Francesc Fabregas

Alright lads, I was recording a podcast with one of your former players today and he mentioned Ally Graham who played with the club around 2011/12. Whatever happened to him? There isn't a lot of information on Soccerbase or Wikipedia.

Kevin O'Hara and Harry Paton have both left Stenhousemuir and returned to their parent clubs.

Would highly recommend this interview with Brown Ferguson from Arbroath winger Danny Denholm on Lower League Ramblings. Great stuff:

I quite liked him during his time at the Warriors. He scored two goals on his debut against Edinburgh City and really looked the part but he struggled the next week against Sean Dillon and Montrose. A mixed bag, I suppose, but I think the experience served him well. I think we were looking at taking him back for this season but it fell through.

I finished Arthur's story last night - sensational stuff, just a brilliant, brilliant game. The best I've ever played, no doubt.

Try zooming in a bit next time, I could barely see him.

I can only imagine the board assumed they'd have a decent number of experienced candidates to pick from and, when none were forthcoming, had to look inward. Still, I'm delighted for Colin - he's been a very good player for us over the last five years and he secured the best result I've ever seen as a Stenny supporter. He's well regarded by the players and the supporters and I hope he goes on to great things with us.

Alright lads, I recorded a podcast with erstwhile Rovers captain Mick Dunlop and I reckon you'll enjoy it. CLICK He said his four years at Cliftonhill were the best of his career and he talks really fondly about his time with the club - the cup runs, the big games, the titles win, his team-mates etc. I think this is the best interview we've done so far. Crack on!

Having watched back the highlights eight or nine times already, Falkirk's defending really has to be seen to be believed. Stenhousemuir's goals were all very well taken but they were aided and abetted by some truly appalling errors: Connor McBrearty's equaliser was well taken but Tommy Robson doesn't seem to have a clue where he is when he pounces in front of him to thump home the header. Robson doesn't even jump, he just arches his back to unbalance McBrearty Lewis Kidd appears to be marking McBrearty at his second but is caught on his heels and allows the centre-back to steam in ahead of him to meet the cross The third goal could well be the worst - Harry Paton has about five Falkirk players around him before he releases the ball. Paton's pass is poor but Aaron Muirhead, who had a terrible afternoon, simply falls over as sets up a three-on-one opportunity for Stenny. Mark Ferry squares to Sean Dickson to pass into the net. Who was marking him? He had the whole right-hand side of the pitch to himself There's a lot going on in Mark McGuigan's goal. Firstly, Leo Fasan's clearance is poor and it goes high into the air (why did he hit it first time when he had time to take a touch and compose himself?), no-one challenges Kieron Gibbons when the ball comes down and his headed pass neatly falls into the path of Mark McGuigan, who holds of Patrick Brough, rolls him with ease, and finishes well It's not just the goals though - what about the moment early into the second half when a corner was played to Connor Duthie on the edge of the area, who controlled it and was allowed to have a shot on goal? Everyone seemed terrified to close him down. A new goalkeeper and a new centre-back must surely be one of Ray McKinnon's many priorities. I'd read about how bad Fasan had been this season but he was especially poor yesterday. Rooted to his goal-line for both of McBrearty's goals and treated the ball as if it was a live grenade. I remember Muirhead being a good player at Partick Thistle and while he didn't look fully fit yesterday he was so far off the pace.

That was brilliant yesterday. Aside from the play-off wins of 2009 and six months ago, this is the best I've ever felt after a game. What a feeling!

That was fantastic, absolutely fantastic. That's the best Stenhousemuir performance I've seen in years - everyone in maroon played well and we thoroughly deserved the win. My expectations going into the contest were low - Falkirk are a bad side but they had appeared to have shown a degree of competence and organisation in recent weeks, while Stenhousemuir had slumped to the bottom of League 1 and sacked their manager without any apparent thought as what to do next. I thought the visitors would win 2-0, scoring midway through each half in a comfortable display. And, after seven minutes, I though Stenny were onto a loser when Paul Paton slammed the ball into the net from close range. They were the better team in the opening exchanges, with Tommy Robson a particular danger on the left. Twice he wrong-footed Connor McBrearty as he slalomed into the penalty box and on the second occasion his low cross was, after several attempts, rifled home by Paton. At this point I feared the worst but we equalised shortly afterwards when McBrearty, unmarked, looped a header beyond Leo Fasan's despairing dive. It was a shabby goal to concede, with no-one appearing to organise the Falkirk defence. Moments later, McBrearty would do the same thing - unmarked, looping header, into the net - and from that point on, Stenny settled into the match and controlled the play. The backline looked comfortable, beyond clearing long balls aimed at Dennon Lewis, the midfield of Mark Ferry, Harry Paton and Kieron Gibbons knocked the ball amongst themselves, and Mark McGuigan tussled with Aaron Muirhead and Pat Brough, often getting the better of them. McGuigan directed Alan Cook's cross narrowly beyond the post and there were a number of shots blocked on the edge of the area. It was straightforward stuff. Just as the match neared the interval, Falkirk equalised. It was probably the moment of the game - Deimantas Petravicius raced onto a long ball and, with a gorgeous backheel, teed up Joe McKee to arrow a first-time shot low into the corner of the net. (A couple of weeks ago I was out for my dinner in Glasgow and I was sitting across from McKee and he chews with his mouth open and holds his knife and fork in the wrong hand. Make of that what you will.) It was a crap time to concede and I wondered if it would alter the match and turn it in the Bairns favour but it did not. Stenhousemuir were the better side throughout the second half - Paton was becoming increasingly influential and was fouled about five or six times in succession. Lewis Kidd scythed through him after the whistle had gone and he could have seen a red card if referee Alan Newlands had been a bit more unfavourable. The Warriors retook the lead when Brough, I think, made a hash of controlling a long ball and allowed Mark Ferry to steam in on goal. Rather than shooting, Ferry, excellently, teed up Sean Dickson to stroke the ball into an unguarded net. A beautiful goal and one his performance deserved. Falkirk could do nothing to change the pattern of the match and their flurry of substitutions failed to make any impact. At the death, McGuigan capped his display by holding off his marker, rolling round him and shooting across Fasan and into the net. I couldn't quite believe what I was seeing. Falkirk are a very bad side, make no mistake. They're probably the poorest side we've faced this season. Lewis is quite pacy up top and Petravicius showed a lovely touch to set up McKee's equaliser but other than that they left no impression. Out passed and out fought for the majority of the game - unacceptable against the worst side in League 1. They could not get close to Paton, Dickson or McGuigan all game. Pat Brough could well be one of the worst defenders I've seen in a long time. For all the "let's get to January" talk, there are so many faults with this side that it'll take more than one transfer window to sort. Ray McKinnon really has a hard job on his hands. Stenhousemuir were brilliant. Everyone excelled themselves and with a hitherto unseen fire. It's hard to pick a man of the match but I'd probably give it to Sean Dickson - I don't think I've ever seen him play wide right before but Jordan McGhee didn't get near him once. I'm looking forward to the upcoming fourth-round match with Aberdeen but I do hope we can build on this match and take it into next weekend's game against Arbroath. Picking up a point there would be a massive step in leading us away from the bottom of the table.

I think this could well be the best video game I've ever played. I don't want to get overexcited when I'm only halfway through it but my word, it's a stunning experience. What a game!

Alright lads, I recorded a podcast with one-time Alloa Athletic full-back Mick Dunlop. He played during the team's unexpected relegation from the Second Division in 2010/11 and he talks about the miserable second half of the season and how they lost their way and ended up going down. Not a fantastic time to be a Wasp but a good listen all the same! CLICK

Alright lads, here's a podcast with erstwhile Sons captain Mick Dunlop. CLICK He talks about winning the Third Division, getting captaincy after Gordon Lennon's untimely death, and leaving the club.

A couple of weeks ago I would have fancied our chances but since the draw was made, Falkirk appear to be less terrible and Stenhousemuir are in a real malaise. We're trying to give it a good go but the quality isn't really there at the moment. We look short of ideas going forward and it's hard to see where the goals are going to come from. Still, in a one-off game, who knows what might happen? I would fucking love it if we won on Saturday. Fucking love it.

Sticking with the promotion-winning side of 2007, the highlights from both matches were available on a site called Daily Motion and my browser kept on crashing when I tried to watch them. So I've added them to YouTube where it should be easy enough for everyone to see. The resolution isn't brilliant but you get the general idea.

I can very much see this being the case - I had a weird feeling he'd be the new manager. Seems like a very "Davie Reid" pick. He applied for the Queen's Park job and was knocked back in favour of Mark Roberts.

Alright lads, I recorded a podcast with erstwhile Spider Mick Dunlop and I think you might enjoy it. He talks at length about playing under Billy Stark, his team-mates, the atmosphere at the club, the promotion, staying in the Second Division, and how the team eventually broke up. CLICK

Terribly sad news. I only spoke with him a couple of times but he was a really interesting guy with some big ideas - they were probably too grand for a team of Stenhousemuir's size but I was pleased to see him make a name for himself at Brentford. Far too young to go.

Here it's here if anyone gives an eff. CLICK

Paul Hartley's reputation is severely damaged after his time at Falkirk but it's worth remembering how good he was at Alloa Athletic. Yes, they had a bit of money to throw around at the time but you can't argue with what he achieved with them. That said, he's supposed to be a horrible person and I wouldn't want him anywhere near the club. Feel like pure shit just want Bomber back x

Ah yes, I remember when you promised "everything would come out in the wash" after our promotion and all that happened was some players knew they would probably be leaving the club on the bus up to Peterhead. As for Jack Smith, he was worth a punt at the time - he'd scored 20-odd goals in the Lowland League with East Kilbride - but we eventually found out he wasn't good enough for League 1; Bobby Vaughan might be in the same boat. Which players have been shown too much loyalty? I agree with your points about a lack of a plan B, however, and Bomber's frustrating use (or non-use) of substitutes. I think I'll write up a feature on his time at the club but, in the meantime, it's worth remember what he's done for Stenhousemuir: A good player who had a key role in Davie Irons' excellent side of 2010/11 Galvanised the squad after Martyn Corrigan's dismissal and recorded a 3-3 draw with Rangers at Ibrox Righted the ship after Scott Booth's miserable reign and kept the club in League 1 via the play-offs Worked under difficult financial constraints to keep the team competitive Brought the club back into League 1 at the first time of asking I think history will look very kindly on Bomber's achievements at Ochilview.

What a guy, an absolute class act.

I don't think you can use Kevin O'Hara's signing as a stick to beat Bomber with - I think most people were quite excited when he joined the club. Although O'Hara's hardly lit up the division, he hasn't been terrible either.