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StenhousemuirMatch Report
Stenhousemuir ran out 1-0 winners at New Central Park, defeating Kelty Hearts in the William Hill League One.
Euan O’Reilly’s 28th-minute penalty proved the decisive moment in a match The Warriors dominated, and they could have added more if not for the heroics of Kelty goalkeeper Corey Armour.
The result also means that Stenhousemuir have extended their unbeaten run to eight games in all competitions and now sit top of the William Hill League One table.
Manager Gary Naysmith made five changes to the team, with Darren Jamieson, Archie Graham, Euan O’Reilly, Finn Robson and Dale Carrick coming into the starting XI in place of Yan Gromov, Oliver Simpson, Matthew Aitken, Michael Anderson and Leyton Grant.
Stenhousemuir created the first chance of the match when Olly Whyte struck from outside the box, but Corey Armour was equal to it.
Captain Gregor Buchanan was next to go close, his header from the middle of the box bound for the top corner before Corey Armour tipped it away.
Just a minute later, Olly Whyte had another great chance to put The Warriors ahead, but Corey Armour continued his fine form with another strong save.
A quick Kelty counter saw Jack Brydon charge through the middle before linking up with Innes Murray, who returned the pass. Brydon managed to get a shot away, but Darren Jamieson produced a strong save.
On 28 minutes, Stenny were awarded a penalty after Ross Taylor was brought down by Alex Ferguson. Euan O’Reilly stepped up and made no mistake, firing high into the net for his third goal in as many games.
Euan O’Reilly almost doubled his tally with a darting run in from the left side of the box, but Corey Armour was alert again to get down quickly and block the effort.
A superb threaded pass from Finn Robson split the Kelty defence and found Dale Carrick, but his effort was denied by Corey Armour.
Joseph Teasdale surged down Kelty’s right flank, holding off Scott McGill and shrugging off a challenge from Gregor Buchanan before delivering into the box for Craig Johnston, whose heavy touch allowed Darren Jamieson to collect.
Half-Time: Kelty Hearts 0-1 Stenhousemuir
The Warriors started the second half on the front foot, with Gregor Buchanan’s header almost a mirror of his first-half effort, but once again it was tipped away.
Three minutes later, Ross Taylor went close to doubling Stenhousemuir’s lead, but his close-range effort was blocked by the Kelty defence.
Rocco Diack almost pulled one back for the Maroon Machine with a strike from the right side of the box, but Darren Jamieson reacted well to block and preserve the lead.
With ten minutes remaining, Rocco Diack rose highest in the Stenny box but could only watch his header drift wide of the target, much to the striker’s frustration.
After a scramble in the corner, Euan O’Reilly stole possession and drove diagonally into the box, but his effort towards the near post was blocked once more by Corey Armour in the final action of the match.
Despite Corey Armour’s heroics in the Kelty goal, Gary Naysmith’s men showed composure and resilience throughout, fully deserving the victory as they extended their unbeaten run to eight matches and climbed to the top of the William Hill League One table.
Full-Time: Kelty Hearts 0-1 Stenhousemuir
Kelty Hearts: Armour, Thomas (Carrol 46’), Paterson (Leitch 70’), Ferguson (Masson 46’), Arnott, Johnston, Murray, Graham (Campbell 92’), Teasdale (Diack 58’), Wyllie, Brydon
Unused Subs: Adamson, Bexfield
Stenhousemuir: Jamieson, Meechan, Buchanan, Graham, O’Reilly, Robson, Taylor (Aitken 68’), Bilham, Carrick (Anderson 78’), Whyte, McGill (Simpson 89’)
Unused Subs: Gromov, Cameron, Ewen
Bookings: Taylor 7’, Murray 29’, Brydon 38’, Aitken 83’, O’Reilly 90’.
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PREVIEW
Stenhousemuir make the trip to New Central Park this Saturday to face Kelty Hearts in William Hill League One action, with Gary Naysmith’s side looking to extend their strong run of form.
Stenny come into the match on the back of a complete performance, defeating Kilmarnock B 4-0 at Ochilview in the KDM Evolution Trophy. Goals from captain Gregor Buchanan, Euan O’Reilly, Matty Aitken and Ross Taylor ensured the Warriors maintained their unbeaten run, moving joint top of the league phase of the competition alongside Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
The result also stretched Stenny’s unbeaten cup run to three matches, and extended their overall unbeaten streak to seven in all competitions.
Kelty Hearts also arrive in positive spirits, having recorded a 3-0 victory over Stranraer in the KDM Evolution Trophy. Second half strikes from Craig Johnston, Innes Murray and Bailey Campbell secured the points for the Maroon Machine at New Central Park.
Saturday’s clash sees the two sides meet for the first time this season. The most recent encounter came back in March, when a goalless draw was played out at Ochilview. On that occasion, both teams had opportunities to nick a winner, but neither side could find the decisive breakthrough.
Looking ahead to the game, Brown Ferguson said: “It’s back to league business and we’re on a good run of form at the moment. We had a really tough pre-season with injuries, but we’ve come through that well. Coming into the league we’ve had some really good performances, and they’ve all been tough fixtures.
“Today’s win was another good win, players are getting minutes in their legs, and we’ll go into next week’s game away at Kelty knowing, like every game in this division, it will be a very tough one. But given what we’ve faced over the last few weeks, we probably couldn’t be going into it in a better position, so hopefully we can carry that into next week’s game.”
