning the Warriors hold a 17-point lead at the top of the table. There are nine games remaining and 27 points left to play for - it seems inevitable at this stage. Today's match, however, was abysmal. It was a rotten game of football on a boggy pitch that cut up and got worse as the match wore on and, as expected, the ball spent more time in the air than it did on the ground. There were a handful of occasions when someone tentatively put their foot on the ball and tried to "pass" but these moments were fleeting. I have no idea how Bonnyrigg supporters can watch that muck every week. They're a great club who have brought a lot to the SPFL but they're a poor team, and the New Dundas Park surface does not help them. A draw would have been the fairest result here. Both sides threatened sporadically, both goalkeepers had the odd save to make, and there was little between the sides throughout. I didn't get a good view of Matty Aitken's goal but Bradley Rodden's corner was perfect and the big striker took full advantage. Every time we get a corner, I feel like we can score. It was great to see Aitken back on the scoresheet after a lean spell, and great to see Rodden finally make a decisive contribution in a Stenny shirt. The celebrations at the end of the match between the players and supporters were brilliant to be a part of. It's hard to tell who played well and who didn't - "winning headers" seemed to be the definitive indicator of a good performance - but a lot of credit has to go to the goalkeeper and his back four. The five players were outstanding, throwing their bodies in front of everything and defending as if their lives depended on it. If you're going to bounce back from a 6-1 humiliation the previous week, this is the way to do it. Our defence has been the bedrock of our success this season and it's been disrupted by injury in recent weeks, but having Kinlay Bilham, Nicky Jamieson, Gregor Buchanan and Ross Meechan in front of Darren Jamieson is an enormous boon. Credit to them. Up next: a Spartans side who could close the gap if they win their game in hand on Tuesday night. It'll be all to play for and we'll have to be at our best to beat them. Having a settled, confident back four will go a long way to achieving that.
  13. A remarkable footballer. When it clicks for him, he looks like he could be playing in the Premiership but his lack of application and body language is such a turn off that it's hard to believe he's still in the SPFL. Fair play to him though, and fair play to Forfar Athletic.
  14. How's big Russell McLean getting on at Station Park? I thought it was a bit of a kiddy-on signing but you can't really argue with five goals in seven games!
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