Match Report

Stenhousemuir v Airdrie United at Ochilview Park, Stenhousemuir on 7.4.12

Irn Bru Scottish Second Division               Att 903

Stenhousemuir  0 Airdrie United 3 [Lynch 6, McLaren 45, Blockley 81]

Stenhousemuir – Brown, N.Devlin, McKinlay [M.Devlin 67], Murray [Paton 60], McMillan, Thomson, Ferguson, Rodgers [Deuchar 60], Kean, Millar [b57] and Anderson. Subs not used – Lyle and Shaw

Airdrie United – Adam, McNeil, Lamie, McDonald [b30], Lilley, Stallard, Bain [Blockley 78], Lynch [b39][so 90], Holmes [Boyle 84], Donnelly [b42] and McLaren [Stevenson 72]. Subs not used –Sally and Duncan

Referee – Brian Winter               Assistants – Gary Sweeney and Steven Nicholls

This was a vital game for both sides as they fought for the last play-off spot but it was the visitors that took the spoils. The tone of the game was set in the opening stages with the Warriors squandering a chance in the second minute when Stewart Kean met a long ball but with time headed weakly past the post when he should have done better.

Airdrie showed how it should be done in the 6^th minute when a block tackle feel to Sean Lynch 8 yards out and he showed awareness to curl the ball past Ally Brown and into the net.. Kean had athother chance in the 16^th minute when he was picked out by a Nicky Devlin pass but his first time strike was comfortable for Grant Adam.

In the 21^st minute a clever pass by Andy Rodgers played Grant Anderson through and as he was about to be shoot was tackled by the keeper who looked to go in with two feet. The tackle was deemed fair and the Warriors had to make do with a corner instead.

A penalty was awarded at the other end though in the 28^th minute that came from the category of being soft in the extreme when Iain Thomson was adjudged to have pushed Ryan Donnelly but justice was done when Willie McLaren crashed the penalty off the crossbar.

As the game progressed the Warriors had plenty of the play but struggled to get any penetration and although Airdrie saw both Cameron McDonald and Sean Lynch booked for challenges on Kieran Millar they were dealing with any threat fairly comfortably.

Indeed it was the visitors that extended their lead in the last minute of the half with a well executed freekick after Stewart Kean was adjudged to have raised his foot too high to intercept the ball. Although the Airdrie player fouled had his head dipped and came on the blind side of Kean it was a more marginal decision than the irate Stenhousemuir contingent thought. Lynch made a short pass to McLaren who fired into the net and atoned for his earlier penalty miss.

Stenhousemuir tried to get back into the game at the start of the second half but apart from an Anderson effort that was saved it rarely looked as if they would get back into the game. Indeed Airdrie were unlucky not to extend their lead on the hour mark when Derek Holmes headed the ball onto Ryan Donnelly who had got the wrong side of Ross McMillan and his deft chip beat Ally Brown  but the crossbar came to Stenhousemuir’s rescue.

Airdrie did eventually score their third goal in the 81^st minute when a Nathan Blockley cross cum shot drifted over Ally Brown and into the net. This was the youngster’s second league goal of his career and Stenhousemuir seem to be his favourite team as his first was also against the Warriors. In fact both goals have came within minutes of his coming on as a sub.

There was no way back after this and Stenhousemuir didn’t look capable of threatening to make a breakthrough until the last minute of the game. Sean Lynch was dismissed for his second caution following a handball and from the resultant free kick Eric Paton crossed into the middle for Michael Devlin whose header came off the bar.

In the end however Airdrie were deserving winners and leapfrogged Stenhousemuir in the league and with East Fife also winning the Warriors dropped to sixth in the league and now have a three point gap between them and the two aforementioned clubs as well as a diminishing goal difference.