STENHOUSEMUIR VS STRANRAER

If there was a ‘bogey’ team for The Warriors this season it would be Stranraer. In the 3 fixtures to date, we have seen 2 defeats, including a 4-1 humbling in December, and a 1-1 draw.

The Warriors come into this fixture a different beast to the one that lost at home before Christmas.

The defence is solid, the attack is free-flowing and if there was ever a chance to break the Stranraer ‘curse’, then now is the time.

This fixture hasn’t been kind to The Warriors as of late. In fact, you need to go back to 14th January 2017 to find the last Stenhousemuir victory, 11 meetings ago.

In the last match against Albion Rovers, Stenhousemuir came out the blocks flying and were 4-0 up inside 25 minutes. Given our recent history against Stranraer, Warriors TV asked Stephen Swift how important it is to replicate that on Saturday against the Dumfries and Galloway side.

“We put massive emphasis on Albion Rovers getting a quick start, but it’s easier said than done because some teams come here, especially Stranraer, and have done well against us in the past. So it will be tough. But the other side to that, we had a great start against Stranraer the last time here and Tam Orr put us 1 up and we didn’t take care of the rest of the game. It’s ok saying good start, but for the full 90 minutes we need to concentrate and be at our best to actually get a result against a very good Stranraer team.”

And with a result like we had last Saturday, it’s important that we can keep that core of the team in place going into the next and try our bet to keep it free of injuries.

“Dec Hughes is struggling with a hamstring injury. But, Mikey Anderson has managed to put in a full week of training. So, we’re looking, more or less, full strength. It’s very difficult to change a team that’s just won 4-1, so you can take from the as you will, but it was a good performance on Saturday.

“Training has been really good and we’ve created a theme where we believe that we can hurt Stranraer and we’ll try and incorporate that into our plan on Saturday. But also, we know how dangerous they can be, so at the other end we need to be hyper vigilant in regards to what they can offer. They’ve got really quick movement and pace in behind and on this pitch, they cause us problems last time. So we need to be major aware of that. But we’ll see how we go. I think now, we’re in a much better place, so we’ll see if we can get a better result.”

Finally, Warriors TV spoke to Swifty about his relationship with the fans and the fact that we have our Norwegian Supporters Group coming across this Saturday.

“It’s great to get fans from all sides of the country and the world. But we’re hoping that we can deliver. I think the fans want that excitement in the next couple of weeks and we don’t want to go and be a dead rubber. So hopefully we can go and take this into the final week.”

Swift’s boys are playing with confidence. With Edinburgh City playing on Friday night, the boys will be all too aware of what needs to be done. Should the capital side lose to Annan Athletic, then The Warriors would only need a draw to take them above Edinburgh going into the final game of the season.

The Warriors have a strong goal difference, so by beating Edinburgh’s point tally in their final 2 games by a point or more and the playoffs awaits.

It’s the final league game of the season, so make sure you get to Ochilview and cheer on the boys in our fight for 4th.

MATCHDAY INFORMATION

Kick-off: 3pm

Match Entry: Both home and away fans can enter via pay at the gate [cash] or you can purchase your ticket in advance by using Fanbase. Adult admission costing £14, concessions £9 and under 16’s just £5.

Live Stream: If  you can’t make the match, Warriors TV has you covered with PPV commentary from Cameron McIntyre. PPV is available for just £10 here.

Getting Here: Click here for details of how to get to Ochilview by car or train.

Season Card Holders: Season Tickets are valid for this match. The ticket number will be displayed beside the turnstiles.

The Pie Hut: Food and drinks will be available to be purchased once again from the Pie Hut.

The Wee Bar: The Wee Bar is open from 12pm with all fans welcome.

Face Coverings: Face coverings are not mandatory inside the ground but fans are encouraged to continue to wear these. Masks should be worn when moving around the ground.