Francesc Fabregas

Nicky Jamieson: talk to me.

Stenhousemuir have signed Nicky Jamieson on loan from Alloa Athletic. I think this could be a smashing piece of business and the "final piece of jigsaw", as it were. I was concerned about our options at centre-back and the lack of an outstanding candidate to partner Sean Crichton but Jamieson should fit that bill. I thought he might get more game time at the Recs this season but Barry Ferguson's wacky signing spree has put paid to that. Their loss is our gain!

Let me just say: James Lyon is a good player.

That was enjoyable win over Dumbarton in the League Cup this evening! Despite going down to Ross MacLean's first-half strike, a thunderbolt from Jamie Lyon and a header from Robert Thomson gave Warriors the victory in their first competitive match of the season. The stream wasn't working properly for the first 24 minutes, with the automated camera fixed on the halfway line, so it was difficult to tell if we were good or not, but when it did start working it looked as though the Sons were the better side. They caused us bother with balls out wide and seemed to get a lot of joy from attacking Michael Anderson at right-back. I'm not sure what Anderson's natural position is (midfielder?) but any time I've seen him it's been in defence and he has not looked comfortable there; it was no surprise to see him hooked at the interval for Ross Lyon. MacLean's goal came just before the break when we failed to deal with a corner and he rifled home from 12 yards. I thought Stenhousemuir were very good after the restart and deserved the three points. Thomson and Tam Orr looked dangerous up front (the former could have scored a hat-trick), the Lyons, Ross and Jamie, were enterprising going forward and Nat Wedderburn gave the makeshift backline a good degree of protection. Lyon's goal was excellent, curling a stunning shot into the top corner from 25 yards, and Thomson took his header well (although why the Dumbarton defender stepped away from him and gave him the space to header home, God only knows). Jamie Lyon looks like a smashing prospect and I'm looking forward to seeing more of him. Dumbarton did not play well in the second half and I can't remember any moments when we were under any real threat. All in all, an impressive run out. I will admit I'm still a little concerned about our defence - I do think we lack a reliable partner for Sean Crichton - but these quibbles can wait for the time being.

Do you think he has the potential to challenge Mutch for the jersey this season? Yes. Paddy Martin made a boob in one of his first matches for the club, failing to cover his post in a 1-1 draw with Cowdenbeath, but he was tremendous for us after that. I suppose the biggest compliment I can pay him is that I always felt confident whenever the ball went near him - cross balls, free-kicks, clearances - and never doubted he would come out on top. I think his back four all felt the same way too. Good handler, solid distribution. No real standout attributes but that's all you really need in the lower leagues. The impression I always got from Robbie Mutch is that after the initial run of good performances, he tailed off to the point where he should have been dropped but the lack of a credible alternative hindered that. Martin should push him on. No idea what Luke Holt is like but the unpopular Sporting Director signing up his dumpling boy on a two-year deal is not a good look, hombre!

For what it's worth, Paddy Martin was very good at Stenhousemuir last season and was probably our Player of the Year.

I think Falkirk FC have made an excellent appointment in Jamie Swinney and I sincerely wish him all the best in his new role. As I wrote in the Stenhousemuir FC thread, it's difficult to determine Jamie's success at the club but I've always felt we've simply been "better" since he's been our CEO. Although we've had a mediocre few years on the park, we're in a good place off it and a lot of that comes down to him. He's a throughly smashing guy and I hope he does well.

For my money, Jamie Swinney has been one of the best appointments Stenhousemuir have made in a long time. I'm not sure what metrics and indexes can be used to determine his success at Ochilview but I always felt the club was just "different" and "better" after he joined as CEO. Stenhousemuir seemed to be more visible, they seemed to communicate with supporters better and there seemed to be a better understanding between the good stuff the club did off the pitch and what happened on it. Even although the last three years have been mediocre from a footballing perspective, I've always felt we're in a good place off it. I know that's intangible but Jamie was a big asset to Stenny. On top of that, he's a brilliant guy to be around - warm, friendly, welcoming, passionate, enthusiastic, hard-working and helpful. To be honest, it's a bit of a surprise a bigger club hasn't come in for him till now. I hope he's given the time and scope to make a positive impact at the Falkirk Stadium because I have no doubt he'll be a big success.

Martin Hardie has inexplicably been bombed out as the "Broomhill FC" manager - CLICK

Are there any highlights from yesterday's match?

Apparently Botti Biabi was in training with Greenock Morton before signing up with Kelty Hearts, so fair play on winning his signature. He was a frustrating player at Stenhousemuir - he's versatile, he's strong, he's quick across short distances and he can chip in with the odd goal here and there, but he can run the ball into cul-de-sacs, pass up easy chances and is predictable (he'll always want to take the ball onto his right foot, regardless if the space is opening up on his left). He obviously has something about him and I think his up-and-down displays at Ochilview were as much about the malaise at the club under Davie Irons as much as they were about him as a player. Like his team-mate Ryan Blair, I think he'll actually do well in a different environment. Biabi will definitely bring something different to Kelty's attacking options but he will make you mutter: "for fuck's sake, Bots" under your breath from time to time. I hope he can do you a good turn.

Did anyone make it through to Ainslie Park this afternoon? Judging by the Stenhousemuir FC Twitter account, it seemed like a straightforward win, with Tam Orr and Bobby Thomson looking sharp together and scoring three of our five goals. That's five wins from our five pre-season friendlies and you have to say: fair play. I am very excited for the first league encounter.

This is only tangentially related to Stenhousemuir FC but erstwhile Warrior Harry Paton has been called up to the Canada national team: The wee man is going to be rubbing shoulders with superstars like Alphonso Davies, fair play to him! Paton is one of my favourite Stenhousemuir players and it's great to see him getting the chance to play at this level.

I wonder what our starting XI will be when the competitive games roll around. Stephen Swift has used everyone available to him in the past few friendlies, fielding a mish-mash of presumably guaranteed starters with non-league jobbers, but when the big boys' stuff starts, I reckon he'll go with: - Robert Thomson - Tam Orr - Euan O'Reilly - - James Lyon - Declan Hughes - Ross Forbes - - Jamie Mills - Jordan Tapping - Sean Crighton - Ross Lyon - - Ryan Marshall - I like what I've seen from Cammy Graham in these pre-season games but feel the manager will select his "own man" in O'Reilly as a wide attacker alongside Thomson and Orr. We don't really have a lot of dynamism in the middle of the park and I hope Lyon will drive the side forward. I have a slight worries over central defence - while I'm sure Crighton will be the bedrock on which the team is built, who should partner him? A player who's never really kicked on in his career and already looks like an injury concern in Jordan Tapping? Or an older, more experienced player who might be lucky to find himself playing in the SPFL at this stage in Craig Reid? Either way, it's a decent-ish side and one I hope can challenge for the top four. I cannot wait for the real stuff to get going!

Here's the updated squad list for the 2021/22 campaign: GOALKEEPERS Ryan Marshall (signed from BSC Glasgow) Graeme Smith Davie Wilson (signed from Clyde) DEFENDERS BJ Coll (signed from Forfar Athletic) Adam Corbett Sean Crighton (signed from Airdrieonians Ross Lyon (signed from BSC Glasgow) Jamie Mills (signed from BSC Glasgow) Craig Reid (signed from Kelty Hearts) Jordan Tapping (signed from East Stirlingshire) MIDFIELDERS Michael Anderson (signed from BSC Glasgow) Adam Brown (signed from Alloa Athletic) Ross Forbes (signed from Dumbarton) Declan Hughes (signed from BSC Glasgow) James Lyon (signed from Partick Thistle - on loan) Euan O'Reilly (signed from Airdrieonians) Nat Wedderburn (signed from Dumbarton) FORWARDS Darren "Daz" Christie (signed from Pollok) Cammy Graham Thomas Orr (signed from Stranraer) Ryan Tierney (signed from BSC Glasgow) Robert Thomson (signed from Alloa Athletic) OUT ON LOAN Josh Grigor (Syngenta)

The club have confirmed the signing of James Lyon from Partick Thistle:

Jordan Armstrong wasn't too hot at Stenhousemuir but I would have kept him around for the 2020/21 season and was a little sorry to see him reject our contract offer and join East Kilbride. He's a big lump of a boy and has all the raw attributes to make it as a decent lower-league centre-back. As long as he stops getting pushed around and frightened by bouncing balls, he'll do the Wasps a decent-enough turn.

Indeed, it was Ross Forbes with the free-kick (who else!) and Tam Orr with the penalty. Forbes is showing incredible consistency with his free-kicks. That's now three in three games. Remarkable!

Stennhousemuir beat Alloa Athletic 2-1 this evening in a friendly match at the Recs. We do not know who scored and we do not know what the line-ups were but we do know that one our goals was direct from a free-kick (Ross Forbes?) and the other was a penalty.

This might be a long shot but does anyone have the team lines and the goal-scorers from tonight's match? Our Twitter account has fired up the score and nothing else.

This looks promising. By being able to simply "run forward with the ball", Lyon is immediately more mobile and progressive than Nat Wedderburn, and that is a good thing.

We're signing some jobber on loan from Partick Thistle: Any information on James Lyon would be gratefully appreciated.

I can't believe I forgot about Des McKeown and the "Berwick Five" in 2006! All great players at Shielfield, largely gubbins for ourselves.