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Stenhousemuir F.C.Match Report
The Warriors were held to a point by a strong Kelty Hearts side despite Stenhousemuir’s second wind in the final 45 minutes.
Kelty were the dominant side in the first half and could have deservedly buried a few goals, but the Warriors dug deep and held out against the Kelty press and managed to manufacture a few chances themselves.
After just three minutes, Deejay was called into action when Moore found some space in the box to get his shot away, but it was an easy save in the end for our keeper.
Kelty had another great opportunity seconds later when Moore flashed his cross across the face of goal, and with Cole sliding in, Deejay was forced into another unbelievable save to keep the score level.
Bilham crossed in a fabulous ball in the ninth minute and found the head of Yates, whose header came gut wrenchingly back off the inside of the post, the best chance for the Warriors to pull ahead.
Kelty were arguably the better team in the first half, however, neither team could profit from their chances. The Warriors came out of the traps in the second half and gave a better account of themselves, but couldn’t find that all important goal.
Yates had a decent shot in the 57th minute that took a deflection and nearly allowed O’Donnell to poke in his effort, but the keeper was quick to make the save.
Another fabulous Matty Yates corner in the 70th minute found the head of Steele, who has grown to be a threat in front of goal, though his powerful header was just over the bar.
The final chance of the game came for us in the 83rd minute when O’Reilly’s shot along the slippery surface had to be saved low to the keeper’s right. Although we couldn’t wrap up all three points, we did leave NewCentral Park with an extremely important point in our league campaign.
Next weekend we are away to Dunfermline Athletic for the fourth round of the Scottish Cup. Make sure you join us to support Gary and the boys. With a place in the fifth round up for grabs, could the romance of the cup strike again?
Match Report by Louise Davidson
Photographs by Thomas Gorman and Kristopher Dowell
Preview
After an even point last weekend, the Warriors are aiming to return to winning ways as we face promotion chasing rivals Kelty Hearts.
The last time we took on the Maroon Machine was back in October with a fixture that left Ochilview rocking with a spectacular 2-1 win. O’Reilly and Buchanan got themselves on the scoresheet as well as the league’s top goal scorer, Cunningham.
Kelty Hearts have dipped in and out of form over the last month, recording a few wins, draws and a loss. A constant performer for the Maroon Machine has been danger man Cunningham, who currently sits with 11 league goals and will be eager to sniff out a few chances at the weekend.
The Warriors on the other hand are aiming to seal their first away win at Kelty Hearts, having only played them six times previously. Former Kelty keeper, Darren Jamieson, will be keen to record the first Warrior’s clean sheet in this fixture.
Both teams are placed at the top end of the table with only a point to separate them, so three points at the weekend would be a massive gain for the Warriors as we push to knock Arbroath off the top spot on Saturday.
Warriors, please make sure you join us at New Central Park at the weekend with the later kick off time of 5:30pm to support Gary and the boys. The fixture is also live on BBC Alba.
Kick off: 5:30pm 11th January
Location: New Central Park
Match Preview by Louise Davidson
