Francesc Fabregas

When has a trophy ever been presented before a match?

Who is your pick for the Stenhousemuir FC Goal of the Season? It's very hard to see past Adam Brown's goal against Peterhead. A stunner! And a moment when you thought: hey, this team might do something this season!

This Saturday is perhaps the most monumental in the history of Stenhousemuir Football Club: it is the day we are presented with our first ever league title. It feels incredible just to write it on an internet messageboard, so Christ knows how I'll feel when this game actually wraps up. All roads have led to this moment and I cannot wait to cap this wonderful season with this group of players, this management team, and all my friends and associates who have hitherto sunk decades into this club with nothing to show for it. Does anyone really care about the match itself? Although I'm curious to see if Stenny can draw an entire quarter of their matches, I would love to see us win here. We've been the better team every time we've taken on Bonnyrigg Rose this season but only squeezed by 1-0 each time. I'd like to put this mob on the mantelpiece (and then do the same to Stranraer next week). The Rose recorded one of the most surprising results of the year when they thumped East Fife 4-1 at Bayview, a scoreline that really wasn't reflective of how good they were and how they dominated the match, but were immediately brought back down to earth by losing at the Spartans; as a result, they're still very much in the muck at the foot of the table. We know what we're getting here - dig, guts, fight, and almost no quality - and we have to match their endeavour at the very least if we're to triumph. We're a better team and I want them to understand why we're the champions. Given our recent injuries and ailments, I think we'll see a team of odds and sods for this one, but I'd like us to go with the best team available to get the win. The Rose have plenty to play for and they will be up for it. I'd like Darren Jamieson, Mikey Anderson and Matty Yates restored to the starting XI, however I don't think this will be in line with the manager's thinking and we'll see Curtis Lyle, Jordan Kirkpatrick and Bradley Rodden getting a run out instead. I'd pick: - Matty Aitken - - Euan O'Reilly - Matty Yates - Ross Taylor - - Mikey Anderson - James Berry - - Kinlay Bilham - Edin Lynch - Gregor Buchanan - Ross Meechan - - Darren Jamieson - I can't wait for this one. This will be a huge day and I hope to see as many of you there as possible.

Aye, I'm really looking forward to it too. I don't think anything could possibly feel as good as the celebrations after the East Fife game did but this will be a different kind of energy on trophy day. What an incredible season it's been. The best of our lives. I think it'll be a brilliant day.

In his post-match interview, Gary Naysmith said that Ross Meechan was absent with a bug (and Mikey Anderson was just returning after missing the previous game with a similar illness). Gregor Buchanan came off late on with a knock - I reckon he might have played on had there been something at stake but there's no point in risking him here.

I'm sorry that the chant: "Stenny's having a party and Clyde are going down!" upset you.

I thought that was a pretty entertaining match, all in. Both teams played quite well and there was a nice ebb and flow, with good goals and a bit of drama at the death. Stenny seemed to be in "let's have a laugh!" territory with regard to their team selection and formation, but Clyde didn't have the wherewithal to get the better of them and only really seemed to take the game seriously towards the end when they had their opponents on the back foot. You would never have known that one team was treating the contest with the earnestness of a pre-season friendly and the other were desperate for the three points given the outcome. While I was hoping for a blockbuster Stenhousemuir win to avenge the last meeting between the sides, this was more in line with what I was expecting. Despite losing a poor goal early on, with a combination of poor passing in the middle of the park and defensive uncertainty contributing to Robbie Leitch running in and finishing well, Stenny got to grips with Clyde and were probably the better side overall, albeit without truly dominating. The home side should be very disappointed with the concession of both goals - Edin Lynch broke free at a corner to toe the ball into the net and as good a strike as Jordan Kirkpatrick's was, why did no-one attempt to shut him down? He had plenty of time to amble forward, consider his options, and shoot. Barry Cuddihy's equaliser was well taken, nodded into the corner well beyond Curtis Lyle's grasp, but the goalkeeper did well to push away Cammy Ballantyne's late drive. Stenny did well today, for the most part. Kinlay Bilham was good as a left-sided centre-back, Kyle Jacobs won an extraordinary number of balls in midfield (he might be worth considering for next year), Kirkpatrick had some great touches and Matty Aitken, when he stopped trying to scrap with Craig Howie, held the ball up well. I think they largely held Clyde at arm's length until changing shape after going ahead - Ian McCall reacted superbly by bringing on Kian Leslie to run at Lynch at right-back, and this led to Cuddihy's goal. We did fine in the 3-4-2-1 formation, and it's nice to see us mix it up a little bit, but I can't imagine we'll see it again once we have a full complement of players to pick from. While Stenhousemuir can look forward to lifting the League 2 trophy next weekend, Clyde must be very nervous about the next fortnight. There are some fine players there - we know better than anyone else how good they can be when it all clicks - but they seem less than the sum of their parts and for every player like Ray Grant or Jordan Allan, there's Chris McGinn struggling down the left or Martin Rennie trying to get to get into the game on the wing. I'm not too fussed on who finishes bottom of the table but if it is Clyde, I'd fancy them to beat Buckie Thistle or East Kilbride more than Stranraer or Bonnyrigg Rose. I don't know why.

The Stenhousemuir feature was incredible. I've watched it three times and cried every time. It's a brilliant story - every Stenhousemuir deserves all the success we've enjoyed this season, but Donald Smillie probably deserves it more than most.

I'm very pleased to see Darren Jamieson, Gregor Buchanan, Nicky Jamieson, Nat Wedderburn and Matty Aitken in the PFA League 2 Team of the Year. All five have had strong seasons, the goalkeeper and centre-backs especially, and they should be proud of being recognised by their peers. Mikey Anderson, however, was robbed! He's the best midfielder in the division, in my opinion!

Clyde are set to welcome to Stenhousemuir to New Douglas Park on Saturday for one of the more intriguing games taking place in the SPFL this weekend. The Bully Wee are fighting for their lives at the bottom of the division and although the Warriors have nothing to play for, I've no doubt they'll want to avenge the 6-1 humiliation the last time the sides met. It's shaping up to be a tasty encounter! I don't know how Gary Naysmith will approach this one. Nicky Jamieson and Nat Wedderburn are unlikely to play again this season, while a number of players missed out against Elgin City last weekend through illness and various other ailments, so I'm not sure if we'll field the same rag-tag assortment of first teamers and fringe players but regardless, I hope we can do a number on Clyde and get our own back on them. We can have a big say on what happens at the bottom of the table between now and the end of the season, and I'd to see a couple of wins here, starting on Saturday. Clyde have given us some bother this season, and that's even before you add in the 6-1 game from February. They should have beaten us in our first meeting, a 2-2 draw, but they were hopeless in the 2-1 defeat after Christmas, and only came into the match right at the death. There are some very good players in their ranks - Jordan Allan's performance in the last encounter was probably the best I've seen from an opposition player this season and we simply could not handle him. Who knows how this one will finish! Probably a hopeless draw.

First of all: what a pop to see your team given a guard of honour by the opposition! I loved it! We really should have been out of sight long before Elgin City equalised. We created more chances across the 90 minutes than we'd done in our previous five matches but we were profligate and careless - Euan O'Reilly should have buried his chance midway through the second half and I can't quite believe he didn't score. Even although there was nothing on the line for Stenhousemuir, I'm still annoyed we didn't win. Imagine letting Bobby Jones score against you! How embarrassing! Nevertheless, there were some good performances from the home side. Ross Taylor turned in a really strong performance all game and was just too damn hot for the Elgin defence to deal with. His goal was lovely, cutting in from the right and drilling home a powerful shot with his left (something that suggests there's more versatility to his game than just running down towards the byline), but his ability to draw fouls and bookings from the opposition (three yesterday!) is vital too. I hope he can use the remaining games to really push for our first choice XI going forward. Kyle Jacobs had a decent game and showed up well in midfield, so too did James Berry alongside him. Some other fringe players, however, looked off it, and I can't imagine we'll be seeing them next year. Elgin started both halves on the back foot, but finished both halves strongly. Mark Gallagher is an excellent central midfielder and really grew into the match, while Allan Hale (left) timed his substitutions well - the introduction of Jones and Dayshonne Golding really gave them a presence they'd been missing, and Golding certainly rattled Edin Lynch before playing a big part in Jones' goal. They've improved immensely over the course of the season and it'll be interesting to see what they can achieve next term. All in all, a good, enterprising game of football played out in difficult conditions. Fair play to all involved.

I'm not sure if everyone's had the chance to read Ross Meechan's interview with the Falkirk Herald but it's worth checking out! https://www.falkirkherald.co.uk/sport/football/it-means-everything-to-me-tearful-ross-meechan-revels-in-stenhousemuirs-first-ever-title-triumph-4586273 I've never heard a player speak so effusively about Stenhousemuir before. There will be players who have enjoyed their time at Ochilview and have spoken about their fondness for the club, but this must be the first time someone has been so positive and glowing about what Stenny means to them. It's wonderful that he's taken the club to his heart like this. I didn't think it was possible for him to go any higher in my estimations but here we are! A hero!

One question remains: who's the Player of the Year? While there are strong arguments for Darren Jamieson, Mikey Anderson and Matty Aitken, it feels like it's a straight shoot-out between Gregor Buchanan and Nicky Jamieson. Both have had sterling campaigns and both have played an enormous part in our success, but I feel it has to go to Buchanan. He's been an incredible signing and his presence, organisation and leadership have made everyone around him better. I thought he'd be a good signing when we brought him in from Dumbarton but he's been better than anyone could have anticipated!

Show some respect, please. This is the 2023/24 League 2 champions you're dealing with here.

The Elgin City team will have to form a guard of honour and clap us onto the park. What a pop! Every single member of this team should go into a Stenhousemuir FC Hall of Fame. I would also include Mark McGuigan and Terry Christie to go in alongside them.