Stenhousemuir -vs- Montrose

[Francesc Fabregas]

Forget the weekend's glamour tie between Raith Rovers and Arbroath - the real intrigue lies in Stenhousemuir's match with Montrose! It's 10th taking on ninth and I, for one, cannot wait.

I don't want to label a game as "must win" at this stage of the season and there's no real danger of the Warriors getting cut adrift at the bottom of the table just yet, but recent form has been a bit of a worry. We've played well in spells in most matches but a lack of ruthlessness in front of goal (and daft mistakes at the back) have been our undoing. We struggled against Montrose throughout last season and took just one point against them (although, weirdly, by all accounts our best performance was in the 1-0 defeat at Links Park in February). They're in a similar position to ourselves and they really seem to miss big Chris Templeman.

I think we can win this to move away from the foot of the table. I have no idea how we'll line up but I must insist Kevin O'Hara starts in attack - he's a real livewire and noises up defences.

Home win!

[Liam G]

This is the game I’ll be attending this weekend, as a neutral English Groundhopper who now lives in Glasgow. Really looking forward to it, as I’ve heard good things about Ochilview. I also need to buy my friend a Stenhousemuir hat because he has a soft spot for them.
I’ll go for a narrow 1-0 home win.

[Scorge]

8 hours ago, Francesc Fabregas said:

We've played well in spells in most matches but a lack of ruthlessness in front of goal (and daft mistakes at the back) have been our undoing. 

This sounds familiar. Our defence has been a little bit leakier this term and goals have been harder to come by with striking options either not quite firing (Rennie) or being shipped on loan (Skelly).  Being in a league with no free hits against shit teams like last year, every week has been a hard shift.  Ar****th aside, we've looked fine though.

Impossible to predict a score, but we've gone a while without a win and it would be a big lift to get one this weekend against one of the (several) teams likely to be in our mini-scrambling-to-avoid-ninth-or-tenth league....

[Moonglum25]

We need to take something from this match. Preume we will go 3 at th back again but the big dilemma is up front.  We have been creating chances but not taking them and Mr goals is way of the pace this year.  May be tempted to start O'Hara up fron and see how we go.  Harry to get 2 goals today.

[mo83]

Massive game today 3 points please lads.

[Brummo]

Absolute sickener, especially after Steeves' last minute equaliser! Hope next round of games is better, after what has been overall a disappointing start.

[beaver1]

My goodness. What a game. No doubt Montrose will feel they deserved something, maybe even 3 points, but I just love this Stenhousemuir team. They give everything they have and today, for once, they got the breaks they have not had in previous weeks.

Montrose dominated the opening 15 minutes and should have scored when we cleared a shot off the line. Cook then produced his trademark goal, before he unfortunately set up Montrose for their equaliser when the ball broke from him and put the striker clear in on goal.

The last two mins of the half were bizarre. Montrose were building the pressure and it really was no surprise when they got their chance from the penalty spot. But what a save from Graeme Smith. That’s two penalties in two weeks he has saved.

A minute later and Montrose scored. I didn’t see the foul, and nobody around me saw it either so it felt like a huge let off. Will be interesting to see it on the highlights.

Start of the second half was our best part of the match and we got the 2nd goal. It was a lovely move. We then stopped playing and basically just gave up possession for the rest of the match. Montrose didn’t create much with it but they did have a lot of pressure and their late equaliser was deserved.

It was then that our earlier time wasting proved worthwhile. Bedlam in the 95th minutes as McGuigan rammed in the winner after great driving play by Connor Duthie (my MOTM). A huge win.

Special mention for Terry Masson. Every time I have seen him play us he has spent his time doing his best to kick Harry Paton off the park. Today was no different.

[Liam G]

Thoroughly enjoyed that. Lovely ground, friendly staff, and above all a fantastic game. I’d say a draw would have been fair, so Montrose can feel a little hard done by. That said, Stenhousemuir were impressive on the whole. Plus, if you don’t score a penalty in a game like this, it’s bound to cost you.

Wasn’t entirely sure why Montrose had the goal before HT chalked off though. Was it for a foul or a handball or something else?

Wish both teams the best for the rest of the season! Also kudos to whoever decided to play Pixies at HT- that didn’t go unappreciated!

[beaver1]

The goal was disallowed for a push. I didn’t see it.

[CEMSFC]

Ref had passed onto the assistant linesman that our number 5 got pushed. Will need to rewatch it when I get to edit it tomorrow

[STENNY ROB]

Fantastic result for us. Who's playing wide left in this new formation? I'm assuming Cook but could equally be Dickson.

[Moonglum25]

Good entertaining game yesterday and a great result.  We really need to tackle players before they get into the penlty box - we stood off the Montrose players until they were in the box and then conceded the penalty.  Another great save from Smith though. That was where we really rode our luck with the penalty save and the chalked off goal.

I can see why he went 4 at the back after we went in front but the defense and midfiled were sitting too close to each other and too deep.  We were inviting Montrose onto us and really it was no surprse when they scored.  However that just set things up for a great finish and a much needed 3 points. Great stuff.

[beaver1]

Fantastic result for us. Who's playing wide left in this new formation? I'm assuming Cook but could equally be Dickson.

Cook

[Francesc Fabregas]

5 hours ago, Liam G said:

Wish both teams the best for the rest of the season! Also kudos to whoever decided to play Pixies at HT- that didn’t go unappreciated!

Yes mate, about time my good work got some pop!

I thought that was an excellent match today, a real game of two halves with some great goals and great moments. It did not relent, from the first kick of the ball to the final whistle, and I'm obviously delighted to see my team come out on top.

Montrose could have scored twice within the opening five minutes - Chris Antoniazzi sashayed through the middle of the defence unchecked, panicked, and hit a poor shot wide, and then someone else, I can't remember who, had a shot cleared off the line. We were dreadful in the first half, make no mistake about it. There was a five-minute period where the ball didn't go into the Montrose half! How we took the lead, Christ only knows, but a long ball out from the back took the merest of flicks off Colin McMenamin's head and into the path of Alan Cook, who strode in on goal and melted a shot into the net from the edge of the area.

Jesus Garcia Tena cracked a free-kick just wide of the post 10 minutes later but it was against the run of play and Montrose equalised not long afterwards when Mark Ferry conceded possession in the middle of the park and Antoniazzi stumbled in on goal, steadied himself and equalised. They had the ball in the net not long afterwards when Terry Masson thumped home a header (as others have said, I'm unsure why it was disallowed - the referee might have been indicating for offside) and then Graeme Smith did incredibly well to save Iain Campbell's penalty at the death after Ferry's daft tackle, diving low to his left to block the shot.

It was astonishing we went into the break level - that was one of the worst 45 minutes of football we've produced under Brown Ferguson. We were absolutely chaotic and could not get a foothold into the game at all. The defence was completely disorganised - the way Antoniazzi strode through with no care in the world was alarming - Harry Paton couldn't get into the game, Ferry had his worst game for us, Sean Dickson couldn't do anything right and the ball didn't stick up top.

We were tremendous after the restart, though! A brilliant piece of play down the left flank saw Cook put a fine cross right onto McMenamin's forehead but the striker inexplicably failed to put it on target. He would correct his mistake shortly afterwards when Cook drilled the ball low across the face of goal for the striker to slide onto and put into the net. We looked threatening whenever we came down the left and Cook and Ruaridh Donaldson (for my money the best player on the park) combined well and chucked in a number of good crosses that should have led to a goal.

For all our good play throughout the second half, we looked more and more anxious as the match reached its conclusion and began to sat deeper and deeper, with a nervousness creeping into our play. Smith had pulled off a good save moments earlier to deny a rare Montrose attack but there was nothing he could do to prevent Andy Steeves' equaliser. Steeves wasn't closed down on the edge of the area as the ball was worked out to him and his precise left-footed shot glided into the net. I don't think Smith even moved, he just watched the ball inexorably motion away from it.

At this point, a draw probably felt like the fair result. Montrose had been the better side in the first half, Stenhousemuir the second. Christ only knows where the five minutes of injury time came from but when Connor Duthie jigged into the penalty box, tip-toeing past three defenders, the ball somehow found its way to Mark McGuigan and the striker smashed it home from close range. Scenes, absolute scenes. I've hurt my throat from screaming. There is no feeling in the world quite like a last-minute winner. What emotion, what drama!

It's a hard game to analyse given Stenhousemuir's  differing fortunes in either half. There are still systematic problems with the defence and Ferry's poor performance, given how well he's done for us previously, is an anomaly, but Donaldson was fantastic again and will surely move up a level come June, Cook drilled in some good crosses and McGuigan worked hard up front. I don't understand the criticism he's taken from some supporters about his unwillingness to be nastier and push defenders about - he could well be the biggest grafter in the side.

So, here we are. A good win, off the foot of the table, it's a beautiful day. Magnificent.

[Happy Pebble]

Such an important win, can’t disagree with earlier post saying Donaldson being MOM, thought McGuigan grafted and showed if he gets the ball in front of him - instead of the long ball to hold up and then try and turn - can still get us a good few this season. Smith continues to do well but we have to sort out the defence where we dominate in the air but are really susceptible to somebody driving from midfield. Think Bomber would be pretty relieved yesterday, with 2 out of 3 next games at home we need to move up that table. Well Done to the guys yesterday although picking up needless bookings could hurt us later in the season.

[fagansheroes]

Well done to the lads yesterday , agree with previous posters, McGuigan works his socks off and also for me Donaldson and Duthie put in a real shift. 3 great points . It`s  called winning ugly . I would take it every week.C`mon the warriors.

[CEMSFC]

Just watched back the disallowed goal there. The number 2 had a free header at goal but our number 5 went to block it with a header and looked like the number 15 gave him a shove. Very hard to tell from the angle I was at

[CEMSFC]

Match Highlights and Post Match Interview with Brown Ferguson

[mo83]

Poor poor goal to be giving away in stoppage time clear your lines and we get a well earned point.Cracker from steeves to get it back 2-2 but sp won't be happy with losing that late goal after getting it back to 2-2.In my eyes we need Redman back in the midfield big big player for us last season. Young lad from heart's where was he Saturday??