Match Report

Stranraer v Stenhousemuir at Stair Park, Stranraer on 7.11.15

Ladbrokes League One                  Att 414

Stranraer 1 [Thomson 90] – Stenhousemuir 2 [Gilhaney 18, Scotland 56]

The Warriors made the long journey to Stranraer buoyed up by their comeback against Peterhead and therefore were hoping to carry that form into this game. Stranraer in contrast have struggled at home scoring only two goals in the league prior to this game and thus were lacking in confidence.

This may have had a bearing on team selections with Stenhousemuir sticking to the same starting eleven whilst Stranraer saw three players making their home debut with Jamie McCluskey who had played at Ayr the previous week joined by Liam Dick on loan from Falkirk and Argentinean Luciano Nequecaur.

Stenhousemuir showed their positive intentions at the start and after Jim Paterson tested David McGurn with a free kick in the third minute Jamie McCormack saw his header from the resultant corner rebound off the post.

Two minutes later Jamie Barclay was called into action to save from Ryan Thomson after the Stranraer player’s initial shot was blocked by Stuart Malcolm. The meetings between the clubs this season had been wars of attrition but this one was more open at the start and the visitors came close once again in the seventh minute when Alan Cook made an opening with a dribble but his right footed shot went wide though Colin McMenamin just failed to get a touch at the back post. Stranraer then had efforts from Nequecaur and Scott Robertson just miss the target before the deadlock was broken in the 18^th minute. Jason Scotland was picked out on the left flank and he held off his marker before sliding the ball into the middle for Mark Gilhaney who took a touch to steady himself before tucking the ball into the net for his first league goal for the Warriors. As the game progressed Stranraer struggled to break through a well organised Stenhousemuir team who were battling in every position but it was inevitable that some chances would accrue. Scott Rumsby will have felt that he should have done better than fire over after being picked out by a cross from the right and in  the last minute of the half an even better chance was squandered when a dipping effort by McCluskey was only pushed out by Barclay to Craig Pettigrew who shot over the bar with the whole of the goal to aim for. Nevertheless despite these scares Stenhousemuir went in to the interval with a deserved lead.

After a couple of poor efforts by Stranraer to get on level terms the Warriors extended their lead in the 56^th minute. Jim Paterson won a header from a Stranraer throw in and Paul Cairney misjudged his clearance, Gilhaney showed a burst of pace to pounce on the ball and square it to Scotland who from 12 yards struck a powerful drive into the bottom corner of the net to make it 2-0.

Stranraer’s attempts to get back into the game were usually from distance or wayward as Stenhousemuir rarely gave them time to settle and the Warriors efforts were typified by a chance that they created out of nothing in the 74^th minute when Kieran Millar scrapped for the ball before passing to Cook who made a surging run nefore picking out McMenamin but his strike was blocked by a superb block by Pettigrew.

Just as the game went past the 90 minutes Stranraer reduced the deficit with Andy Stirling accelerating down the right before crossing for Ryan Thomson to bundle home. In the end though Stenhousemuir were victorious for their first away league win this season and a well deserved one at that. 

Stranraer – McGurn, Robertson, Pettigrew, Dick, Rumsby, Thomson [b35]. Cairney, McGuigan [Longworth 65], McCluskey [McCloskey 80], Stirling and Nequecaur [b49][Keenan 84]. Subs not used – Currie, Aitken, Barron and Turner.

Stenhousemuir [Barclay, McCormack, Paterson, Malcolm, Meechan [b75], Stirling [b57][Marenghi 67], Gilhaney, Millar, McMenamin, Scotland [Small 86] and Cook [Henderson 80]. Subs not used – Murray, McCroary, Mazana ans S. Robertson.

Referee – Alan Newlands            Assistants – Lloyd Wilson and Ross Menzies