Stenhousemuir -vs- Albion Rovers (Saturday 18 February 2023)

[Francesc Fabregas]

It's a big lower-mid-table clash as Stenhousemuir welcome Albion Rovers to Ochilview on Saturday. Both matches between the sides have been tight so far this season, with Stenny recording a narrow victory on the opening day followed by an exciting 2-2 draw in Coatbridge in October. I've always said the Rovers are a better side than their league placing suggests and we'll need to show a lot more if we want to get the win.

We've done well in our last few matches against some of the division's better sides but we must turn these draws into victories if we're serious about sneaking into the top four (and moving away from trouble!)  We lost poor goals in both matches and we haven't been ruthless enough in attack to cancel them out. After his gaffe against Forfar Athletic, I believe that Curtis Lyle is now a weak link and the Rovers will try to take advantage of this, especially at set-pieces (or even just "shooting", come to think of it). Man for man, however, I believe we have a team good enough to get the win.

I can't see Gary Naysmith making any changes from Saturday's XI, unless there are injuries:

- Tam Orr -

- Euan O'Reilly - Matty Yates - Adam Brown -

- Nat Wedderburn - Mikey Miller -

- Callum Yeats - Nicky Jamieson - Sean Crighton - Adam Corbett -

- Curtis Lyle -

I'll be disappointed if we don't collect the three points from this one, in all honesty. Home win.

[Burnsythebinman]

cant see jameson in the XI after coming off dazed at forfar. i expect a shuffle to accomodate that. 3 points is a must if we want to be able to stop looking over our shoulder

[Nigel Blackwell]

A win today could take us 4th and 9 clear of Bonnyrigg with 12 games to go. A significant afternoon, one way or another.

[Nigel Blackwell]

We absolutely stunk the place out in that first half. Woeful. A half time rollicking and some (astute?) changes and we turned the game round if only for 15 minutes or so, but it was long enough to get the goals to win the game. 

As bad as we were in the first half, I thought Albion were very impressive, although I don’t think it is stretching things too much to say that Charlie Reilly is the one who makes them tick. If they can keep him fit then they should stay up. He was outstanding today and we just couldn’t contain him. But it’s goals (and goal line clearances) that count.

For us, less said about that first half the better. Second half we played well and could have scored more than the two that we did get. Our problems are at both ends of the park. How we’ve ended up with another calamity keeper beggars belief, and meanwhile up top, what is going on with Thomas Orr. Is he under instruction not to run? Or pass the ball to his own team mates? We need a decent striker, and while Sewell at least made the Albion defence take notice, he is not the answer.

Despite it all, Naismith is doing a pretty remarkable job, and while we aren’t safe he has done well to get us into the position we are in - 6 unbeaten in the league is good going.

[Neilly]

The first half was as bad as I can remember from a Stenhousemuir team and that's some statement considering the garbage we have been served in recent years. No one was remotely at it and it was a minor miracle we went into the break all square.

I did always feel though Albion couldn't go like that again if we managed to sort ourselves out.

We needed an impact from players at half time and we pretty much got that instantly. Ross Forbes orchestrated most of our good play and Kian Speirs added energy in the midfield that was nowhere to be seen first half.

We were rampant in that first 20 minutes of the second half and probably could have had a few more. Lovely finish from Nat and the slide rule from Forbes to Yates and the finish was sublime.

Even after that how Cal cleared that one off the line is still beyond me and Charlie Reilly rattled the bar, the Vers will come away from that perplexed how they never scored. I look at that Albion side and it's hard to believe they are only a point above Bonnyrigg. Charlie Reilly, again, was an absolute menace and will do well in the Championship next year.

Gary Naysmith has the midas touch though. What he's doing with this threadbare squad is unbelievable really. It's going to be difficult to add sufficient quality at this time in the window but I think we all trust he will get us in the play offs.

[Moonglum25]

Absolute shower the first half - we could barely string a pass together. Good to see Naismith change it at half time, don't think Swift would have done that, and it worked. Never been a great lover of Forbes but he played really well for the first 20 minutes he was on. Goalkeeper is still a worry and as others have said what is wrong with Orr. Rovers may feel hard done by.

[Francesc Fabregas]

The very definition of a "game of two halves". Stenhousemuir were rotten in the first, could barely string two passes together and were always second to first and second balls, but far better after the interval and ultimately deserved the win. Albion Rovers will probably be perplexed as to why they didn't take something from the game, with some heroic last-ditch defending and the woodwork prevented them from scoring. I've said it a number of times this season - they're a better side than their league position would suggest.

The Rovers were streets ahead in the first half. Blair Malcolm dominated proceedings, with everything going through him, and Charlie Reilly was a threat on the left. Although they didn't really test our goalkeeper, they had us pegged back for long spells and we couldn't find any rhythm. Rovers played through the middle with ease and our ball players couldn't get into the match. Reilly could have scored when put through on goal but Callum Yeats made a superb interception, bursting ahead of him and toeing the ball away.

The introduction of Ross Forbes and Kian Speirs at half time turned the game in our favour. By clogging up the midfield, Malcolm didn't have the space he'd enjoyed earlier and Joe Bevan, who'd shown some nice touches in the first half, became isolated. The pressure led to the first goal - the Rovers failed to clear a corner and Nat Wedderburn was allowed to come in onto his left, come in onto his left again, and come in onto his left a little bit more, before hitting a low drive from the edge of the area and into the net. Matty Yates scored a superb second just minutes later, running onto Forbes' wonderful reverse and finishing hard.

The Rovers had a couple of chances - Yeats somehow cleared a Reilly shot off the line (I have no idea how the ball did not go in) and the winger had a free-kick crack off the bar towards the end - but it wasn't to be. Stenny could have increased their lead but Jack Leighfield got a strong hand to Will Sewell's curling effort. It's a pity the club no longer publishes the match highlights as it would have been a fun game to watch back.

As others have pointed out, we would have lost that match under the previous management. I'm pleased with what Gary Naysmith is doing at the club so far - he came into the Wee Bar after the match to applause from supporters and said something like: "I wouldn't be applauding that, we were shite", and I like the standards he's setting. The only black mark so far has been the goalkeeper - it's quite clear Curtis Lyle doesn't have it and he almost cost us with his poor kicking and lazy approach to clearing his lines. Tam Orr was quite subdued and didn't really get into the match and signing another striker is a priority. The squad is pretty thin at the moment and some reinforcements to see us through the rest of the season would be helpful (and I imagine this is something we're working on).

Nevertheless, a welcome three points and a good weekend all in. Bring on Bonnyrigg!

[teekasule]

THE CURE - A FOREST. 

all down hill past this absolute classic.