Airdrie United v Stenhousemuir at Excelsior Stadium Airdrie on 18.02.12

Irn Bru Scottish Second Division               Att 685

Airdrie United 0 Stenhousemuir 3 [Dickson 4, Smith 47,66]

 

The Warriors went into this game with a depleted squad with a number of the regular starting eleven missing through suspension, injury or illness. Iain Thomson stepped back into the centre half role for Ross McMillan and Alan Lawson took the left back berth. In midfield Brown Ferguson moved into the middle with Paul McHale whilst Jamie Campbell making his first start for some time was playing wide on the right and playing a more attacking role so the forward line especially in the early stages saw three up front. Gary Smith who had scored his first goal last week made his first start in place of Andy Rodgers.

 

With these changes it was going to be a chance for those players who were on the fringes of the team to show what they were made of against an Airdrie team that had already beat the Warriors twice this season.

 

Thankfully for manager David Irons the players came through the game with flying colours and gave him a difficult selection process for future matches.

 

It did help that Stenhousemuir got off to a flying start taking the lead in only the fourth minute of the game. Willie Lyle didn’t control the ball cleanly whilst attacking but Jamie Campbell managed to get the ball before it crossed the bye line and whipped in a cross to Sean Dickson who from 14 yards out swept a sweet shot past Grant Adam and into the net.

This gave the Warriors and in particular Campbell confidence and he proceeded to have probably his best game for the club giving Airdrie veteran Paul Lovering some awkward moments.

 

Airdrie could and probably should have equalised in 15 minutes through route one football when a long kick out by Adam was flicked on by John Boyle to Willie McLaren but he shot wide of the target with only the keeper to beat. Ally Brown did well in the situation to make the target area smaller and force the error.  

 

Although Airdrie huffed and puffed during the first half they were intent on changing things around at the start of the second with a double substitution. They were unable to get into their stride however before they fell further behind. Stewart Kean was gifted the ball after two Airdrie players collided with each other and he seized the opportunity by playing a quick pass to Gary Smith who tapped the ball into the net.

 

Last season the Warriors threw a lead away at Airdrie but it was not to be the case this time as they extended the margin to three goals in the 66^th minute. Gary Smith was deemed to have beat the offside trap and duly slotted the ball past Adam. This brought about an angry reaction from the Airdrie players and Kieran Stallard was booked for his protests. The referee seemed to indicate that Smith had indeed been offside but had came back on before the ball was released to him and was therefore all right.

 

With 11 minutes of the game left Kieran Anderson came off the substitutes bench for his debut and in the short time he was on the pitch gave a cameo of what he is capable of including a decent move to release Sean Dickson whose strike went just over the bar. Dickson left the pitch before the end having taken a knock and he was replaced by Joe McCafferty who is another young  player hoping to make an impact as the season progresses.

 

In the closing stages United struck the crossbar through a Graeme Owens effort but they rarely threatened against a resolute Stenhousemuir side that deserved to be the first visiting team to have a clean sheet at Airdrie in the league this season.

 

All in all this was a good day for the Warriors and indeed a historic one as it was the first time that Stenhousemuir have beaten Airdrie United at the Excelsior Stadium and indeed the first time that Stenhousemuir have won a game in Airdrie since August 1938 when they defeated Airdrieonians.

 

Airdrie United – Adam, Blockley, Lovering [Sally 78], Stallard [b66], Lilley [b53], Lynch, Bain [Holmes h/t], Stevenson, Boyle [Owens h/t], Donnelly and McLaren. Subs not used – Lamie and Duncan

 

Stenhousemuir – Brown, Lyle, Lawson, Thomson, Devlin, Campbell [Anderson 79], Ferguson, McHale [b60], Kean, Smith and Dickson [McCafferty 88]. Subs not used – J.Hamilton, Rodgers and Diamond

 

Referee – Mike Tumilty               Assistants – Charlie Smith and Paul O’Neill