1Match Report
Irn Bru Third Division
Annan Athletic 1 [Jack 5] Stenhousemuir 1 [Brand 2]
The first ever Scottish League match at Galabank saw Stenhousemuir as the visitors on an important day for Annan Athletic. This game meant a lot for the royal burgh of Annan and 1,132 turned up to see history played out. The improvement work to the ground was still in progress and ex-Warrior Harry Cairney in charge of Annan for this important day would admit that his team for this game is also a team still in progress after only having a short period to assemble a stronger team after their late admission to the Scottish League
The game started full of promise for the Warriors who shocked their hosts in only the second minute of the game when Andrew Brand headed home an Iain Thomson corner to make the score one nil. Annan had started slowly as it looked as if the occasion had got to them but they were handed a lifeline in the 5th minute. John Ovenstone was adjudged to have fouled ex-Warrior Darren Johnstone who had not jumped for the ball and from the resulting free kick the ball was flicked on to Mike Jack who guided the ball past Kieron Renton and into the net. The Warriors who had reverted back to their ‘Saturday’ side were hoping that the freshness in the legs would pay dividends against an Annan side that had lost to Dumbarton on penalties in midweek but they struggled to set a high tempo on a tight pitch where the grass was longer than manager John Coughlin would have liked and the game in the main became bogged down in a midfield scrap.
Chances at either end were few and far between with Stenhousemuir only really threatening from corner kicks where home keeper Craig Summersgill was put under pressure. In fact the home side should have taken the lead in the 45th minute when Johnstone latched onto a pass behind the Warrior’s defence but after advancing on goal he dragged his effort wide of the target.
The second half saw the referee Stephen Finnie become card happy after a first half when he had taken no action on the only bad looking challenge of the game he proceeded to produce his cards seven times , most of which were debatable, including a swift double booking for Paul Tyrrell both of which looked harsh that reduced the Stenhousemuir ranks to 10 men just before the hour mark. He continued to frustrate the Warriors contingent when he booked Stevie Ferguson for simulation when he went down in the Annan box though he had appeared to have been clipped only a couple of minutes after Tyrrell’s dismissal.
In some ways the loss of Paul Tyrrell perversely had a positive effect on the Stenhousemuir not through a perceived sense of injustice though that may have played a part but the reduction in numbers created more space and freedom in the congested midfield. This allied to the fact that Annan began to tire after their midweek exploits brought some hope to the Warriors ranks.
Clear openings were still few and far between though but Iain Thomson came closest with an effort that Summersgill tipped round the post for a corner from which the keeper was called into action again this time to save an Ovenstone header.
In the end there was no further scoring and the points were shared. Both sides will have mixed feelings about this but Annan will be glad that the biggest day ever at Galabank did not end in failure and that they can now concentrate on the football and that the media circus will diminish whilst the Warriors know that they can do better but with no team winning their first two games of the season the loss of two points in this game may not have too much of an adverse effect.
Annan Athletic – Summersgill, Brown, Inglis, Hill, Neilson, Jack [b90], Sloan [Adamson 74], Jardine, Archibald, Johnstone and Hoolickin [Grainger 25][b77]. Subs not used – Parker, Watson and Calder.
Stenhousemuir – Renton, Lyle, McGroarty, Smith, Ovenstone [b84], Tyrrell [b52][so 59], Thomson [Motion 85], Ferguson [b62], Dalziel [Hampshire 71], Brand [b89] and Brazil [Gibson 81]. Subs not used – Shirra and Bennett.
Referee – Stephen Finnie
Assistants – John Beaton and Paul Robertson
