Francesc Fabregas
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Posts posted by Francesc Fabregas
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19 minutes ago, O'Kelly Isley III said:
I feel a shock coming on.....
There's no chance Stenhousemuir will keep this winning streak going but it's much more likely to come to an end next weekend at the Spartans, a team we've squeaked by twice, than here, in my opinion!
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Happy new year! I wish you all a rich and prosperous 12 months.
League leaders Stenhousemuir - who have won their last nine matches! - welcome a faltering Forfar Athletic to Ochilview. In the summer, I thought both sides would enjoy successful campaigns. but only the Warriors are enjoying themselves at the moment - it just has not worked out at all for the Loons, who find themselves in eighth place with 17 points. Their team seems unbalanced, there's a lack of quality in attack and Mr Raymond McKinnon is hanging onto his job by the skin of his teeth. I thought McKinnon was the best manager the club could have hoped to appoint but after a promising start, he's lost the faith of the support and I'm surprised he's still in situ.
Stenny haven't been fantastic in their last three matches but they are still winning. The team for this game effectively picks itself, with Edin Lynch injured and Ross Taylor suspended. Kyle Jacobs is available but will probably have to make do with a place on the bench as Mikey Anderson and Nat Wedderburn continue to thrive in midfield. Other than Jacobs and James Berry, we don't have many options to change things so let's hope this XI can do the business:
- Matty Aitken -
- Euan O'Reilly - Matty Yates - Adam Brown -
- Mikey Anderson - Nat Wedderburn -
- Kinlay Bilham - Gregor Buchanan - Nicky Jamieson - Ross Meechan -
- Darren Jamieson -
Given both teams' recent form, you'd have to fancy Stenhousemuir to get the three points here (with Matty Aitken sticking one away for good measure). Forfar are down on their luck and will be without principle striker Josh Skelly, sent off against East Fife last weekend, and don't appear to have a credible alternative. All signs are pointing towards a home win - if Stenny take it seriously, they'll do the business here.
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We're going into 2024 top of the table, with an 11-point gap over Peterhead in second place, and we've won nine games in a row.
This truly is a once-in-a-lifetime run of results and will probably never be as good as this again. It's brilliant following this team right now.
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A low-quality game of football but another remarkable victory for Stenhousemuir - nine wins on the bounce is incredible and everyone associated with the club should be delighted with the first half of the season.
Although Stenhousemuir didn't play well - for long spells, the ball was carelessly leathered about - it was still a fairly comfortable afternoon all in. Even after Ross Taylor's dismissal, I was fairly sanguine we'd come through unscathed because Clyde were so insipid and offered nothing going forward. It was only at the death where we looked ragged and gave away a poor goal, but there was not enough time for the home side to build on it. I was surprised to see Kian Leslie played through the middle and not on the flank; he barely got a kick all afternoon. The wing-backs didn't offer a lot (and Ross Lyon was especially poor) and the midfield, although competent enough, got pushed around by Nat Wedderburn and Mikey Anderson. I still reckon Clyde will be fine come the end of the season but they have a lot of work to do - with results elsewhere going against them, this was a hard weekend.
Some players did well for Stenhousemuir, others didn't. Matty Aitken was superb up front and turned in his best performance for the club. His two goals were well taken but his hold-up play and workrate were exceptional throughout; Stuart Carswell had a difficult afternoon trying to contain him. Anderson was terrific in the middle of the park and his run to set up Aitken's first goal was the highlight of the game. Euan O'Reilly was good on the left and had Lyon on toast. Gregor Buchanan defended well when called upon. Ross Meechan and Adam Brown, both reinstated to the starting XI, weren't great and I expected better from both.
Taylor really let everyone down with his red card. It was a ridiculous tackle, completely thoughtless, reckless and malicious. We all know he has a petulant streak but this was completely over the top. Against a better opponent, we could have thrown away the match, and we were fortunate the Clyde didn't have the wherewithal to take advantage. It's something he needs to curb.
Nevertheless, we're 11 points clear at the top of the table going into the second half of the campaign. We're doing very well just now and I hope it continues.
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I suppose Clyde's immediate concern is avoiding the bottom spot (and given the calibre of player they're bringing in, coupled with Elgin City's general wretchedness, you'd have to fancy them) but there's no harm in looking towards the next 18 months - with the right manager in the dugout and the right players on the pitch, there's no reason why you wouldn't fancy them to challenge for promotion in 2024/25.
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Having seen Clyde's recent shopping spree, I'm relieved we're playing them just before they're able to register new players.
Some pretty tasty recruits in there!
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4 minutes ago, Nigel Blackwell said:
I think Ferrie will stay on for the rest of the season. Sweetie-Rowe I suspect will go back to Dundee and I am not sure Mackay will be retained, but could be wrong. We also have Kirkpatrick to come back into the squad at some point.
So with that, cover at left full back and someone to challenge Aitken. The loan market lasts beyond January so I wouldn’t be surprised if we hang off in case we need cover for specific injuries.
I completely forgot Jordan Kirkpatrick was still a Stenhousemuir player. I can see him being "mutually consented" in the coming weeks.
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This is a fun little thread for supporters of all 10 teams in League 2: what areas does your side need to strengthen in the upcoming transfer window?
(I know that the "transfer window" doesn't necessarily matter at this level, given loans and free transfers can take place all the way up until the end of February, but still!)
I think my team, Stenhousemuir, need to bring in another centre-forward and cover at left-back. They already have loan players in situ in both positions - Mark Ferrie and Marley Sweenie-Rowe - but neither have really impressed in their limited game time and both should return to their parent clubs next week. (There's a rumour that Ferrie might be kept on for the remainder of the season but I'm not sure if that's cast iron or just street talk.)
We've also needed reinforcements in midfield after Danny Jardine left the club and it's good to see Edinburgh City's Kyle Jacobs signed up. Although Mikey Anderson and Nat Wedderburn are playing well together, "the time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining" and all that!
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It's admirable for Stevie Farrell to put his faith in Harry Broun and press ahead with strengthening the team's wide areas, but all it takes is another mistake, another dropped cross in the coming weeks for him to change his mind. Between now and the end of next month, Dumbarton will have signed another goalkeeper.
Book it!
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Stenhousemuir's final game of 2023 sees them travelling to New Douglas Park to take on Clyde. It should be an interesting encounter - although the Bully Wee are bottom of the division, it feels as though they are very slowly getting their act together, while Stenny are in perfect form, winning their last eight matches. On paper, bottom versus top appears straightforward enough to predict, but I've got a funny feeling about this one.
The last meeting between the teams was a chaotic 2-2 draw back in September - Stenhousemuir should have been out of sight by half time but they lost their grip on the game after the interval and allowed Clyde to dominate and equalise; had Martin Rennie been a little more careful with his finishing, they could even have won it. I thought that result would provide a springboard for the team to climb up the division but it didn't happen and Brian McLean left shortly afterwards. Although they're yet to win under Ian McCall, it feels as though the team are more spirited and more competitive under his watch (and they should be buoyed by yesterday's 4-4 draw with Dumbarton). Even so, it feels like it's a good time to be playing Clyde - McCall will presumably turn the team over next month (Lee Hamilton feels like a strong signing) and this is the last chance to take on this disparate group of jobbers, bozos and has-beens.
Stenhousemuir haven't been too hot in their previous two games but have done enough to grind out victories. If they're at their best and take Clyde seriously, they'll beat them; perform like they did in spells against East Fife and Elgin City and they could struggle. The only change I would make from yesterday's starting XI is swapping out Edin Lynch for Ross Meechan at right-back - I think Lynch might be injured anyway but regardless, I think Meechan deserves a start. I'm also hoping to see a bit more from Ross Taylor here, otherwise Adam Brown can comfortably slot into his place.
- Matty Aitken -
- Euan O'Reilly - Matty Yates - Ross Taylor -
- Mikey Anderson - Nat Wedderburn -
- Kinlay Bilham - Gregor Buchanan - Nicky Jamieson - Ross Meechan -
- Darren Jamieson -
The head says something wacky might happen but the heart says a Warriors win. I look forward to seeing you all there next but, until then: have a world-class Christmas!
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That's some finish from Matty Yates for the first goal, superbly taken. (And what a rubbish penalty that was from Matty Aitken - he was lucky Tom McHale pushed it right back in front of him to finish a second time.)
As an aside, it's good to see Ben McAdam getting involved with our media team - I always really rated his stuff when he worked at Stirling Albion, so I'm pleased he's capturing content in FK5.
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A poor game of football all in, made worse by miserable conditions, but it was an important victory for Stenhousemuir and one that keeps our remarkable run of form going. Eight consecutive wins is an incredible achievement and the players and the management team should be be very pleased with their efforts over the past two months. With both Peterhead and Dumbarton dropping points today, we're in a terrific position at the top of the table - long may it continue!
After Matty Yates opened the scoring after three minutes with a tremendous finish from just inside the box, it felt as though we'd go on to net five or six. But we were sloppy and careless on the ball, taking one touch too many, under- and over-hitting passes between ourselves. Some of our slackness almost allowed Elgin City good opportunities and a better side might have capitalised on it. Matty Aitken's second-half penalty, struck down the middle and saved easily by Thomas McHale, summed it up - I think we were a little complacent and expected just to turn up and beat Elgin. Thankfully, Aitken scored with the rebound and the rest of the game played out in our favour.
A couple of players did well today. I thought Gregor Buchanan and Nicky Jamieson defended well in gale-force winds and did well with Elgin's limited attack; Mikey Anderson was sometimes a little haphazard with his passing but had another good game in the middle of the park; Euan O'Reilly made some storming runs down the left and made a superb tackle midway through the first half to deny a goal-scoring opportunity; and I was impressed with Aitken's general work rate and effort today. The rest of the team performed adequately for the most part and frustrated me at other points. I didn't think Edin Lynch had a good game at right-back - he's fine at keeping the ball as far away from the goal as possible but when you're looking to take the game to your opponents, he just doesn't have the skillset to contribute. It looked as though he was going to be substituted before his injury and I reckon Ross Meechan will now be restored to the starting XI. Ross Taylor was quiet and although he contributed to Yates' goal with a flicked header, he didn't get on the ball enough and was rightly hooked.
Elgin are terrible. They're one of the worst sides I've seen this season and other than a wind-assisted potshot from Brian Cameron, Darren Jamieson had a straightforward afternoon. The chances that did come their way mostly came from Stenhousemuir's slackness and they didn't have the wherewithal to break us down otherwise. Robert Jones especially is a spectacularly ineffective striker and could not get any change from Buchanan or Jamieson. I expect Elgin to drop into the Highland League at the end of the campaign.
It feels a little churlish to complain after a routine win, especially on this run of form, but we've set a high standard in recent weeks and didn't meet it here. We'll need to be a lot better against Clyde next time out - I've got a funny feeling about that match and feel we might come a cropper - but let's enjoy the victory and a successful weekend.
I wish you all a very happy Christmas. Thank you.
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What can Stenhousemuir expect from Kyle Jacobs?
On paper, this looks like a good signing for the Warriors - but I'd like to hear more!
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Kyle Jacobs seems a very decent piece of business to me. He ticks a lot of boxes - we've needed cover in the middle of the park since Danny Jardine left the club last month, and he'll give us a degree of assurance if Mikey Anderson or Nat Wedderburn are absent or if we need to shore things up for the final 20 minutes (I don't think the management team quite trust James Berry to step up at the moment). Jacobs obviously a player the manager likes working with - the pair were at Queen of the South together - and he brings a good pedigree, a solid range of passing, and a lot of know-how and experience. He'll will have to work hard if he wants to break up the Anderson-Wedderburn axis in midfield but that extra competition can only be a good thing.
This is a good signing and I'm looking forward to seeing him in action next month.
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Thanks Ally, appreciate how difficult a time this must be for you and your fellow supporters - your posts on here, and your appearances on The Terrace Podcast, have been illuminating and much appreciated.
While tonight's statement describes how Edinburgh City are moving forward, it doesn't really tell us why they're in their current predicament, why the players are moving on and why the development and women's team are folding. It feels like some secret everyone knows about but isn't allowed to discuss openly. Following the Stirling Albion game, both the club's Twitter account and Michael McIndoe, speaking in his post-match interview, referenced the difficult, ongoing situation without directly addressing it. Why is this?
I think the club's communications over the past fortnight has been poor with newspaper articles, forum posts and rumours filling in the gaps where strong messaging should have been. I'm not sure if this has been deliberately but I don't think it's helped.
Good luck for the remainder of the season.
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My learned associate above me has summed it up very well (and this is probably just a rewrite of his points). We've recruited to a good standard, our manager has improved the players left by his predecessor, and we've had a good deal of luck go our way.
Our three most important signings have been Darren Jamieson, Gregor Buchanan and Matty Aitken. Under Stephen Swift, we were dogged by some terrible goalkeepers - Ryan Marshall, David Wilson, Conor Brennan - and Gary Naysmith rectified this in the summer by bringing in Jamieson from Kelty Hearts. Jamieson has probably been our most important recruit and an enormous upgrade on everyone that came before him. He brings a cast-iron assurance that spreads throughout the team and into the stands - whenever we're under pressure, I'm always confident he'll come for a cross or make a punch and just relieve the tension. On top of that, he's saved us, off the top of my head, about four points with crucial stops; his block to stop Conor McManus in injury time against East Fife on Saturday won us the game.
Buchanan too has been an upgrade at centre-back and looks like a better player than Sean Crighton was at Ochilview. I always liked Crighton but never felt we got value for money from him. That's not the case with Buchanan, who's dominated every match he's taken part in (the less said about that first half against Dumbarton, the better!) and can bring the ball out of defence and pick a pass. He's formed a really strong partnership with Nicky Jamieson and if you have a good goalie and two strong centre-backs, you'll go a long way at this level. Further forward, we've needed a player like Aitken since Robert Thomson moved on, someone that can occupy defenders, take the ball into his feet, hold it up, and get the team up the park. Tam Orr had his qualities but could not play with his back to goal and the whole team suffered for it. Aitken can be frustrating at times but when he's on his game, he makes it look so easy, and his goal return has been impressive.
We've recruited well in other areas too - Ross Taylor is an exciting prospect who, if he can iron out the deficiencies in his game, could go far; Kinlay Bilham has been the find of the season and has done well at left-back (and it's hard to believe he was initially brought in to supplement Jordan Lowdon); and Edin Lynch, while maligned, has generally been solid enough wherever he's featured.
Naysmith inherited some good players from Stephen Swift but it feels as though he's made them better. In his three seasons with the club, Michael Anderson has gone from "my God, this guy's rubbish!" to "hang on, he's actually quite good!" to "if he could play with consistency, he'd be great!" to "he's the best player in League 2!" I thought this could be a breakout year for Anderson and I'm glad he's performing well every week; signing him up until 2025 was a good move. I thought Nat Wedderburn should have been moved on at the end of last season, a "clearing of the decks", if you will, alongside Crighton and Ross Forbes, but he's complemented Anderson's dynamism in midfield and the pair have a nice balance. Euan O'Reilly, Matty Yates and Adam Brown have all played to a high standard this season and, like Anderson, are doing it on a consistent basis.
We've also been lucky in a number of areas. Aitken missed a couple of games in the League Cup group stages and Taylor missed a month with a shoulder injury but other than that, we've been fortunate that our key players have remained fit. If anything was to happen to, say, Darren Jamieson, Buchanan, Anderson or Aitken, I think we might look exposed. It's important that our business next month improves the squad and maintains our forward momentum. We need cover in the middle of the park and up front, and it might be worth looking for some new players on loan (I don't think there'll be any tears shed if Marley Sweenie-Rowe or Mark Ferrie return to their parent clubs in January). Our business last year wasn't too hot - Kian Speirs, Jacob Blaney, Curtis Lyle, Lowdon and Gavin Reilly didn't suddenly catapult us into the play-off places (even if Reilly was quite good at points) - but I hope our current league position might tempt a higher calibre of player to join.
Our luck has also extended to key moments such as James Berry's late winners against the Spartans and especially against Dumbarton, Martin Rennie clattering a ball over the bar from close range late on in the 2-2 draw with Clyde, and Nathan Austin's disallowed goal against East Fife at the weekend. These are all intangible and difficult to explain away but everything seems to be going in our favour at the moment.
I'm delighted with how the season's played out so far. I was anxious at the beginning of the campaign, believing our small squad would hinder us (especially when we listed a bench of trialists in the League Cup game against Alloa Athletic), but we've been fortunate so far. Naysmith, who knows what it takes to succeed in League 2, has built a close-knot squad of good, likeable players who have made a strong connection with the supporters and I really hope they can go the distance. I don't want to get carried away - we all remember the 2005/06 season! - but it's hard not to on the current run.
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An entertaining encounter awaits as Stenhousemuir welcome Elgin City to Ochilview. On paper, this is a very presentable fixture for the home side - they've won seven games on the spin, they're playing good football and the lucky breaks seem to be going their way, while the visitors have lost their last two matches 4-0 and are conceding terrible goals on an industrial scale. The last meeting between the teams finished 1-1 but, by all accounts, Stenny should have been out of sight; wasteful finishing, a red card and a stramash allowed Elgin to equalise late on.
I'm confident going into this one - we should be given how the respective teams are performing just now - and I wonder if we'll see any alterations to the starting XI. The only suggestion I would make is swapping out Edin Lynch for Ross Meechan as I expect us to be on the front foot here and Meechan will give us more going forward but I wouldn't be averse at all to going with our tried-and-tested line-up:
- Matty Aitken -
- Euan O'Reilly - Matty Yates - Ross Taylor -
- Mikey Anderson - Nat Wedderburn -
- Kinlay Bilham - Gregor Buchanan - Nicky Jamieson - Edin Lynch -
- Darren Jamieson -
Elgin are not a good team - I watched the highlights of their defeat at East Fife and thought they played appallingly - but they have to be treated as a serious threat. Although new manager Allan Hale has yet to make an impact, it could come at the unlikeliest place at the home of a team flying at the top of the table.
Nevertheless: home win!
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A real game of two halves. Stenhousemuir were cruising before the interval, dominating the match and playing some eye-catching football, but East Fife were far better after the restart, had the home side on the back foot for long spells, and should have tied the match at the death; it took a world-class save from Darren Jamieson to maintain Stenny's advantage. Nevertheless, that's the Warriors' seventh consecutive victory and if you can without playing well, well...
On a cold, windswept afternoon, Stenhousemuir were excellent in the first half. Euan O'Reilly opened the scoring from close range and Matty Yates rattled home an terrific free-kick to extend their lead. O'Reilly was tremendous in the opening stages, ceaselessly tying up Sean Docherty in knots, and it might have been his best performance of the season - if only his second-half strike had gone in! Ross Taylor troubled Stuart Murdoch on the other flank, Matty Aitken pushed the centre-backs around, and Mikey Anderson got his toe to everything in the middle of the park. East Fife struggled to cope and the game was pockmarked by a serious of fouls, some clumsy, some cynical, and I felt the referee was a little lenient with his yellow card; Scott Shepherd should definitely have been booked for clattering Anderson.
Stenny were playing against the wind in the first half but it brought them no advantage in the second. Aitken, so strong in the opening 45, couldn't get a grip of the ball in the second and his team lost control of the game. Where East Fife had been passive, they suddenly looked assured, nullifying their hosts attack and taking a grip of the midfield. Swapping the ineffectual Kieran Millar for Alan Trouten was a good move and forced Stenny deep. For all their positive play, they lacked a cutting edge - Jamieson was largely untested in goal and the only time East Fife did get in behind, Nathan Austin poked home Brogan Walls' goal-bound shot from an offside position. Stenny made changes of their own and appeared to ride out the storm until Nathan Austin flicked in Jack Healy's teasing cross late on. They were at panic stations at this point and it took an extraordinary piece of goalkeeping from Jamieson to prevent Conor McManus, I think, drawing his side level.
This match reminded me a lot of our encounter against Clyde at the end of September, where we ceded control in the second half and almost chucked it away. We were fortunate that East Fife couldn't take advantage but it highlighted how important Aitken is to how the team plays - when he's good, Stenny are good; when he's off it, Stenny struggle (although I appreciate we needed more from Anderson and Nat Wedderburn after the restart too). Another striker, a credible alternative to Aitken, is a priority next month, and I wouldn't be surprised if we're sniffing around Ryan Shanley once he extricates himself from Edinburgh City's financial meltdown.
The most important thing today is we won without playing well in atrocious conditions. Seven wins on the bounce is a ridiculous run of form and we have a solid opportunity to extend it to eight and nine when we take on Elgin City and Clyde before the end of the year. It's a good time to be following the club just now - long may it continue!
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I watched the highlights from East Fife's game against Elgin City from Saturday. It's hard to tell if East Fife were very good or Elgin City were terrible; it's probably a bit of both. Nevertheless, the attacking players like Scott Shepherd and Ryan Schiavone all had played well and will need to be watched closely. I quite like Scott Shepherd, he's developing into a very useful lower-league forward. Strong runner, bags of enthusiasm, decent touch, good for seven or eight goals a season.
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2 hours ago, roman_bairn said:
Just an update on this. Club are not posting out tickets due to time and tickets are only on sale at the club until Friday night as Hamilton need unsold tickets back on Saturday morning. Less than 1000 tickets left and no guarantee of tickets being available for sale at Hamilton on Saturday.
Thank you Hamilton for being such absolute wankers…..
ps. I like others will probably just need to buy a ticket for the home end…..
@Francesc Fabregaswould be great if you could highlight this on this weeks show?
A View from the Terrace won't be back until February 2024 but this is absolutely the kind of thing that should be highlighted and discussed. For something that should be a straightforward process (for the biggest game of the season, no less), it really feels unnecessarily Kafkaesque.
Good luck on Saturday, I hope you're able to make it.
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Ross Taylor is class to watch, isn't he? The kind of player you really look forward to getting on the ball. Some of his raids down the right on Saturday were terrific. It doesn't always come off for him, and he can be a little ill-disciplined, but when those wee hips get waggling, you just now something's going to happen.
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The biggest game in Scotland this weekend is taking place in FK5 as Stenhousemuir welcome East Fife to Ochilview. Both sides are coming into this match in contrasting fortunes - Stenny have won their last six matches, while the Fifers seem capable of thrashing the division's lesser lights but unable to beat the stronger competitors. Recent encounters between the sides have been close, with the Warriors narrowly winning 2-0 in Methil in August, and I'm expecting this match to be similar.
There's no reason for Gary Naysmith to alter the team that beat Dumbarton on Saturday. The players should be confident coming into this one and, providing they haven't had their very own "La Manga" on their Christmas night out in Liverpool, raring to go:
- Matty Aitken -
- Euan O'Reilly - Matty Yates - Ross Taylor -
- Nat Wedderburn - Mikey Anderson -
- Kinlay Bilham - Gregor Buchanan - Nicky Jamieson - Edin Lynch -
- Darren Jamieson -
Adam Brown will return from a one-game ban and will probably make do with a cameo appearance off the bench. I also hope James Berry can build on his goal from the weekend (even if he knew nothing about it) and can also contribute at some point too.
East Fife aren't having the season I expected from them but they're not a side to be underestimated and they've caused us setbacks in the past. Nevertheless, we have a presentable run of fixtures between now and the new year - the Fifers, Elgin City, Clyde - and I'd be disappointed if we're unable to keep the good run here. Home win!
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18 minutes ago, Le Tout P'ti FC said:
There are two incredibly annoying guys who turn up at a very occasional Bonnyrigg game and massively irritate everybody within earshot. Just a constant stream of high pitched drunken ranting, shouted swearing incessantly, shouting out random score updates as their coupons inevitably go under, and generally making a nuisance of themselves. The louder of the two always makes it known he used to play for Berwick, and he always has some “mate” out on the pitch whom he shouts at in his attention seeking way. You can invariably locate them by the sight of a widening circle around them. Well, today, they ended up right beside me for the first half, which was genuinely worse than a tooth extraction.
Need to hear more about these bad dads.
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I thought Stenhousemuir deserved to win today's match and any other outcome would have been unfair. After riding out a sticky 20-minute spell at the beginning of the game, Stenny were the more dominant side, played on the front foot and could have scored long before the ball whacked off James Berry and into the net at the death. It's an enormous three points and a win that puts us a good distance clear at the top of table; there's a very good feeling around Ochilview at the moment.
On the whole, I thought it was a really entertaining encounter between two in-form sides. Given the inclement weather in Dumbarton over the past couple of days, I was expecting an attritional battle but was pleasantly surprised with both teams doing their best to keep possession and build through the middle. The Sons looked the part from the off and had us pinned back, with Kalvin Orsi giving Kinlay Bilham a particularly hard time down the right flank, and they knocked the ball around well in the final third. But other than a header straight at Darren Jamieson, they didn't really test the visitors, and once Stenny got to grips with the game, they were the better side for the most part.
Nicky Jamieson and Gregor Buchanan were excellent at centre-back and kept almost everything at bay, but Nat Wedderburn was the best player on the park, turning in his finest performance of the season, with his big arse and long legs ensuring his team stayed on top. Wedderburn also got through a power of running in the middle and really dug his team-mates out at points, something you tend not to see from him. Edin Lynch also had a decent game and if he did noise up the home fans at the end, fair play, good, because I've no doubt he was given a hard time throughout. Further forward, Matty Yates and Ross Taylor showed some flashes of excellence as they support Matty Aitken. Aitken should have scored when Yates (I think) teed him up, and Euan O'Reilly should definitely have scored when Taylor put in a low ball from the right with the goal gaping. Brett Long deserves a lot of credit for making two outstanding saves but the ball should have hit the net both times.
Instead, it took Berry being in the right place at the right time with four minutes remaining to deflect Mikey Anderson's shot into the net. The ball seemed to take an age as it meekly trundled over the line but what a feeling! That's twice now we've scored winners from deflected Anderson efforts (the first was against the Spartans, where his shot cannoned off Nicky Jamieson and went in), and that's twice now Berry has won the game for Stenhousemuir late on. I think we're all yet to be convinced by him - he looks a little slight and overawed by the pace of League 2 - but I'm convinced he'll come good and develop into an important player, much like Anderson.
Dumbarton forced a couple of stramashes towards the death but couldn't capitalise on their insistent work. I generally liked what I saw from them and think they've got a useful group of players there, but I can understand their supporters' frustrations because it does feel like a significant setback, even at this stage, and adds credence to the belief that you can never fully trust Stevie Farrell to manage Dumbarton to success. I imagine Farrell will think his side were unlucky to lose out to a late deflected goal but they just didn't do enough to win the match themselves.
All I can hope is that Stenhousemuir build on this performance and maintain their excellent form over the festive period. They have a presentable run of fixtures against some of the poorest sides in the division, but we've drawn with Elgin City earlier in the season and could have easily lost to Clyde, so nothing can be taken for granted. I hope the players have an excellent Christmas night out this evening because they deserve to celebrate after what they've served us up so far.
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Stenhousemuir FC - The Warriors - The 2023/24 Thread
in Scottish League 2 General Chatter
Posted
Stirling Albion won the division last season with 73 points (winning 21 matches, drawing 10 and losing five).