Francesc Fabregas

He played well when we returned from the shutdown and turned in good performances against Albion Rovers and Peterhead, but he's been off it the last few matches. I like him but, as mentioned earlier in the thread, I'd like to see Jack Hodge keep his place in the starting XI.

I respectfully disagree with your tinkering - I thought Jack Hodge turned in his best performance for the club last night from the right flank, while Botti Biabi, even although he scored the clincher, played appallingly! I can't see the manager breaking up the Docherty-Muir partnership in attack. They pair have gelled well together very quickly.

Thursday night's match at Stair Park is shaping up to be the biggest of our season so far. Only a win will do here - anything else and Stenhousemuir will be consigned to a bottom-half finish. I'm hoping that Stranraer will have one-and-a-half eyes on their upcoming Scottish Cup tie with Hibernian (I'm sure that's a match everyone will want to be involved in) and maybe go a bit easier in this meat-and-potatoes league encounter but they're a decent side who should not be underestimated, regardless of their fixture list. The last meeting between the teams in December was a good match and Stranraer played well in the first half before completely dropping out of the game, while Stenhousemuir started poorly before rallying to claim a well-deserved point. I'm expecting something similar this time around but we cannot afford to be as complacent and give the Blues a two-goal head start. Perform to the same standard we did in the second half against Elgin City and we have a tremendous chance of winning - keep the ball on the ground, trust our ability, play it into feet. Unless there are injuries or suspensions, I think we'll go with more or less the same XI that started against Elgin last night, with Chris Kane coming in for the stricken Paul Brown: - Alan Docherty - Tam Muir - - Callum Yeats - Ryan Blair - Callum Tapping - Jack Hodge - - Chris Kane - - Creag Little - Jack Brydon - Adam Corbett - - Paddy Martin - I think we can win it and push for the play-offs, but equally I think we'll be duking it out with Albion Rovers for sixth place come the end of the season. Come on Stenny!

I don't think there's anything too sinister involved in David Hopkirk (and Kevin McGoldrick) being absent from last night's match - someone mentioned work commitments which seems a more likely explanation.

I've only seen him twice but I've been really impressed by him. He's already formed a handy attacking partnership with Tam Muir and he links really well with our midfield players. His assist last night was lovely - he showed great movement to pull away from his marker and drill in the cross for Muir to score - and he's really brought a new dynamic to our frontline. I think he's signed up with us for next season which, on current form, is a huge positive.

That was a massive win for the Warriors and one of our best performances of the season. To a man, everyone put in a superb shift (perhaps with the exception of Botti Biabi, but we'll get onto him...) and I think we merited the three points. Some of the play in the second half, the one-touch passing and the incisive movement, really was a joy to behold, so was the willingness to cover, help each other out and dig in when required. Elgin City are a good side and players like Kane Hester and Brian Cameron did well but they didn't get in behind enough and didn't test Paddy Martin, a 20-yard free-kick in the first 10 minutes aside. Stenny began the game sluggishly and weathered some decent raids forward from Elgin, including the free-kick, before settling into a nice groove. A lot of the play seemed centred around getting the ball out to Jack Hodge on the right flank, watch him beat Euan Spark, and then find a free man on the edge of the area. This seemed to be a profitable tactic and Hodge had a couple of gorgeous touches, but Ryan Blair's shooting from distance was really poor. I think he got the ball onto his left peg four times in the first half and four times he sent the ball flying wide or over the bar. Blair's delivery from set-pieces was inadequate too and it was telling Callum Tapping took all the corners and free-kicks after the interval. Although both sides showed enjoyed some decent moments, the first half was a bit flat; the second, however, was superb, and Stenny started it brilliantly. Alan Docherty was released down the left, dropped the shoulder and drilled a lovely ball across the face of goal for Tam Muir to crash into the net. It was so well worked, from the pass to Docherty (it might have Tapping, it might have been Callum Yeats), to the cross, to the finish. Muir is such a likeable player and it's great to see him finally scoring in open play for the Warriors. From that point on, the match just saw the teams swap attacks, without ever really working the opposition 'keeper. For Stenny, Docherty and Muir continued to work well, while Tapping, Hodge and Blair all gracefully buzzed around them; for Elgin, Cameron began to take the game by the scruff of the neck and stretch his legs in the middle of the park and Hester looked threatening whenever his team-mates found him. Gavin Price made a number of attacking changes but I don't really think any of them worked and brought about a greater offensive threat. There was never any point in the match where I felt under any real peril. Docherty had ran himself into the ground and was replaced with Biabi with about 15 minutes to go. Three times Biabi found himself in space and three times he made a complete mess of it. The third time, where he ran through on goal, only to slow down and then crumple on the turf, was dreadful. It was shaping up to be one of the worst substitute performances I think I had ever seen until the 85th minute - Muir worked hard to get the ball before flicking a cute pass to Blair in the corner, who controlled it before thumping a low cross towards goal for Biabi to steal in and prod it between Thomas McHale's legs and put the game beyond doubt. While it was a brilliant victory, it will count for nothing unless we beat Stranraer on Thursday night. Lose or draw at Stair Park and we can well and truly say goodbye to a top-half finish. I'm hoping they'll have one eye on their upcoming Scottish Cup match with Hibernian, a game that's going to be broadcast on national television, and hold something back against us but they're a decent side when they put their minds to it. The meeting between the sides in December was good fun (Stranraer were good in the first half but shite the second, while Stenny were shite in the first half and much better in the second) and I think we'll see something similar in two days. Weirdly, I feel quite confident going into it, and I don't say that often.

I think there will be some players who'll play every minute they're available (Paddy Martin, Creag Little, Ryan Blair, Callum Tapping, Jonathan Tiffoney, Tam Muir) while the rest of the squad will rotate around them. The younger players have looked very good in some games and mediocre in others, but I'm not sure Davie Irons trusts them enough to deploy, say, Paul Brown, Jack Hodge and Thomas Halleran in the same midfield while Blair and Tapping are rested. I wonder if the manager knows what his best XI is? Maybe you can't have one in "these unprecedented times". In terms of injuries since the restart, the only Tapping (Brechin City) and Tiffoney (Queen's Park) have gone down (and Tapping had to play on till the end because we'd used all our substitutes). Everyone in the squad deserves a lot of credit for how they've handled themselves over the past few weeks, what a shift.

Another day, another game of football. This week we're playing Elgin City and Stranraer, two huge games that will shape the direction of our season: will we compete for promotion? Or will we be jobbing inconsequentially in the bottom half? By 9pm on Thursday, we'll know! Tomorrow night's game against City is crucial for two reasons - win and we will potentially draw level with Stranraer (depending on how their game with Stirling Albion goes) and, with one eye on the split, come closer to the play-off positions. Lose it and while we still might sneak into top-half split, we'd have no chance of catching fourth place. Elgin won't pose as formidable a test as Queen's Park but they're a very good side (the weekend's aberration at Cowdenbeath aside) with a strong spine and shouldn't be trifled with. Brian Cameron is one of the best midfielders in the division and plays well alongside Russell Dingwall in the middle of the park, while Kane Hester is a tricky striker who needs constant supervision. Chuck in a solid back four and a good goalkeeper and we'll have to be at our best if we want to beat them. I'm not sure how we'll line up (how badly was Jonathan Tiffoney injured on Saturday? Is Alan Docherty able to play? Will Callum Yeats be made available?) but all things being well, I think we'll go with: - Botti Biabi - Tam Muir - Alan Docherty - - Callum Yeats - Ryan Blair - Callum Tapping - Jonathan Tiffoney - - Creag Little - Jack Brydon - Adam Corbett - - Paddy Martin - There's a lot more riding on it for Stenhousemuir than there is for Elgin City and I'm hoping that's what spurs us on to victory.

Can't complain about the outcome but I'm disappointed we gave away three really cheap goals. If you're coming up against a team that's bigger and better than you, you have to make them work for it, but we lost two goals from set-pieces and one from a daft breakaway. Other than a 20-minute spell in the first half between the Simon Murray and Bob McHugh scoring where we gave them something to think about, Queen's Park coasted through the match. The Spiders have looked a bit sluggish in the past but they're beginning to look exactly like they should - a full-time team in a poor part-time league - and you can see their quality all over the pitch. Grant Gillespie was the man of the match and looked so tidy at the base of the midfield; Louis Longridge had some great touches on the left; Simon Murray is a perpetual danger and could have had a hat-trick, especially from those wonderful lofted balls over the top; and, of course, Jai Quitongo, a powerhouse of a winger who is simply faster and stronger than everyone around him. Our boys were just bouncing off him at points. For all his qualities, he must be a frustrating player to watch given how selfish and wasteful he can be but he was miles ahead of anything we had to offer. I thought Stenhousemuir might have made an unlikely comeback at the beginning of the second half when Peter Grant was sent off (Tam Muir made him uncomfortable throughout the match) but then chucked it away when our set-piece was cleared and our defence stopped working and Longridge slotted home the third. In some ways, it reminded me of England -vs- Scotland at Euro '96. From that point on, Queen's Park's game management was superb and other than the penalty kick, Muir's first goal for the club, they were wholly untroubled. You can't really fault anyone in maroon for their effort but the relative quality was not there. Everyone worked hard, everyone did their best. As mentioned above, there was a spell in the first half where we equalled them without really getting in behind them before falling away. I'm always impressed by Muir's workrate, while Jack Bryden did well against two good strikers. I hope Jonathan Tiffoney isn't too badly injured because we will need him. Two huge games coming up next week!

I've purchased streams for most Championship clubs this seaon and the offering, on the whole, has been very decent. I think Greenock Morton's has been the best - the multi-camera set-up works well at Cappielow and Gerry McDade and Andy Ritchie have fine chemistry and are well informed. As a neutral, it's very important to find that sweet spot between good play-by-play commentary, strong analysis and "having a laugh" and I feel the pair achieve that. Queen of the South, Ayr United and Raith Rovers are good too, and I think Kieran Mooney at Alloa Athletic has a bright future in broadcasting ahead of him. Heart of Midlothian's stream, of course, has been good to watch too, albeit a little pricey. I was a bit disappointed with Dundee's set-up, especially for a club of their size and when compared to their peers, and thought it all seemed a bit cheap. They start broadcasting about five minutes before the match starts and there are no video packages during the interval. The commentary is fine, right enough. The stream I enjoyed least was Arbroath's. I think the commentary would, at best, be described as "an acquired taste", with the pair more content on having a chat with each other about nightclubs than calling the game. The high point of the game was Queen of the South turning around a two-goal deficit and "Fermer Innes" convulsing. Then the stream cut out with about 15 minutes left. I know some people really like the Arbroath TV commentary but it just was not for me! On the whole, I think a lot of the clubs in the Championship and Leagues 1 and 2 deserve a lot of credit for their streams over the course of the season. I don't think some of them would have every contemplated broadcasting their matches in the past and they've stepped up.

I thought the only change they made between Tuesday and Thursday was Iain Russell in for Kris Renton but I stand corrected, said the man in the orthopaedic shoe!

Apologies, I forgot to mark down Jack Hodge in the line-up. I don't think Davie Irons fancies Thomas Halleran, I'm sorry to say. The fact that Paul Brown and Jack Hodge are ahead of him and right-back Jonathan Tiffoney is playing in the middle of the park suggests he's not really in the manager's plans.

I'm not expecting much from tomorrow's game. Queen's Park have really hit their stride and have started turning in the kind of performances expected from a full-time team in a part-time league. Stenhousemuir, meanwhile, are facing their fourth game in eight days and, despite last night's good win over Cowdenbeath, have yet to fully convince this season. On Tuesday night at Queen's Park's match with Cowden, the commentators said teams are playing weakened starting XIs against the Spiders with the aim of resting their better players for upcoming games against the sides around them. I'm not sure if that's the case (and the XI Cowden put out against us last night had one change from the side that began on Tuesday) but I don't think it's something we can afford to do. We are inexplicably within touching distance of the top half of the division so every match is crucial and who knows, we might even get an unlikely point here, so our best players have to start. I don't see any reason to change things for tomorrow, unless a couple of players are carrying niggles, but I wonder if there's any value in going with a back four and having the wide midfielders drop deep to provide cover for the full-backs. Queen's Park are strong all over the pitch but Michael Doyle and Jai Quitongo down the right are a real threat and have to be stopped. I wonder if Callum Tapping will come back into the starting XI given how well Jonathan Tiffoney and Ryan Blair played together last night. - Tam Muir - Alan Docherty - - Callum Yeats - Ryan Blair - Jonathan Tiffoney - Jack Hodge - Botti Biabi - - Creag Little - Jack Brydon - Adam Corbett - - Paddy Martin - I'd love to get something from this game but I suspect Queen's Park's long winning streak will continue.

Enjoyed that tonight. I thought we deserved the win but, as beaver1 says, it was hard to tell if Stenhousemuir were good or Cowdenbeath were just poor. Other than one shot midway through the second half that Paddy Martin saved with his legs, we were largely untroubled and were able to cruise through the game, playing some nice football along the way. Some of the touches in parts were lovely and we really should have added more goals to the chances we created. I can't fault any Stenhousemuir player this evening. Everyone put in a great shift - Callum Yeats played well down the left and scored a superb header, his first goal in senior football; Alan Docherty looked class up top and linked well with Tam Muir; Botti Biabi was a perpetual menace down the left; Jack Hodge was very good; Jonathan Tiffoney snapped around the pitch; and Ryan Blair put in one of his finest performances for the club, even if his passing and set-pieces were occasionally wayward. It's probably too much for us to get into the top four but you can but dream! Cowden were not good, Harvey Swann aside. They were second to every ball, easily pushed around and often on the back foot. We're not a great side at the moment but there were times we were made to look very handy.

Ah, but you haven't seen our brand of long-ball football!

Is it windy enough in FK5 to stop the game from going ahead? It certainly sounds terrible outside. Can't imagine it'll be one for the ages, anyway. How on earth have we gone from a beautiful afternoon on Saturday to this just days later!

Jamie Barclay probably isn't going to play for Dumbarton so this is all much ado about nothing but he's one of the worst goalie's I've seen at Stenhousemuir. Expectations were low when we brought him in from Clyde to replace Greg Fleming (and I'm sure Clyde supporters saw an immediate upgrade when they dropped Barclay in favour of Alan Martin) and then fell through the floor as soon as we started playing. This example at Ayr United is the most egregious but it was getting to the stage where he was directly or indirectly costing us a goal a game with his antics.

The hits just keep on coming! Let's get the ball rolling for Stenhousemuir -vs- Cowdenbeath, the third game in six days for both sides, where the excitement is palpable. Both sides recorded poor results on Tuesday, with the Warriors drawing with a dismal Brechin City side and the Blue Brazil getting thumped by Queen's Park. Both sides will fancy their chances in this one and there's a lot riding on it - Stenny can continue to move away from the foot of the table (and inexplicably narrow the gap on Stranraer in fifth) and Cowden can jump two places into seventh. As I mentioned on another thread, I took in the QP-Cowden match on Tuesday night to get an idea as to what we'll face this evening but it probably wasn't the best game to judge them on. Queen's Park dominated the game, especially after the interval, and Cowden couldn't get the ball out of their half for long spells and I can't remember Wullie Muir having a save to make. I cannot ever imagine Stenny being as controlling and players like Kris Renton, Graham Taylor and Kyle Hutton should have a greater influence. I don't know what to expect from Stenhousemuir. Tam Muir will have completed his suspension and should be back in the starting XI but other than that, I'm not sure what players we'll use or what formation we'll go with, if we'll rotate the squad or go with largely the same side from Tuesday. I don't like the three-at-the-back system Davie Irons has deployed since the return and don't think it suits us. The heart says we can win this but I reckon it'll be a dull 1-1 draw.

I bought a stream for the Queen's Park -vs- Cowdenbeath match and something the commentators said was that QP's opponents had started to picked weakened squads against them in order to rest players for upcoming games against the sides around them. Whether or not that's true, I don't know, but they look miles ahead of everyone else in the division and it might be worth considering. I wasn't all that impressed with Cowden but they barely got out of their own half after the interval so it probably wasn't the best game to judge them on. I think we should be able to beat them but who knows after last night? I'm not surprised to read beaver1's report. We could have moved further away from the bottom of the table and maybe put a bit of pressure on Stranraer above us but we did not. Is that the first time Mark McGuigan has missed a penalty for us? As for Ryan Blair, when he's in the mood, some of his passing can be a joy to watch but he does not do enough to dominate games for me and can be a frustrating player. I do wonder about Davie Irons. I'm prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt - this is a surreal season and he won't have much time to do any coaching - but this is a weird group of players he's brought in and I think I overestimated them earlier in the campaign when I said we had the best starting XI outside of Queen's Park (!) We don't seem to be any further forward than we were when he took over from Colin McMenamin in 2019. We've won four league games all season - one against Edinburgh City, the high point of the campaign so far, one against Brechin City and two against Albion Rovers. That is nowhere near acceptable.

I took in this game this evening with one eye on Stenhousemuir's upcoming fixtures on Thursday and Saturday against either side. That was a very impressive performance from Queen's Park. Say what you like about Mr Raymond McKinnon and this rag-tag gang of jobbers but: they can play. While Cowdenbeath did reasonably well to contain them during the first half, only going down to a superb strike from Jai Quitongo, QP ran over the top of them in the second half and could have scored five or six. Only a combination of good goalkeeping and poor finishing kept the scoreline respectable. There's quality all over the pitch and almost every player is too good for League 2. They'll certainly hold their own next season in the third tier. I'm not sure what to make of Cowden - that probably wasn't the best game to judge them because they spent most of the game inside their own half. Kris Renton looked alright whenever the odd long ball was fired up to him, Harvey Swann occasionally put in some nice touches and Graham Taylor went on one run that caught the eye. I don't think there's much for Stenny to worry about on Thursday but, then again, this is a poor Stenny side and Cowden should be looking to beat them.

I think Creag Little is back in but Tam Muir will be missing. I'm not sure if Mark McGuigan and Botti Biabi, two players who went off injured against Kilmarnock, are available to play. So it's all hands to the pumps! I wonder if the likes of Callum Tapping and Ryan Blair will feature tonight - the pair have played a lot of football recently and I'm not sure if it's worth resting one of them tonight. It's certainly one of the challenges Davie Irons will face over the coming weeks. I think tonight is less about the top four and more about making sure we're as far away from the foot of the table as possible. We might have beaten Brechin City earlier in the season but we really made hard work of it and Michael Paton's side were probably unlucky not to have taken a point. I'm expecting something similar tonight: a dreadful game that Stenhousemuir win by the odd goal.

Here's an explanation from the SPFL website: This is a weird period where every player within our squad will be called upon and there'll have to be a lot of rotation. Paddy Martin is the only player likely to be a permanent fixture. When everyone's fit and available we've got a solid starting XI but beyond that it's untested youngsters and we're already seeing what happens when just one or two of our senior players are absent. We went into the match against Kilmarnock with a back five and not one of them was a recognised centre-back! It's been a terrible season in so many different ways but if we can take maximum points from Brechin City and Cowdenbeath, two of the worst sides in the division, that should give push us away from any danger of relegation and lead us to a sixth-place finish, baby!

This is the final polite reminder that A View from the Terrace is on tonight at 10:30pm on the BBC Scotland channel. This is the last episode of the season. The panel are joined by former Scotland manger, Craig Brown, who talks about managing the nation at a major tournament and how much money he spent in the Motherwell club shop. There is also the presentation of the celebrated Eamonn Brophy Lone Wolf Trophy. It should be, if nothing else, a "good laugh".

I'm trying to think of the good things that happened in the match... The goal was well taken... The bit where Jamie Wilson jumped into Max Currie stood out, as did the red card at the end... Other than that, a really poor match between two really poor teams. Airdrieonians are as bad a side as their recent form suggests but they very fleetingly showed there's something about them and Kyle Turner sparkled a little bit. Dumbarton, meanwhile, offered nothing. The lack of attacking quality is startling and Jamie Wilson and Robert Jones are so far out of their depth. Nothing sticks with them and the Diamonds were easily able to return the ball to the Dumbarton half. I've read the comments on Pie and Bovril across the campaign criticising Jim Duffy but after watching that: even I want him sacked! At least the commentary team are good, fair play.

Jesus Christ, that was appalling. Dumbarton are the worst side I've watched this season. Rotten.