Francesc Fabregas

I was taking a look at the club's form - you were second from top after the first quarter and have only won two games since! What on earth has happened?

I thought Stenhousemuir probably deserved the three points but, my goodness, we made hard work of that. We lacked the same kind of fluency we've shown in recent weeks and looked scrappy and short on ideas. I'm not sure if that was down to Stirling Albion's awful pitch or the fact we moved away from the successful 4-3-1-2 formation that's served us well of late. I've said in the past that Stephen Swift has a tendency to overthink things and he did it again yesterday by deploying Euan O'Reilly and Darren Christie as orthodox wingers in a 4-4-2 system because, according to his post-match interview, it worked well when the teams last played each other at Forthbank in November (?) It didn't work here, however, with O'Reilly withdrawn through injury midway through the first half and Christie game but lacking in a final ball. The pockmarked surface meant that simple 10-yard passes were treated with the upmost caution but I think we looked careless and complacent in some of our play all the same. Adam Brown chipped in with the game's only moment of genuine quality and his goal was very well taken. Sean Crighton was our best player and dealt with everything that came his way with ease; that might have been his best performance for the club. His centre-back partner, Nicky Jamieson, was a towering presence in the air but his passing was a little hokey at times. Tam Orr grafted hard up front. Other than that? It was pretty stodgy stuff. I don't want to be too critical, however, because we've played a lot of football over the past couple of weeks and have done well to keep pace with the sides above us. I was surprised that the altercation between Orr and Brown was omitted from the match highlights. One was unhappy that the other didn't slip him in for a chance on goal and it led to the two players squaring up to one another and being pulled apart by the opposition. I've never seen that happen before, and Swift was quite matter of fact about it in his post-match interview, but it was good to see that Orr was one of the first players to pile into Brown as he celebrated the winner. Stirling Albion weren't fantastic. They had a good chance in the first half with an Aaron Dunsmore snapshot and a couple of good-looking balls were hit across the face of goal but they were largely second best and broke up the game with a series of niggly fouls. Marc Laird's tackle on Mikey Miller, especially when he was already on a booking, was ridiculous and really hamstrung his team going into the second half. Credit to them, they did have us pegged back towards the end of the game but they seem like a side with brittle confidence and, when you look at that team on paper, it's hard to believe they're as far down the table as they are. A final word on the Stenny Young Team. They deserve a lot of credit for the atmosphere they can generate and they've been a welcome addition to Ochilview but you simply cannot chuck flares onto the pitch (even if it did look class). They've been given quite a long leash by the club and I imagine it'll be quickly curbed after yesterday's antics!

This is dreadful news. Peter Urminsky was really beginning to look the part in goal and the whole team looked much more assured. I understand he's only been recalled to St Mirren for the next seven days? David Wilson's last game for the club - the aforementioned defeat to Stirling Albion - saw him badly caught out for Nathan Flanagan's winning goal, and he seemed to be costing us a goal a game prior to that. He eventually lost his place to Ryan Marshall before Urminsky's signing. I came into tomorrow's contest in a buoyant mood... now I'm not so sure!

Tomorrow afternoon will see an in-form Stenhousemuir making the short trip to a dreadful Stirling Albion side as they continue their push for the top four. The Warriors have been pretty good in recent weeks, with Stephen Swift having found a settled side and a number of players performing well; the Binos, meanwhile, have been dire and haven't won a match since finagling their way to three points against Stenny at the start of the year. The general consensus seems to be that while performances have been okay, results have been poor - and I hope it stays that way! Unless there are any injury concerns, I see no reason to deviate from that same XI and formation that's served us well over recent weeks. Robert Thomson left the pitch on Wednesday night with his ankle in some kind of "ice sock" (?) but I hope this was a precautionary measure. - Tam Orr - Robert Thomson - - Ross Forbes - - Mikey Miller - Nat Wedderburn - Mikey Anderson - - Callum Yeats - Sean Crighton - Nicky Jamieson - Adam Corbett - - Peter Urminsky - We were excellent on our last trip to Forthbank and I hope we can so the same on Saturday. As always, we really need to win this if we're series about getting into the play-off places. Anything else would be a disappointment.

I thought a draw was probably the correct result but Stenhousemuir were the better team over the piece - we held onto the ball for longer spells, had Edinburgh City on the backfoot and created a couple of decent openings. As Neilly says, City looked to hit us on the break and Jack Brydon's goal came out of nowhere (and it really was a superb hit). A point isn't the worst result in the world but I'm disappointed we couldn't take all three. It wasn't a particularly great game and it didn't help that Ainslie Park is the worst place in the SPFL to watch football. Stenhousemuir look a solid outfit at the moment, with the 4-3-1-2 suiting this side, and most players are flourishing in the role. Tam Orr was my man of the match - he's really been in excellent form since the turn of the year - and Adam Corbett continues to impress at right full-back. Robert Thomson put in a good shift and the big man really reminds me of Colin Cramb in the way he plays. Also, Mikey Anderson played well and is very good at doing the simple stuff and moving it onto the better players. I'd like to think we're can beat a dreadful Stirling Albion team next week because this is the most cohesive we've looked all season. I'm quite confident about getting into the top four now.

I'm looking forward to this match - Queen's Park's backlog of fixtures has come at a decent time for a neutral like myself! - but more so out of a curious fascination about the state of the Firhill pitch more than anything else. I don't think this Spiders side is very good (I was at the Dumbarton match a couple of weeks ago and thought they were a tad fortunate to get the victory) and I fancy Peterhead to give them a difficult game. I was impressed by the effort they showed against Dundee and Falkirk and fancy them to be an awkward opposition. I'll see you there!

I'm going to be in Edinburgh tomorrow for work and will be finishing up at the back of 6pm. Is there anywhere near the ground I can get something decent to eat?

You'd lost seven league games on the bounce before you pitched up at Ochilview in January and turned us over, so I'm not expecting an easy ride at the weekend!

Here we are, the big one, the most important game we're likely to see in League 2 this season. Edinburgh City welcome Stenhousemuir to Ainslie Park on Wednesday night for a real six-pointer in the battle for the final play-off place. The hosts can take a massive step to securing fourth position with a win and open up a six-point gap between the sides; the Warriors, meanwhile, can overtake their opponents with a victory (and still have a game in hand!) Stenny were excellent against Forfar Athletic on Saturday, dominating the game and generally playing well throughout, and come into this match having taken 10 points from a possible 12. We have, however, been mediocre against Edinburgh on the past two occasions, losing dismally in the capital earlier at the start of the campaign and chucking away two points after conceding a late equaliser back in December. We're a better side now than they were then, having strengthened in a number of problem positions, settled on a solid formation, and found a degree of resolve that was absent previously, and I fancy us a bit. Ideally, we'd go with the same XI that bodied the Loons but with Nat Wedderburn hobbling off the pitch in a makeshift moonboot, it's unlikely he'll participate. In his post-match interview, Stephen Swift said he'd tried out Ross Lyon in the middle of the park in a bounce game for his versatility, defensive nous and his ball-carrying ability, so I think he'll take Wedderburn's place. I don't like that idea and I don't think it really worked after Wedderburn's withdrawal on Saturday. I'd prefer to see Ross Forbes take up a deeper role and Adam Brown fielded behind the forwards, but he seems miles away from featuring, for whatever reason. I like Brown and think he has something to offer this team, especially as a number 10. - Tam Orr - Robert Thomson - - Adam Brown - - Mikey Miller - Ross Forbes - Mikey Anderson - - Callum Yeats - Sean Crighton - Nicky Jamieson - Adam Corbett - - Peter Urminsky - I'd like to think we can win this game, give our run of form, but whenever I've been confident going into a fixture this season, it never quite happens. A draw isn't the end of the world but a defeat could be damaging. Either way, I'll be there, and I hope to see you there too!

I'm not sure what you mean - it looks as though Adam Corbett started his run forward when Robert Thomson challenges for the ball, when he was just outside the penalty box! You can see PJ Crossan loitering about in our final third, then as the camera switches to follow the action, he's struggling to keep pace with Corbett.

What about Adam Corbett's run for the second goal? There's a superb moment in the match highlights when he suddenly strides into frame before slamming home Tam Orr's cute ball inside. Great stuff. What a player! What a moment!

That was a well-deserved victory over a poor Forfar Athletic this afternoon! I thought today's performance was probably our most complete of the season so far. Stenhousemuir were the better team throughout and controlled the game. They looked resolute at the back, composed in the middle of the park and threatening in attack. Every player in maroon put in a solid shift and picking a man of the match in the Wee Bar afterwards was difficult - there were about seven viable candidates. Nicky Jamieson was superb at centre-back, reading the game expertly and dealing with Forfar's limited offense; Adam Corbett took his goal well (although little Lewis Sanderson could have done better in his attempt to save it); Nat Wedderburn dominated the midfield and his little piece of trickery inside his own penalty box to beat his man late on was the highlight of the contest (although seeing him hobble off the pitch with his foot strapped up is a concern); Mikey Miller was excellent; Mikey Anderson ceaselessly broke up play; Tam Orr put in a superb performance up front; and Robert Thomson showed some fantastic touches, including his first goal since his injury in October, and linked well with his partner. There was a lot to like from the Warriors today. As good as the home side were, however, Forfar were dreadful - that was the worst display from an opposition side I've seen this season. They were narrowly second best in the first half but their performance completely fell off a cliff in the second. There was a five-minute spell where everything they hit simply went out of play. Tomas Brindley and Andy Munro were terrible at distributing the ball and blootered simple passes out of the park time and again, but no-one ever dropped deep to show for them. Kyle Hutton barely got a kick, Matty Aitken didn't involve himself and the only time they look remotely menacing was late in the game, after Wedderburn's removal, when they forced Stenny deep and hit the byline a couple of times. Big Peter Urminsky was a virtual spectator and the match was almost exclusively free from any kind of tension. With Edinburgh City winning on Friday night, it was vital we kept pace with them, and we've put in a performance that's set the standard for the rest of the season. We now go into Wednesday's encounter against the Citizens with a spring in our step. It'll be interesting to see how we approach it - Wedderburn looks as though he'll miss out, so I'd drop Ross Forbes into his deep-lying midfield position and bring Adam Brown in as the number 10 (although Brown seems so far out of the picture, it's unlikely he'll appear). These are things we can concern ourselves with next week - for the time being, let's enjoy a sterling three points!

Who cares about the escalating tensions between Russia and Ukraine when we have an appealing game of lower-league Scottish football on the cards this weekend! Stenhousemuir welcome Forfar Athletic to Ochilview on a Saturday, a team who are quite clearly a superior team to the Warriors but who have been unable to get the better of them on the past two occasions. A 1-1 draw in October preceded a remarkable 4-3 ding-dong on Boxing Day -can Stenny maintain their decent form against one of the division's big hitters? Or will the Loons have the last laugh? Tune in to find out! Stenhousemuir seem to be on a bit of an even keel after collecting seven points from their last three games and look more resilient and robust. As Stephen Swift said following the 1-1 draw with Stranraer last weekend, his side would have lost that match earlier in campaign, and I'd be inclined to agree with him. I'd keep the same XI that started the game at Stair Park but just tweak the formation slightly to an orthodox 4-4-2 and play Euan O'Reilly out on the left win. O'Reilly was excellent against Forfar last time out at Ochilview and throughout the second half, he had Ross Meechan in his back pocket. I'd much rather he's played as a pure winger instead of some daft trequartista who doesn't influence the game all that much. Let's go with: - Tam Orr - Robert Thomson - - Euan O'Reilly - Nat Wedderburn - Mikey Miller - Mikey Anderson - - Callum Yeats - Sean Crighton - Nicky Jamieson - Adam Corbett - - Peter Urminsky - I imagine it would morph into more of a 4-3-3 with O'Reilly pushing high up the park to support the strikers. We're not going to get a lot of width elsewhere, especially down the right, but that formation seems solid enough and has the capabilities to both inhibit and hurt the Loons. Tam Orr has seven goals in his last six matches, a superb return. I'm looking forward to seeing his partnership with Robert Thomson continue to blossom. Wrap up warm as it will be very cold. I'll see you there!

Having just watched back the highlights, Tam Orr's goal is even better that it seemed from behind the goals. Incredible work from Robert Thomson to carry the ball so far up the pitch (look he deep he is when he collects it!) and drive forward, and Orr's finish is laser guided. Brilliant stuff. Stranraer's goal is very well worked too - having watched it back a couple of times, I don't think you can really blame Sean Crighton for failing to track Darryl Duffy when he's been blocked off by Scott Robertson like that. Credit to the Blues, a nice goal.

Aye, I'd agree with Neilly's assessment. The match was generally a low-quality affair, lacking in class but reasonably entertaining all the same. Stranraer took their goal well and went on to create a couple of good openings (which really should have been converted) but I felt we probably had more of the ball without doing a lot with it. Tam Orr's goal was brilliant and it might have been the best we've scored all season - Robert Thomson gathered possession on the halfway line, slalomed forward, taking the Stranraer defence one way and then the other, before slipping in his strike partner to roll the ball into the net. Beautiful stuff and the undoubted high point of the game. Although we started the game with the same personnel and system we've seen in the past two matches, I don't think it suited us. It was too lopsided and left Callum Yeats exposed at left full-back, while Euan O'Reilly had little impact as a number 10. There were a number of occasions when Stranraer would work the ball down their left and then suddenly switch it to Anton Brady or Sean McIntosh on the opposite flank to create overloads and, on another day, they could (and maybe should) have scored more. I think it's something that Stephen Swift has a tendency to do - arrive at a winning formula and then persist with it in every game, regardless of its suitability. One example of this was using a back three against Albion Rovers (which was a success) and then using it again the next week against Cowdenbeath (which was not). We got a grip on the game after the interval when Darren Christie replaced Mikey Anderson and we morphed into a 4-4-2, with O'Reilly moving out to the left. We were able to prevent the overloads down the flanks, Nat Wedderburn and Mikey Miller got on the ball more and O'Reilly was able to take on McIntosh and work the ball to the byline with limited results. Orr's goal aside, we didn't do a lot to test Luke Scullion - Adam Corbett had a header cleared off the line (he should have done a lot better) and Orr had the ball in the back of the net but play was pulled back for an earlier foul - and we still seem to struggle to regroup when we lose possession. On the whole, I was relieved to emerge with a point. A win would have obviously been far more useful but with Edinburgh City losing at Annan Athletic, we're in a decent position to pull level with them. Stenhousemuir were mostly fine, grafting hard, clearing their lines, trying to play football when possible, and I can't fault anyone for effort. Sean Crighton was poor, however, and it was his mistake that led to Stranraer's goal. He misjudged a long ball, letting it fly over his head and forcing Peter Urminsky into a good save, and then lost Darryl Duffy inside the box at the resultant corner. I expected a lot better from someone of his calibre; it feels as though he's making a mistake in every game and his team-mates are having to bail him out. I don't think we're likely to see any changes at central defence any time soon so it looks like we're stuck with. A special mention, too, to James Lyon who came on as an 81st-minute substitute and looked like he was blowing out of his arse after about 60 seconds of action. A thoroughly disappointing player and I was a little surprised his loan spell wasn't terminated last month because he's given us nothing beyond a decent ping against Dumbarton in the League Cup group stages. Stranraer were okay. It was good to avoid a hat-trick of embarrassments against them this season. Grant Gallagher was good in the first half, Anton Brady was a wee nuisance down the right and Paul Woods showed some nice touches when he came on. I don't think they'll be good enough to challenge for the top four this season but best of luck to them anyway. My favourite part of the trip to Stair Park was the collection of photos that adorn the terracing behind the goals - I had a look at them during the interval and thought it must be great to reminded of your club's success over the years. A lot of history on display.

Stenhousemuir have only really embarrassed themselves twice this season, and both those times have been against Stranraer. The 2-0 defeat at Stair Park back in mid-September was spellbinding in its awfulness, while the 4-1 thumping in December saw the Blues score three times in 11 first-half minutes after David Wilson turned in a thoroughly wretched display in goals. As such, I'm not too confident going into this one, despite a recent run of good form that's seen us win our last two matches. It's a game we really have to win if we're serious about challenging for the play-offs - with Edinburgh City losing to Albion Rovers on Tuesday night, we've got a great opportunity to close the gap on them to a single point with a game in hand (albeit against Kelty Hearts) and, potentially, eliminate Stranraer from the promotion picture while we're at it. I imagine we'll be going with the same starting XI that beat Elgin City and Annan Athletic: - Tam Orr - Robert Thomson - - Euan O'Reilly - - Mikey Miller - Nat Wedderburn - Mikey Anderson - - Callum Yeats - Sean Crighton - Nicky Jamieson - Adam Corbett - - Peter Urminsky - When I see the team laid out like that, I fancy our chances, but then I fancied my chances the last two times we've taken on Stranraer and we were humiliated. Good luck to the Warriors!

People surely cannot be pitching Jim Duffy as a potential candidate, even on a short-term basis! His Dumbarton side was one of the most brutal, heinous teams I've ever seen! As many others have said, it surely has to go to Andy Graham for the time being. I've long suspected the big man has a sterling managerial career ahead of him and that begins today.

Are you thick? Read back what I wrote.

According to our club's Twitter account, we beat Ayr United 6-1 in a closed doors friendly this evening. A brace from Euan O'Reilly, a penalty from Ross Forbes and goals from Adam Brown, Ross Lyon and Darren Christie gave us the win. I imagine that, with the Honest Men playing Kilmarnock last night, it was a shadow side we faced but nevertheless, you cannot knock a handsome victory like this!

Jamie Langfield blocked me on Twitter after I made a .GIF of one of his many, many boobs. He might be a half-decent goalie coach, but he's a thin-skinned and insecure little man!

Unorthodox. I wasn't down at Galabank but I was there for his debut against Elgin City and he was slapping at crosses and letting routine shots bounce out off his chest. He did apparently do a lot better against Annan Athletic and made some impressive saves, including the penalty, but still looked a little erratic at times. He has, however, become a bit of a cult hero amongst the Stenny support. After the Elgin game, he was high-fiving the home fans as they were leaving the ground. He really seems like an endearing big guy.

Thank God. Thank God!

Has Peter Urminsky been recalled by St Mirren? I notice he was on the bench for the team during last night's match with St Johnstone. There's been no communication from Stenhousemuir to say he's officially returned to Paisley.

It was also pointed out that Peter Urminsky was on the bench for St Mirren last night during their win over St Johnstone - what does this mean for Stenhousemuir? Has he been recalled by his parent club? Will he return to us for the game against Stranraer next weekend? Will wee Ryan Marshall back in the goals for us going forward? I'm a little anxious, I must admit!