Francesc Fabregas

Our game against Alloa Athletic at Ochilview on 19 October will now be broadcast live on BBC Alba. The kick-off time has been moved to 5:30pm. This must be the first time a bog-standard league encounter has been shown on the television? What a time to be alive!

Stenhousemuir welcome Queen of the South to Ochilview on Saturday for what is set to be a tantalising encounter. The last time the teams shared a division was the 2012/13 season, where the Doonhamers leathered everything they faced (although the Warriors were one of the few sides to beat them, albeit at the fag end of the campaign when the title was wrapped up). This season's vintage aren't quite as strong as they find their feet under Peter Murphy, but they boast some capable players who are big, strong and skilful and will pose a difficult challenge. Murphy has signed well, I feel, recruiting big players, both literally and figuratively. Reece Lyon is probably the best midfielder in the division and alongside Matty Douglas and Benji Luissint, have a lot of physicality and a lot of character, something that was missing last season. I'm not too keen on their forward options, right enough, and reckon they're lacking a quality centre-forward to knit the frontline together. If Stenny are to take something from this game, they'll need to be far better than they were against Montrose on Saturday. They were sloppy and careless and lacked a cutting edge in attack and these deficiencies cannot be repeated. It was a hard lesson for the likes of Mikey Anderson and Kinlay Bilham but one they will surely learn from. I wonder if Gary Naysmith will stick with his traditional 4-2-3-1 system or move to the 3-5-2 we saw in the second half at Links Park? Either way, I'd take Fin Allan out of the starting XI and maybe Kyle Banner too - he's looked a little uncomfortable in recent weeks and Aaron Steele might be due a start. Is Euan O'Reilly fit? If so, get him straight back into the team. How about: - Matty Aitken - - Ross Taylor - Blair Alston - Euan O'Reilly - - Mikey Anderson - Nat Wedderburn - - Kinlay Bilham - Aaron Steele - Gregor Buchanan - Ross Meechan - - Darren Jamieson - We've got a good home record this season, which should hold us in good stead, but it's likely to be tested here. We can win, of course, but a point wouldn't be a terrible outcome. I'll see you all there!

A frustrating afternoon. I think the scoreline flattered Montrose somewhat - outside of the goals, there wasn't really that much between the sides - but they're a smart, streetwise team who punished Stenhousemuir's errors and then largely kept them at arm's length, and they merited the win. Mikey Anderson was culpable for the first goal, dithering on the ball before losing possession in a dangerous area, and Kinlay Bilham switched off at the second, switching off and allowing the excellent Ryan Williamson to rampage into the box. Both goals were superbly taken but Kane Hester and Williamson should never have had the opportunities in the first place. Aidan Quinn's header at the death added gloss to the result. Stenny looked positive after half time, changing to a 3-5-2 system and dominating for a 20-minute spell, and they had a superb chance to get back into the game when Ross Taylor, I think, then Blair Alston had the chance to score but their efforts were blocked and the opportunity thwarted. It's easy to say now but had we got the goal, we could have gone on to take something from the match, but Stewart Petrie's substitutions were superbly timed and took the wind out of our sails. It all just petered out after that. Montrose are a good side. Strong at the back with good options at full-back in Williamson and Andy Steeves, experience and canniness in midfield, and two dynamic forwards in Hester and Ben Maciver-Redwood. Maciver-Redwood had a solid game and made things uncomfortable for Gregor Buchanan and Kyle Banner. It was good to be be back at Links Park, even if the set-up was a bit more shambolic than we've been used to - I don't understand why there was no pay-at-the-gate option for away fans or why there was segregation in place. One of Links Park's best features is the option to change ends at half time, and I would have preferred that than sitting in the stand (although you get a great view of the match from there, to be fair). I thought Ross Meechan played well, Ross Taylor tried to get us going and Matty Aitken put himself about up top, but that was about it. Fin Allan hasn't shown much since coming in from Dundee and Kelsey Ewen didn't give us a lot after his introduction. There were too many times where we'd take an extra touch or try a flick that didn't come off when simpler options were available. We might have got away with stuff like this in League 2 but there's no mucking around here! I'm not too despondent, we're going to have to expect afternoons like this in League 1, but we really didn't make it easy for ourselves and got what we deserved.

A View from the Terrace will return to BBC Scotland and iPlayer on Friday 27 September, two weeks from now. We hope to see you then. Thank you!

Montrose welcome Stenhousemuir to Links Park on Saturday for what is sure to be a terrific encounter - I'm looking forward to it already! Stewart Petrie's team have made a so-so start to the season with one win and three draws, but they lost heavily on their last outing, going down 3-0 to Arbroath. Can a resurgent Stenny do the business and stick another couple past them? I certainly hope so! And I'll be there to see it happen! Gary Naysmith's team have hit a bit of form recently, recording impressive back-to-back victories in the league and then edging beyond Falkirk in the SPFL Trust Trophy last weekend. While the Bairns could have easily won the game, Stenhousemuir showed grit and resolve to hold them at bay before progressing courtesy of penalty kicks, and we'll need to reprise this if we're to get the better of the Mo. There are a number of tricky attackers in their ranks like Blair Lyons and Craig Brown, while Kane Hester is a supreme striker (even if he did have a bit of a stinker at the weekend). On top of that, key players were rested against Arbroath and should be in good shape coming into this game. If Petrie is likely to make some changes here, then so too is Naysmith. He selected a more conservative line-up to take on Falkirk, dropping Euan O'Reilly and Ross Taylor to the bench in place of midfield solidity, but I imagine both will be restored to the starting XI. Elsewhere, you know exactly what you're going to get: - Matty Aitken - - Ross Taylor - Blair Alston - Euan O'Reilly - - Mikey Anderson - Nat Wedderburn - - Kinlay Bilham - Kyle Banner - Gregor Buchanan - Ross Meechan - - Darren Jamieson - Montrose are a club I have a lot of respect for, and Links Park is one of the best grounds to visit in the SPFL, so there's plenty to get excited about. If we play well, we can beat them. It really is that simple!

It's good to see Cammy McIntyre is back involved with the club and working on Warriors TV. He's a big Stenhousemuir supporter and his hard work and dedication will go a long way to giving the fans quality and timely video content. Welcome back!

Someone might need to correct me but I think the only players signed up until the end of next season are Darren Jamieson, Nicky Jamieson, Blair Alston and Corey O'Donnell. I'd be looking to get Mikey Anderson (as well as Ross Taylor, come to think of it) tied down until then too. He has developed into such a vital player for Stenhousemuir.

Here's how the squad is looking after Friday's transfers: GOALKEEPERS Darren Jamieson Curtis Lyle DEFENDERS Dean Aitken (signed from St Johnstone) Kyle Banner (signed from Stirling Albion) Kinlay Bilham Gregor Buchanan Kelsey Ewen (signed from Edinburgh City) Nicky Jamieson Ross Meechan Aaron Steele (signed from Arbroath on loan) MIDFIELDERS Blair Alston (signed from Partick Thistle) Mikey Anderson James Berry Kyle Jacobs Nat Wedderburn ATTACKERS Matty Aitken Fin Allan (signed from Dundee on loan) Corey O'Donnell (signed from Broomhill) Euan O'Reilly Ross Taylor Matty Yates LEFT THE CLUB Dean Aitken (joined Camelon Juniors on loan) Adam Brown (joined Stirling Albion) Jordan Kirkpatrick (joined Camelon Juniors) Edin Lynch (joined Edinburgh City) Bradley Rodden (joined Bonnyrigg Rose) Ben Stirling (joined Tranent Juniors) It's a handy-looking team with quality and depth and competition for places. I think we're probably a superstar centre-forward away from having a very good squad but I'm content with our lot and believe they can go on to make a good impression this season.

That was a thoroughly delightful game of football this afternoon but it could have turned out very differently if Darren Jamieson had not saved Aidan Smith's second penalty. Having scored from the spot minutes previously, Annan Athletic had Stenhousemuir spooked and an equaliser could have turned the match irrevocably in their favour. The goalkeeper, however, read Smith's intentions, swatted the ball away, and the home side took their lead into the interval. And then it was party time. On the whole, this was a strong performance from the Warriors, pockmarked by a 15-minute spell when Annan were dangerous, and there was plenty to like. Jamieson's intervention defined the game and it says a lot that the goalkeeper won the coveted Wee Bar Man of the Match award ahead of a hat-trick scorer, but here we are. Blair Alston had flitted in and out of proceedings until he cleverly controlled Ross Meechan's low cross and crashed it into the net from close range. From that point on, he sparked into life. His second, four minutes later, saw him juggle the ball inside the box, shift the ball into space, and then finish low. Did he use his hand to control it? I don't care. His third came from a penalty moments later. Then he left the pitch to a standing ovation. A seven-minute hat-trick, maybe the quickest in the club's history, and the first since Colin McMenamin's against Ayr United in 2014. I thought Mikey Anderson was the best player on the park, again, and his drive and thrust allowed us to take control and get the better of Paul McGowan and Wullie Gibson in midfield. His goal came through sheer endeavour, pressuring Max Kilby into losing his ball before lifting it over Jamie Smith. I've said before that if he could add goals to his game he would be the perfect midfielder and he's got four for the season already; he'd netted two in his previous three years at the club. I believe he is the best part-time player in the country at the moment and I would like him to extend his stay with Stenhousemuir well into the future. His rise from a timid jobber to an outstanding powerhouse has been remarkable and I'm very proud of him. Elsewhere, Meechan and Kinlay Bilham played well at full-back (and it was great to see the latter score his first goal for the club), Kyle Jacobs looked good when introduced, and Ross Taylor and Euan O'Reilly were terrific out wide. Taylor's last two performances have been thrilling and if he had a little bit more luck in front of goal, he could have scored and set up a couple today. O'Reilly, meanwhile, is getting back to his best after a slow start to the campaign. Our centre-backs performed chaotically at times and sometimes struggled with players backing into them and balls into the box, while Matty Aitken put himself about a bit but really should have opened the scoring when put through on Smith. Aitken seems to be lacking in confidence at the moment and I'd like to see Matty Yates selected ahead of him for the time being. Annan really looked the part when they came back into the match midway through the first half, showing some verve and precision with the ball, and in Gibson, McGowan and Josh Todd they have some good midfielders who can dominate a game, but they lacked the legs to maintain it for any great length of time (and it doesn't help when your defence completely falls apart too). They badly missed Tommy Goss today - Luca Ross and Harrison Wood ran about a lot and got stuck in but they lack Goss' muscle and know-how, and the whole team suffered as a result. We've made a very strong start to the campaign. Tougher challenges will await but, for the time being, let's enjoy this! What a team. What a club!

Adam Brown has left the club to join Stirling Albion. I'll be sorry to see Brown go - I liked watching him play and I like the way he carried himself on the pitch. He could be an incisive player and his delivery from set-pieces was a huge boon, but there were times where he could drift through matches without making much of an impact. At the moment there are better players in front of him in the attacking positions and he was unlikely to get much game time, so his departure was perhaps inevitable. Brown's goal against Peterhead is one of the best I've ever seen at Ochilview and I will always be grateful for his contribution to our title win last season. It will never be forgotten. Thank you, Adam! All the best.

Tommy Goss has scored four goals in the last three meetings between the sides. We simply have to stop him.

Corey O'Donnell has signed a new contract with the club, taking him up until the end of next season. The striker, who netted his first goal for the club in the victory over Cove Rangers on Saturday, definitely has something about him and if he can continue to develop technically and physically, we'll have a good player on our hands. I was a bit taken aback by the length of the deal but I can't imagine he's on a big wage or he's a high-maintenance player, so it seems quite low-risk on our side. I wish all parties well. Does anyone have any idea as to when he's back from his shoulder injury?

All roads lead to Saturday afternoon and all roads lead to Ochilview where Stenhousemuir take on Annan Athletic. Both sides have started the season relatively well, with two wins apiece, and an intriguing contest awaits. Despite these promising results, Stenny and Annan have been tipped to struggle this season, and a victory either way could have a big bearing on how the rest of the campaign pans out. It's a game I'm looking forward to, that's for sure! Annan appear to have responded well since Peter Murphy departed the club for Queen of the South, taking several key players with him. They've kept hold of some terrific performers like Aidan Smith and Tommy Goss and recruited well in Jamie Smith, Malik Zaid and Max Kilsby, while player/manager Wullie Gibson is arguably the most technically gifted footballer in the division. They seem a little soft in the middle of the park, however, and this is an area where I believe we can win the match. Mikey Anderson and Nat Wedderburn were both outstanding in the second half against Cove Rangers, dominating their opponents and keeping Stenhousemuir on the front foot. Ross Taylor had his best game for the club on Saturday, while Blair Alston, still feeling his way into things, is looking better. The only real dilemma facing Gary Naysmith is who to start up front after Corey O'Donnell's shoulder injury. Matty Yates or Matty Aitken? My preference would be for Yates, whose movement and ability on the ball could drag Tam Muir out of position and free up space for others to exploit, but I'm not sure if it would be Naysmith's, as the player has barely featured in our last two outings. I wonder if something has happened between them. Yates gives us more variation than Aitken but I'd anticipate that both will feature at some point. Other than that, everything else will more or less be what we saw last time out: - Matty Yates - - Ross Taylor - Blair Alston - Euan O'Reilly - - Mikey Anderson - Nat Wedderburn - - Kinlay Bilham - Kyle Banner - Gregor Buchanan - Ross Meechan - - Darren Jamieson - I fancy us to build on last weekend and get the three points. I'll see you all there!

The goals from Saturday have been posted on Twitter and Instagram. Unfortunately, the three Stenhousemuir strikes have been showcased with a behind-the-goals camera, which gives no indication as to what's actually happening, and therefore seems rather pointless. Mikey Anderson scored a goal-of-the-season contender but you'd have no idea watching the video! Surely we're in a position to move away from Pixellot and have someone film our home games instead? The automatic camera was a means to an end during the pandemic but we're well past that now. I don't like being critical of volunteers and I appreciate everyone's time and effort but when you look at the highlights packages that Alloa Athletic, Stranraer and Bonnyrigg Rose pull together, for example, we're lagging well behind in terms of quality and timeliness.

Around 11 or 12 years ago, Jim Spence was a well-liked and respected sports reporter amongst Scottish football fans. He came across as keen and enthusiastic and through his work with the BBC and local media in Dundee, he always championed "the little guy" ahead of bigger and better-supported clubs. Spence seemed like an amiable guy, something that came across in his social media output. These days, there's not much joy to be found on his Twitter account. Spence seems increasingly frustrated and bitter towards the shifting landscape of Scottish society, young people and university students, and "the left", whatever that means, and fires out whatever fetid thoughts pop into his consciousness dozens of times a day. He frequently creates straw-man arguments (examples of which have already been posted on this thread) which renders any debate pointless, and people who challenge him are often blocked. The "back-in-my-day" tone of his tweets is both patronising and condescending and he grandstands and the twists the truth to make himself appear the "winner" in any conflicts, both online and offline. Spence is wholly supportive and uncritical of the police, regardless of context (he has a family member in the force), and has shared content from far-right accounts in the past such as Paul Joseph Watson and Katie Hopkins. Earlier today, in fact, he QTd Islamophobic journalist David Atherton. Some might say Spence's tweets are delivered with a wink and shouldn't be taken seriously but there's a large body of evidence to suggest that is not the case. There was a definite sea change after he left the BBC in 2015 (he started changing his Twitter bio a lot at this point). I think his departure from the Corporation following the "Rangers debacle" badly affected him and he's still angry about how it was handled. Upon leaving the BBC, he said he was looking to explore a freelance career and express himself with a greater degree of freedom, but I don't think the opportunities he was hoping for materialised and he's largely found himself on the margins of relevance ever since. He was briefly a media consultant for Dundee United and then the Rector of the University of Dundee for two years (his tenure there finished 12 months early - he claimed he was unable to give the role the commitment it deserved, although I suspect his bizarre criticism of students played its part in his departure). The last time Spence was vaguely prominent was in February last year when he said "tadger" on Debate Night; needless to say, that comment won him several thousand new followers. Now, he squirts out his weekly columns for The Courier and occasionally pitches up on their football podcasts and even then, all he contributes is stories about Jim McLean's United and makes his points after glancing at the league tables. It feels as though Spence has been radicalised online. He gives the impression he never leaves his street, let alone Dundee, so his worldview over the last decade has been exclusively shaped by whatever the algorithm has curated on his For You tab. This is probably the same for a lot of retired men with time on their hands and nothing to do with it. Spence seems scared, resentful and unhappy with his lot. And that's a shame.

Neilly has summed it up rather well. I thought Cove Rangers were the better side in the first half but Stenhousemuir dominated the game after the interval and deserved the victory. Initially, we struggled to get to grips with Fraser Fyvie and Declan Glass and found ourselves out-paced and cut open at times, most notably for Cove's opening goal, but Nat Wedderburn and Mikey Anderson disrupted their rhythm, stopped them from playing, and ultimately took control of the contest. "Goals change games" might be a cliche but it's true! All three Stenhousemuir goals came at the perfect time. Corey O'Donnell netted just before half time, slamming home Ross Taylor's low cross, and Anderson scored a goal-of-the-season contender three minutes after the restart. If the second goal knocked the wind out of Cove's sails then Wedderburn's header 10 minutes later flattened them entirely. They created very little, showed little stomach for the fight and only scored at the death courtesy of a fortunate break of the ball inside the penalty box. This current team seem miles behind the side that won promotion to the SPFL in 2018. They're softer and easier to get at and at and it seems unfathomable that Paul Hartley is still in post given how the club have regressed since he returned. Outside of Fyvie and Glass, there isn't a lot to like. Although he was credited with their second goal, Grady McGrath was barely involved at all and gave the side nothing up front. But enough about Cove! Stenhousemuir were very good today. Anderson and Wedderburn were the star turns in midfield. Anderson is far more suited to playing in a deeper role and bursting forward, and he took his goal tremendously, while Wedderburn, although susceptible to opponents running past him, was strong, powerful and allowed us to command the match. Taylor thrilled on the left, chipping in with two assists (and one yellow card), and he is such an exciting talent. I was pleased to see O'Donnell netting his first goal for the club - the big striker is raw but has something about him and if he can fill out, learn to use his body better and pop the ball off quicker, we could have something very useful in our ranks. His shoulder injury looked a sore one and I hope he's back in action soon. I'm looking forward the upcoming game with Annan Athletic. I think most onlookers would have picked Stenny and Annan to be bobbing around the foot of the table and so to beat them would feel like a big statement.

I think a draw might have been the most appropriate outcome but fair play to Andy Graham, he made the correct substitutions at the correct time and they ultimately combined to set up Conor Sammon for the winning goal. I'll need to see it again but it looked like he sclaffed his shot, wrong-footing Darren Jamieson, to send the ball over the line. Up until that point, there hadn't been much between the teams; there wasn't much between them afterwards either. I thought Alloa Athletic started the better side. There are some good ball players in their team and they were happy enough to knock it around and pass through our press. Kurtis Roberts tried to get his team going and Stephen Buchanan looked quite handy on the right but there was a lack of quality up top that prevented them from really getting in on goal. Sammon worked hard but little came off for him and Luke Donnelly didn't leave much of an impression. The best chance came when Buchanan charged towards the byline and cut the ball back for, I think, Kevin Cawley who rattled it low past the post. But Stenhousemuir grew into the game and had the two best chances in the first half. The first came when Matty Aitken was slipped through one on one with PJ Morrison but blasted his shot at the goalkeeper - it was a poor effort because it felt like such a clear-cut opportunity wouldn't come around again. The second came when Ross Taylor hung up a ball towards the back post for Euan O'Reilly to head home, but Morrison stretched and slapped the ball away. The first 15 minutes of the second half were terrible and both sides could have made changes, but Graham went first and brought on three players, including Stefan Scougall, and his introduction saw the home side play through the lines instead of going long. He had a couple of neat forward passes before exchanging the ball with Cammy O'Donnell to tee up Sammon with a cross into the box. Could Kyle Banner have done better? Maybe. I was surprised our first change was to bring on Adam Brown instead of Matty Yates. Our subs didn't make much of a difference and a dull game petered out. If you want to look on the bright side, we competed well against one of the better sides in the division and lost out to a preventable goal. But there were a couple of things I wasn't too keen on today. I didn't like Mikey Anderson pushed up as a number 10 - he's much better utilised in the middle of the park - and I don't think we can leave a player of Matty Yates' quality on the bench. Also, and I appreciate he's had limited game time, but I'm yet to see what Blair Alston is bringing to the party. I'd like to see him from the start against Cove Rangers next week. A point dropped, I say.

Matty Aitken might not even feature on Saturday. Speaking after the Kelty Hearts match, Gary Naysmith said he's been having issues with his back and so didn't make it off the bench. When they're on form, our front three can be pretty devastating! They're the ones to watch!

Just to add to the "managers in hospitality" discussion that's burning up this thread, I've seen it on four different occasions: Dick Campbell at Arbroath, Kevin Rutkiewicz at Stirling Albion, James McPake at Dunfermline Athletic and Stewart Petrie at Montrose. Rutkiewicz and McPake addressed the patrons before the match; Campbell and Petrie spoke afterwards. I thought it was a fairly common occurrence! No wonder this mob want Jim McIntyre hunted!

James Berry was a mixed bag last season - he was in and out of the team, and he probably didn't make the most of the opportunities when they can his way, but he did score two hugely important winning goals, one against the Spartans in the 97th minute and the other against Dumbarton when the ball cannoned in off his arse from close range. He's enjoyed a good pre-season and has started the current campaign well, and is part of the starting XI for the time being. I think everyone hopes he can reach his potential - it was seen as a bit of a coup when he signed him. He's a very good guy too and I hope he can kick on.

Alloa Athletic will take on Stenhousemuir at the Recs on Saturday for their first league encounter since 2017. How time flies! Both clubs have experienced wild fluctuations in form since then and I'm keen to see how the near neighbours will fare when they meet. Both sides have made decent starts to their respective campaigns. The Wasps have two draws and Stenny, meanwhile, played well on the opening day against Arbroath but looked flat and off the pace against Kelty Hearts seven days later. It's all to play for! I'm looking forward to visiting the Recs. Andy Graham is a manager I have enormous respect for and I have high hopes for him. I think he's got a good group of players at his disposal and has flair in attack in the likes of Luke Rankin and Luke Donnelly. Stenhousemuir can get at them if they show the same bite and aggression they did against the Lichties, but anything else and I fear they'll get run over in the middle of the park. The same players were outstanding one week but mediocre the next. There's a bit of a conundrum for Gary Naysmith going into this - do you make changes coming into this? If so, who? There's probably a temptation to bring Nat Wedderburn in for his control and authority but you lose the zing and zest with him in midfield. There might also be a call to start Corey O'Donnell after a decent cameo at the weekend. There might also be a clamour to start Blair Alston, It's a good-ish problem to have. I can see the arguments for beginning with the same team for a third consecutive week, but I can also see us changing it up. We definitely have the tools in reserve if we need to make adjustments, but I hope we're not using them when we're two down. - Ross Taylor - Matty Yates - Euan O'Reilly - - Mikey Anderson - Nat Wedderburn - James Berry - - Kinlay Bilham - Kyle Banner - Gregor Buchanan - Ross Meechan - - Darren Jamieson - I'm perhaps not as bullish I was going into the Kelty game but if we play well, we can get something from this game. I'll see you all there!

Kelty Hearts deserved the three points today. They were better than us where it counted - clinical in front of the goal and resolute at the back - and I think I might have underestimated their qualities while overestimating our own. They're a good team with clever, technical players who can pop the ball around the park, complemented by two fit, energetic strikers, but there were times where we made things pretty easy for them. Both goals were preventable, with several points of failure, and there were times where Kelty shoved us around a bit. It was only when Nat Wedderburn was introduced that I felt we got a grip of the game, but we were two goals down by that point. The conditions didn't help us, and we were frequently caught out by the wind, but it didn't seem to affect the home side too much. There were no outstanding performers for Stenhousemuir today. Wedderburn, as mentioned, made a difference when he came on and Corey O'Donnell brought a bit of chaos after his introduction, but that was about it. The team lacked the verve it showed against Arbroath the previous week. Kyle Banner had a difficult afternoon and looked spooked by Scott Williamson and Craig Johnstone. he sliced a long pass out of for a corner kick and almost scored an own goal when he mishit a ball to Darren Jamieson. The midfield lacked aggression and we didn't do enough to get our front three into the game. Finaly Allan ran into cul-de-sacs when he got on the ball and Blair Alston was introduced too late to have any real impact. Kelty could legitimately compete for the top four this season. Tam O'Ware strolled through the game (quite literally, when he waltzed through the Stenny defence midway through the second half) and the two full-backs defended well. Michael Tidser, I felt, was the best player on the park and dictated the match from the centre circle. Scott Allan had some nice touches, most notably his goal, but drifted out of the game. It's a shame that more people aren't watching this team. They're good fun and New Central Park is a class place to watch football but both goals were met with the kind of applause you hear at the golf. I hope we can bounce back against Alloa Athletic. We've got more options at our disposal to change things up. Maybe Alston might come in and play off Matty Yates. Allan might get a shot in place of Euan O'Reilly. Something to think about, anyway.

The excitement for this one is palpable!

Here's how the squad's looking for the season ahead: GOALKEEPERS Darren Jamieson Curtis Lyle DEFENDERS Dean Aitken (signed from St Johnstone) Kyle Banner (signed from Stirling Albion) Kinlay Bilham Gregor Buchanan Kelsey Ewen (signed from Edinburgh City) Nicky Jamieson Ross Meechan MIDFIELDERS Blair Alston (signed from Partick Thistle) Mikey Anderson James Berry Adam Brown Kyle Jacobs Nat Wedderburn ATTACKERS Matty Aitken Fin Allan (signed from Dundee on loan) Corey O'Donnell (signed from Broomhill) Euan O'Reilly Ross Taylor Matty Yates LEFT THE CLUB Dean Aitken (joined Camelon Juniors on loan) Jordan Kirkpatrick (joined Camelon Juniors) Edin Lynch (joined Edinburgh City) Bradley Rodden (joined Bonnyrigg Rose) Ben Stirling (joined Tranent Juniors) I think that'll be us for the time being. Gary Naysmith has said in the past he prefers working with smaller squads of 19 or 20 players to keep everyone involved and motivated - we've got 20 (21 if you count Dean Aitken, who's on loan at Camelon Juniors). It would have been nice to have signed another striker but I think Matty Yates has shown he can fulfil the role, and Corey O'Donnell might develop into a useful alternative. I'm not quite as antsy as I was a fortnight ago, anyway!

And indeed, Blair Alston has joined the club. I'm a bit sceptical of this signing but I wish him well and hope he can do us a sterling turn.