Stenhousemuir -vs- Stranraer (Saturday 7 January 2023)

[Francesc Fabregas]

Here we go! A very happy new year to everyone associated with Stenhousemuir FC! We look forward to our very first match of 2023: a do-or-die encounter with Stranraer at Ochilview on Saturday. The game will mark Gary Naysmith's debut as manager and I think I speak for us all when I say I hope he can inspire us to victory.

For a long time, Stranraer have been our bogey side and we always seem to save our worst for them. Although we beat them unconvincingly at the beginning of September, we were humiliated at Stair Park in November, a fixture that convinced many onlookers that Stephen Swift wasn't up to it. Since then, we've picked up a single point and are circling the drain, like a large clump of pubic hair. The Blues, meanwhile, have beaten a good Stirling Albion side but lost to Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic recently, so I don't know what to expect from them.

I don't know how Naysmith will line us up (or who's available). Both of our goalkeepers are a bad in different ways; our backline is being held together with tape and string; and last season's Player of the Year is toiling badly and might benefit from a spell out of the team. I just hope the new manager can reinvigorate this group of players - who, on the whole, are good, just badly underperforming - and get us going again.

[Crazy Days]

Hopefully he will have seen us on a few occasions before his appointment and have a rough idea of who and how he wants us to play.

There are a few that need to be moved on, if at all possible, in this window and he must get a goalkeeper in the next week or so. On paper our back-line looks strong but in reality it is entirely different. Hopefully he can sort that shambles out and if so we start each game on a level playing field rather than knowing we will be conceding a goal in every game.

[Mattmc]

We don’t keep well away from home. 
 

Scullion and Hackshaw both out long term and Sal away back to Airdrie with no replacements coming in we are a bit thin. 
 

Stenny win for me. 

[Nigel Blackwell]

Hopefully the players have had a right good kick up the arse. The season starts now.

Edited January 7, 2023 by Nigel Blackwell

[scott666]

3 hours ago, Mattmc said:

 

Scullion and Hackshaw both out long term and Sal away back to Airdrie with no replacements coming in we are a bit thin. 
 

Stenny win for me. 

.....and Woods, but still enough players available to start the last game with Hilton and Grant on the bench. IMO both need to be starting if Stranraer are to break their away duck this season.

[Nigel Blackwell]

Well, it sure as heck wasn’t pretty, but finally a win in the league. We are so short of confidence and especially in that 2nd half when we just seemed incapable of making the most basic of passes. Reality was, it was two poor teams. Despite total domination from Stranraer in the 2nd half the sole tactic was throw crosses into the box; there was no plan B. All of which was meat and drink for Nicky Jamieson. In the end we missed two glaring chances towards the end of the game which would have made the win look more emphatic than it was.

Some other observations. Was great to see Matty Yates celebrate  both his goals as much as he did (could have done with a bit more of that attitude from the team throughout the 90 minutes). I hate seeing players apologising for scoring against their former teams.

And finally, our other keeper time wasting throughout the 2nd half when we were two one up at home against Stranraer perfectly illustrated the mindset of this squad. Instead of pushing on for more goals, we go back into a shell and try and hold what we’ve got. We had 18 months of it under Swift, and I for one am sick of it. It all boils down to a squad of players with zero confidence. Naysmith I hope knows what is required to reverse it.

Edited January 8, 2023 by Nigel Blackwell

[warriors21]

I thought today was a game of two halves - we were worth the lead at half time but Stranraer battered us in the second half.

 

A fine free kick from Yates put us ahead and the Stranraer equaliser came in some controversial fashion.  Jamieson and Brennan collided and the latter was left down injured whist Stranraer played on and scored, with Brennan still down injured.  Given the state of Brennans face when he was carted past us, it was clear it was a head knock and the referee should’ve halted the game.  Brennans injury was a nasty one and I hope it isn’t as bad as it looked.  A second goal for Matty Yates soon followed - what looked like a miss hit volley went downwards but bounced over O’Connor and hit the post before going in.

 

After the break Stranraer had a lot of possession in our half yet didn’t really trouble us.  From what I remember, all but one of Stranraer’s real chances in the second half came because of Cantley’s errors.  Fumbling the high, looping ball was expected and he also done his best to try and take out two of his defence too.  The other chance really should’ve been dispatched but the ball over the top was left by the Stenny defence and, thankfully, it was ballooned over.  Yates and then Forbes missed guilt edged chances right at the death, with Yates heading straight at O’Connor after a delightful ball from O’Reilly and Forbes somehow missing from close range when it looked easier to score than miss.

 

I thought Yates, Miller and Jamieson all had very good games today, and the efforts from Sewell and Anderson when they both came on certainly helped us get over the line.  I’m not Dan Higgins biggest fan however I thought he had his best game in a Warriors shirt today.  On the flip side, Tam Orr looked like he couldn’t be bothered being out there today and it was extremely frustrating as he made nothing stick when we were continually under pressure and didn’t do the team any favours in the second half especially.

 

As a whole, our work rate and desire to give everything to the cause was pleasing to see today.  Whilst this should be a given for any football team, it hadn’t been traits I’d have associated with Stenhousemuir recently.  Hopefully this newfound commitment is something we see more often under Naysmith.

 

Its clear to everyone reinforcements were needed in the goalkeeping department as Swift managed to sign four of the worst keepers I’ve ever seen play for us during his tenure, however with the injury to Brennan, I suspect bringing in a new keeper will be top priority (if it wasn’t already).

 

It wasn’t exactly a convincing win but every point is huge just now given only 5 points and 6 goals separate 5th and 10th in the league.

Edited January 7, 2023 by warriors21

[Francesc Fabregas]

36 minutes ago, Nigel Blackwell said:

Well, it sure as heck wasn’t pretty, but finally a win in the league. We are so short of confidence and especially in that 2nd half when we just seemed incapable of making the most basic of passes. Reality was, it was two poor teams. Despite total domination from Stranraer in the 2nd half the sole tactic was throw crosses into the box; there was no plan B. All of which was meat and drink for Nicky Jamieson. In the end we missed two glaring chances towards the end of the game which would have made the win look more emphatic than it was.

Some other observations. Was great to see Matty Yates celebrate  both his goals as much as he did (could have done with a bit more of that attitude from the team throughout the 90 minutes). I hate seeing players apologising for scoring against their former teams.

Was sorry that Brennan was so badly injured conceding the Stranraer goal, but if instead of flying across his goal to save the header, he had instead taken a step to the left and just made the routine save that the header deserved, we may have ended the game with a clean sheet, and he wouldn’t have been carted off to hospital.

And finally, our other keeper time wasting throughout the 2nd half when we were two one up at home against Stranraer perfectly illustrated the mindset of this squad. Instead of pushing on for more goals, we go back into a shell and try and hold what we’ve got. We had 18 months of it under Swift, and I for one am sick of it. It all boils down to a squad of players with zero confidence. Naysmith I hope knows what is required to reverse it.

What a weird and overly critical post. I don't think you can accuse anyone in maroon of lacking in attitude or effort today, I don't think you can really blame Conor Brennan for Stranraer's goal, and I don't think you can begrudge Jay Cantley's time wasting when we spent long periods of the second half under extreme pressure.

Anyway! I'm absolutely delighted we won today's game - that's our first three points in over three months (against a team we're notoriously flakey against, no less); a vital victory. Had results gone against us today, we could have dropped to the foot of the table. The match itself was entertaining, a real "game of two halves", and while Stranraer might feel unfortunate not to have taken something the contest, we probably should have put it beyond doubt at the death.

After a tentative opening spell, Stenhousemuir grew into the game and were the better team in throughout the first half, scoring two superb goals through Matty Yates. The first was a wonderful free-kick from around 20 yards and the second was a supremely taken, his shot thumped into the ground, like 2016 Mesut Ozil, and bounced over George O'Connor. Yates' goals bookended Stranraer's consolation and a terrible injury to Brennan. Josh Walker found space inside the box to send a powerful low header towards goal, which Brennan did well to paw away but Nicky Jamieson slid in, whacking Brennan, and gave Walker the opportunity to finish. (Walker actually flicked the ball up before hitting it, which indicates he thought the referee would stop the match, but the goal stood.) Brennan law prone for nine minutes and left the pitch in a stretcher, blood streaming from his head. It looked like a serious injury and he could be out for a while. He was replaced by Cantley.

Gary Naysmith needed to recruit a new goalkeeper during the transfer window anyway but Brennan's absence makes it an absolute necessity because it's very clear Cantley cannot be trusted. Following on from his terrible performance at Stirling Albion last weekend, he looked frightened any time the ball came in his general direction. On two occasions, he wiped out his team-mates after some poor decision-making, and he dropped a straightforward catch from a looping ball. Any time Stranraer won a set-piece, they crowded the goalkeeper and lumped balls on top of him, much like the Binos did, and it was only through some dominant defending from Jamieson that prevented any of them from counting. Cantley didn't have a serious save to make all match and somehow looked hopeless.

The second half, for the first 15 or 20 minutes, was exclusively one-way traffic and it's fair to say it was a sterile pumping. Stranraer had us pegged back to the extent the ball must have been in their half of the pitch a handful of times. We just could not get out. Tam Orr, who turned in a typically frustrating display, could not make the ball stick up front and it came back on us, ceaselessly, endlessly. We were fortunate that Stanraer's tactic involved working the ball down the flanks and chucking in crosses, all of which were easily dealt with, albeit with some degree of anxiety. They did have an excellent opportunity to score when Cantely fluffed a goal-kick and Jamieson misread the bounce of the ball, but their forward curled it high over the bar. He really should have done better.

Naysmith's substitutions made a difference, with Will Sewell doing his best to stretch Stranraer's defence and Mikey Anderson probably turning in his best display of the season with some vital interceptions in the middle of the park. We had two excellent chances to score late on - Yates headed Euan O'Reilly's teasing centre straight at O'Connor and Ross Forbes, introduced at the death, somehow failed to connect with Yates' low cross. It was either a terrible miss or a world-class tackle from his marker, but I couldn't believer he didn't score.

Are Stenhousemuir better under Gary Naysmith? It's too early to tell but there were some positive signs. The combination between Adam Corbett and Yates down the right flank looks promising (Corbett's backheeled through-ball in the first half was sublime), Mikey Miller was a dog in the middle of the park and put in some smashing tackles, and the substitutions were well-timed and made a positive impact. Some players looked subdued - Callum Yeats, Euan O'Reilly, Orr - and it was a classic Stephen Swift-esque play-well-in-one-half-but-crap-in-the-other performance but on the whole it's churlish to focus too much on the negatives. The most important thing is we won the match. We're still very much in the mire but if we can get something from our next two fixtures, both of which are presentable, we could maybe, just maybe, adjust our expectations. Third and fourth (and every other position beneath) are still up for grabs.

It's great to have Naysmith at the club, and it's even better to have Bomber Ferguson back in business. Two very agreeable guys and I hope they can lead us to success.

[DG.Roma]

2 hours ago, Nigel Blackwell said:

Instead of pushing on for more goals, we go back into a shell and try and hold what we’ve got. We had 18 months of it under Swift, and I for one am sick of it. It all boils down to a squad of players with zero confidence. Naysmith I hope knows what is required to reverse it.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but whilst at Queen of the South, Gary Naysmith was an absolute master at doing exactly this and snatching a draw from the jaws of victory, or turning one point into none. Good luck 

[Neilly]

11 hours ago, Nigel Blackwell said:

And finally, our other keeper time wasting throughout the 2nd half when we were two one up at home against Stranraer perfectly illustrated the mindset of this squad. Instead of pushing on for more goals, we go back into a shell and try and hold what we’ve got. We had 18 months of it under Swift, and I for one am sick of it. It all boils down to a squad of players with zero confidence. Naysmith I hope knows what is required to reverse it.

I really don't feel being better at the dark arts is anything to worry about. It's something we have needed to be better at for a while. Time waste, be dogs, niggly fouls. Win the game by any means necessary.

We have been too nice for far too long and yesterday was a step in the right direction in terms of digging in and showing some resilience. Stranraer had a lot of the game second half but for me the lads defended their box as well as I've seen this season.

Nicky Jamieson, apart from one mishap second half that gave Stranraer their only clear cut chance I can remember, was outstanding. The goals from Matty obviously won us the game but the way Nicky lead the team second half was just as important. 

I think Gary touched on it perfectly in the post match, we somehow have to turn us from a 45 minute to 90 minute team. It will take time but there was a lot of positive signs for me and most of our players looked better than they have for the majority of the season. 

Obviously Nicky and Matty were the stand outs but some really good stuff from Adam Corbett, Mikey Miller and Nat. We all know they are good players but they have got lost in the mire in this awful run of games here's hoping it's a turning point for more consistent performances to come.

I don't want to get too down on Tam Orr as for me he worked his arse off but we need better than that moving forward from our striker. Will Sewell was a breathe of fresh air when he came on. Considering the levels he's had to jump I think he's getting better all the time and particularly next season I think we could see a real player there. 

A lot of positives though for me. We have to take in to account the obvious frailties of this team who are clearly low on confidence, I think that's as good as we could have expected yesterday after only two sessions with the new manager. I really like the cut of Naysmith's jib. Seems a really decent guy who went out of his way to interact with the supporters before and after the game and there's a real feeling of optimism for me with him at the helm that we haven't had for a long time.

I do hope Conor is OK. We obviously need a keeper regardless of this but his health is more important than all of the above. Seems a really decent guy and hopefully the injury isn't as bad as feared.

[Hard Graft]

A wins a win and in our current situation we should be glad of it.  Regarding the time wasting - it is about time we did that, we have seen many teams come to Ochilview and do exactly that and it is very frustrating for the opposition. 

The post match interview was a breath of positivity for a change.

Onwards and upwards.

[Ivo den Bieman]

Always felt Brown Ferguson was harshly treated- seen few teams with a spirit & togetherness like his one that won a play off up at Peterhead in 2018- a side greater than the sum of its parts.
 

Good to see him back in the game & feel Stenny have appointed a decent managerial team.

[Mattmc]

Strange game. Not much between either team in the first half. Stenny probably edged. 
Dubious free kick for the first goal, if that was hand ball there were several more in the game afterwords that went unpunished. 
Second half was an all too familiar story away from home. Dominate up until the final third and then clueless. 
We battered Stenny the entire half bar a five minute spell were the should have went 3-1 up. 
Frustrated with the team selection, I like both Hilton and Walker however, neither are out and out forwards. Both more suited to playing either beside someone or in behind, yet we see them start with two forwards on the bench. 
The game was crying out for Duffy when we’re on the offensive, he’s the best finisher we have yet no sign.

We seemed to lack an ideas other than swinging a leg at it from wide areas to get in to the box. Non of our attacking players had a chance against Higgins or Jamieson. Especially with the poor standard of cross. 

Forrest was wasted on the right and for me should have started in the middle and move Robbo in beside Girvan and Ross.

Lack of sub keeper yesterday, not for the first time as well. Poor management from Hamill, we have a reserve team to supply us with cover. Apparently Hamill only phoned the reserve manager at 9am to see if there was a goalkeeper available. We’ve only known Scullion has a broken collar bone for the last weeks. 
 

Finally speedy recovery to Brennan, never nice to see.