Match Report

MATCH REPORTS

Stenhousemuir v Raith Rovers at Ochilview Park, Stenhousemuir on 06.04.19

SPFL Ladbrokes League One              Att 784

Stenhousemuir 1 [McGuigan 58] Raith Rovers  1 [Buchanan 90]

Stenhousemuir – Smith, Reid, Donaldson, Neill, Marsh. Ferry, McGuigan, Munro, Dingwall [Gibbons 90], McBrearty and Hurst [Cook 77]. Subs not used – McMinn, Duthie, Ross, Halleran and Dickson.

Raith Rovers – Thomson [Lyness 74], Crane, Murray, Gillespie, Wedderburn, Nisbet, Flanagan, McKay [b77], Barjonas, McGuffie [Matthew s 64] and Gullan [Buchanan 64]. Subs not used – Davidson, Tait, Watson and Bowie.

Referee – Gavin Duncan        Assistants – Colin McAlpine and David McKniff.

Prior to this game Raith Rovers had won all three matches between the clubs this season and were hoping to complete a clean sweep of victories. For both sides though a win was vital with Stenhousemuir needing a victory to try and climb off the bottom of the league whilst Raith had to win to have any realistic chance of winning the league title.

The Muirites started positively and had Raith on the back foot for much of the first half and although they created a number of openings they lacked the killer pass in the last third to make their play count and it was Raith who came closest to opening the scoring in the 37^th minute when a Nathan Flanagan strike from close range was stopped by Graeme Smith for a corner at the near post.

Eventually the home side scored the opening goal when Greg Hurst and Mark McGuigan combined with the latter cushioning a header into McGuigan’s path and the striker fired past Robbie Thomson for his 14^th league goal this season. Moments later the ex-Warrior produced a fine save to deny Russell Dingwall but that was to be his last save of the game as in the 67^th minute he went down with a cruciate ligament injury that needed lengthy treatment before he was replaced.

The break in play seemed to affect Stenhousemuir more than Raith who in the latter stages of the game were involved in most of the attacking moves. Throughout the game their main threat had come from set plays but when they eventually equalised in the third minute of stoppage time it was through a Stenhousemuir error rather than incisive play. Morgyn Neill sliced a clearance towards his own goal that Graeme Smith could only parry out and Liam Buchanan took full advantage to fire home.

This goal was a blow for the home side and also for Arbroath who were about to celebrate winning the title after they had won at home to Montrose and they had to put the champagne on ice for another week at least. The reaction of both sets of players told the story as neither team would have been happy to get a draw and for the Warriors to concede so late must have felt like a body blow again.