Stenhousemuir -vs- East Fife (November 5 2022)

[Francesc Fabregas]

Will there be fireworks when Stenhousemuir and East Fife meet at the weekend? Probably not, but it still could be a decent laugh! It's fourth versus third in a repeat of the Scottish Cup second-round tie from earlier in the month. That was an entertaining contest and I expect more of the same on Saturday.

Based on that encounter, I thought East Fife were one of the best passing sides I've seen this season and always looked to move the ball around quickly with one- and two-touch play, but they seemed a little soft-centred and naive at times, something we were able to capitalise on. I'm not 100 per cent sure who's available and who's absent for this one - Sean Crighton might be back but Callum Yeats and Nicky Jamieson are out for the foreseeable future; Nat Wedderburn limped off against Albion Rovers and I'm not sure how fit he is; and it would be nice to have some clarity around Liam Brown's situation because the conjecture and gossip isn't helping anyone.

Regardless of how we line up, we really have to win this game to pull ourselves back into the title race, however remote that might seem. As we saw against Stirling Albion a couple of weeks ago, Stephen Swift has a tendency not to lose bigger games rather than try and win them and I hope that isn't the case here - we've beaten the Fifers twice already this season and we should be looking to make it three.

I think we'll go with the same line-up and system that started against the Rovers:

- Matty Yates - Tam Orr -

- Euan O'Reilly - Ross Forbes - Nat Wedderburn - Ross Philp -

- Scott Walker - Adam Corbett - Dan Higgins - Mikey Miller -

- Conor Brennan -

I'd be really disappointed if we don't win this one, all things considered. Let's go out there and make a statement!

[Cambuslang Fifer]

With stenny beating us twice already surely it’s our turn to win this one. Stenny have good players on paper but they ain’t Real Madrid but I’m sure that bloke on that tv show will say stenny will beat east fife 

[Cosmic Joe]

9 hours ago, Francesc Fabregas said:

Will there be fireworks when Stenhousemuir and East Fife meet at the weekend? Probably not, but it still could be a decent laugh! It's fourth versus third in a repeat of the Scottish Cup second-round tie from earlier in the month. That was an entertaining contest and I expect more of the same on Saturday.

Based on that encounter, I thought East Fife were one of the best passing sides I've seen this season and always looked to move the ball around quickly with one- and two-touch play, but they seemed a little soft-centred and naive at times, something we were able to capitalise on. I'm not 100 per cent sure who's available and who's absent for this one - Sean Crighton might be back but Callum Yeats and Nicky Jamieson are out for the foreseeable future; Nat Wedderburn limped off against Albion Rovers and I'm not sure how fit he is; and it would be nice to have some clarity around Liam Brown's situation because the conjecture and gossip isn't helping anyone.

Regardless of how we line up, we really have to win this game to pull ourselves back into the title race, however remote that might seem. As we saw against Stirling Albion a couple of weeks ago, Stephen Swift has a tendency not to lose bigger games rather than try and win them and I hope that isn't the case here - we've beaten the Fifers twice already this season and we should be looking to make it three.

I think we'll go with the same line-up and system that started against the Rovers:

- Matty Yates - Tam Orr -

- Euan O'Reilly - Ross Forbes - Nat Wedderburn - Ross Philp -

- Scott Walker - Adam Corbett - Dan Higgins - Mikey Miller -

- Conor Brennan -

I'd be really disappointed if we don't win this one, all things considered. Let's go out there and make a statement!

Loving the idea of playing two strikers in goal, with your keeper as lone striker! 

[Goethe]

Loving the idea of playing two strikers in goal, with your keeper as lone striker! 

There have been times this season when I have wondered if Connor Brennan is playing in the wrong position, believe you me! Decent shot-stopper at times, but doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. With our defence dropping like flies in recent times, and a real hesitation for one of the Albion Rovers goals at the weekend, it’d be good to see him have a decent game (*crosses fingers…)

I have this down as a score draw.

[King Kebab]

[GoldenNuggets_YeeHaa]

Stenhousemuir must absolutely hate Jack Healy. That's 3 wonder strikes against them to his name. 

Good performance all round although the 2 goals lost were disappointing. Keiran Millar was superb. Jack Healy turned into 2008 Christiano Ronaldo for the last 15 mins as usual but done little the first 75. If someone can teach this kid some decent decision making then we may have a player on our hands. His technical ability is outrageous. 

A few moans and groans when Greig decided to take Denholm off but glad it worked it for him in the end.

Good result, happy days. 

 

 

[Exiled Fifer]

All quiet from both camps so far so I’ll add my tuppence worth. This was a very entertaining game with EF starting the better but the seasoned travellers Forbes and Wedderburn soon go to grips of the midfield.Thereafter, Stenny looked very threatening going forward and deserved their lead albeit that EF had at moment 10 men with Miller being treated off the park for a head wound.  Stenny continued up to the break to be very dangerous on the counter with O ‘Reilly and Yates getting half chances.

I don’t know what the EF kitman put in their halftime tea, or it was the proverbial kick up the arse from McDonald, but EF came out in the 2nd half looking like a different team. They dominated possession without really causing any danger to Brennan and Fleming had to make 2 great saves to keep them in the game. No surprise when the equalizer did come from a stonewall penalty with Higgins being red carded for illegally denying Shepherd a goal scoring opportunity. EF looked like they would go on and win the game but Stenny regained the lead 2 minutes later with a close range header from a corner.

Brennan (man of the match) denied Trouten the equalizer with a point blank stop but upstepped Healy with one of his specials 2 minutes into added on time. With their 2nd performance, EF deserved at least a point but will rue the poor defending at both goals. But to regroup as they did after the sucker punch 2nd Stenny goal, I raise my hat. Chapeau!!!

 

[Vimto90]

Am no sure I'd be too happy at a point v us against ten men after pen but last minute always feels better. Thought overall EF were better without creating too much. We got a goal from a corner with 10 men otherwise we would have lost 100%.

Thought we were OK in spells first half after EF started much better in first 10 mins. They were well ahead 2nd half even before Dan Higgins stupidity ( just let him take the shot ffs)

But like a broken record we concede about 2 goals a match and will not get anywhere whilst that continues. Swift can go any time he wants as far as I'm concerned. It's just no happening and whilst we will win a good few games as we have decent players when it comes to crunch we ain't got it.

[Cosmic Joe]

We are not the finished article as a team by any means, but liking the look of us across the middle of the park. 

[Francesc Fabregas]

I feel a bit sick after that. A point apiece was the fairest outcome given the overall balance of play but to lose an injury-time equaliser was devastating. It was a tremendous goal from Jack Healy and one that probably ends any hopes we have of challenging for the title. We're now 10 points from Dumbarton at the summit and I think this wretched run of three 2-2 draws and a defeat from our last four games means we're looking to finish in the play-offs instead. Our inability to defend properly and keep clean sheets is killing us and we cannot continue to have to score at least two or three goals every game to win. We've tried different systems, different combinations and we've brought in Jim Duffy (?) as a defensive coach but nothing seems to be working. We've conceded 25 goals, the joint-worst in the division! If Stephen Swift can't find a solution, it might be better to replace him with someone who can; I don't think he's getting the best out of this group of players.

East Fife started the match well but Stenhousemuir settled into a nice groove around the 10-minute mark, one they'd maintain throughout the first half. They could have opened the scoring earlier when Matty Yates sent a glorious defence-splitting pass out to Ross Philp but Euan O'Reilly couldn't connect with the cross. Philp's goal was very well taken, with the wide man finishing superbly after a nice combination with Adam Brown. East Fife threatened sporadically on the counter but we were largely in control.

The second half, however, was a different story, and East Fife looked dangerous any time they moved the ball into our half. Ross Forbes and Nat Wedderburn are good players in possession but useless without it and the Fifers seemed to bypass them at will, with Kieran Millar and Joao Balde increasingly influential. We had no answer to their persistent attacks and only wastefulness and poor decision-making stopped them from truly threatening. It wasn't until the 72nd minute that things heated up - the backline got in a right mess and Dan Higgins, just like he did at Stirling Albion, hauled his marker to the floor inside the box. The referee correctly awarded a red card and a penalty kick and Conor Brennan was on his backside before Alan Trouten rolled the ball into the opposite corner.

I thought we would capitulate but almost immediately, we retook the lead. Philp forced Allan Fleming into a superb save and from the resultant corner, Mikey Miller bulleted home an excellent header. Trouten should have equalised but seemed off-balance and shot straight at Brennan from close range; Healy went one better in the 92nd minute, cutting in from the left and curling a shot into the corner of the net. He'd been threatening to do it all match and it was so dispiriting we allowed him the time and space to try it one final time. It was such a miserable sequence of events - O'Reilly lost possession cheaply in the corner, the Fifers broke upfield unimpeded and levelled. Incredibly, we could have won the match when Yates squirmed into the box but his low shot was stifled by Fleming then cleared off the line.

East Fife are a decent side - I was impressed with them in our second-round Scottish Cup tie and I thought they did well again today. They're a little lightweight and lacking up front but they like to be on the ball and can shift it around well. There's certainly a lot of legs and enthusiasm in the team and they're a good shout for a top-four finish.

What to say about Stenhousemuir? Yates is an excellent player and we're lucky to have him at the team; Callum Yeats played well upon his return from injury and gave us a new dimension on the left flank; and Philp turned his best performance since he joined the club on loan from Kelty Hearts. Everything else, however, is just the same systematic failings that have dogged us throughout the season. Special mention to Niyah Joseph and Mikey Anderson, two substitutes introduced with the intention of "shoring things up", but who somehow made us worse. Joseph chickened out of every block and tackle expected from him and Anderson conceded a series of cheap fouls and failed to get to grips with Healy at the death. Swift is the very definition of the phrase "you're only as good as your last game" and that was rubbish!

Edited November 5, 2022 by Francesc Fabregas

[MR.E]

Very fair assessment from mr Fabregas there.

We probably edged it but not by much.

[Neilly]

We concede two goals a game.

We have the joint worse defensive record in the league. 

We have conceded eight more goals than Albion Rovers.

We supposedly have a great squad so that can't be used as an excuse surely?

We are closer to the bottom than the top.

The manager has been supported unlike any other manager in living history.

How long can this be allowed to continue?

[Nigel Blackwell]

Another week, another uninspiring performance. 

[Big Fifer]

First game for me this season, good day out and always enjoy Ochilview. Thought overall we just about edged it but a draw was fair enough. We look much better on the ball than Stenhousemuir but we also never look that dangerous in the final third whereas, particularly the first half, they looked to be able to cut us open quite easily on the counter. I thought Millar, Healy and Mercer were excellent but big praise for Fleming in the goals, a few cracking saves and I was absolutely gutted for him when Stenny's second went in straight after he pulled off that nice left handed stop.

Overall I think we are a decent outfit but left back and striker still an issue. We've never been able to sort out left back issue out, Williamson must be absolutely dreadful (and furious himself) that we keep shoehorning players into left back instead of him. Wasn't impressed at all with what we have up front, guys like Balde and Healy are great on the ball and are happy to go past a man but when the strikers are just standing still in that situation then there's always gonna be two or three centre halves blocking their path. If there was scope to bring someone else in I wouldn't mind letting Trouten go frankly as those who have managed to get to games more regularly than me said that was a fairly standard performance. Shepherd was slightly better but again, he's only ever really looking for the ball over the top so isn't making the space for the midfielders to capitalise on. 

[MR.E]

Agree with what you say for the most part Big Fifer.

Very very harsh on Shepherd though. His movement had tied defences in knots most the season but he’s definitely most comfortable as part of a front 2. Last week his movement got us a penalty v Elgin. This week a penalty v Stenny. I don’t think he’s a natural out and out striker, but criticising his movement is v harsh! Thought Healy was largely infective til his incredible goal but two stupid defensive mistakes cost us three points.

Hope you enjoyed the game.

[Big Fifer]

8 minutes ago, MR.E said:

Agree with what you say for the most part Big Fifer.

Very very harsh on Shepherd though. His moment had tied defences in knots most the season but he’s definitely most comfortable as part of a front 2. Last week his movement got us a penalty v Elgin. This week a penalty v Stenny. I don’t think he’s a natural out and out striker, but criticising his movement is v harsh! Thought Healy was largely infective til his incredible goal but two stupid defensive mistakes cost us three points.

Hope you enjoyed the game.

As I say, first game for me so my opinions should be heavily caveated with that fact. I know fans have been reasonably happy with Shepherd this year. I'll make next week at home as well so will get more of a chance to see him I expect. 

[GoldenNuggets_YeeHaa]

32 minutes ago, MR.E said:

Agree with what you say for the most part Big Fifer.

Very very harsh on Shepherd though. His movement had tied defences in knots most the season but he’s definitely most comfortable as part of a front 2. Last week his movement got us a penalty v Elgin. This week a penalty v Stenny. I don’t think he’s a natural out and out striker, but criticising his movement is v harsh! Thought Healy was largely infective til his incredible goal but two stupid defensive mistakes cost us three points.

Hope you enjoyed the game.

I'd disagree with that. I'd even say the 2 times he's made the right run we've actually got something from it. We need runners in the corners especially when playing 3 at the back. Not mocking his effort or desire, he just needs coached well. Someone get Paul McManus in

[MR.E]

His movement Vs Elgin gets him two goals
His movement Vs Bonnyrigg creates the 4th goal
X2 penalty incidents this week and that’s just off the top of my head.

[Big Fifer]

16 minutes ago, MR.E said:

His movement Vs Elgin gets him two goals
His movement Vs Bonnyrigg creates the 4th goal
X2 penalty incidents this week and that’s just off the top of my head.

I think in this situation, it felt more like the Stenny centre halves were able to stand still when Healy/Balde had the ball. So we're maybe talking about different "movement" - I saw Shepherd dropping deep a lot and trying to get the ball over the top but so often we'd see Healy/Balde doing a nice arched run around the box but there were just so many bodies in the way, I'd be wanting the strikers to be moving more in that specific situation.

Just watched the highlights - that Healy goal really was magnificent. 

[MR.E]

Did Stenny film that game on a potato? Camera quality is brutal!

But yes, Healys goal was an absolute belter. Boy just doesn’t score tap ins.