Match Report

MATCH REPORTS

Elgin City v Stenhousemuir at Borough Briggs, Elgin on 17.08.19

SPFL Ladbrokes League Two             Att 738

Elgin City 0 Stenhousemuir 1 [A.Munro 68]

Elgin City – McHale, Wilson [McGowan 82], Spark, McDonald [b90], Bronsky, Dingwall, Cooper, MacEwan, Hester [b23], Sutherland and McKay [Wills 42][Sopel 69]. Subs not used – Scott, Ballam and Hoban.

Stenhousemuir – Smith, McKernon, Marsh [b74], Dykes, Gibbons [b6][Halleran 80], McGuigan, Cook, McLaughlin, Scullion [O’Neil 57], A.Munro [b37] and Anderson [Watters 65]. Subs not used – Marley and M.Munro.

Referee – Craig Napier          Assistants – Stewart Stevenson and Paul Timmons

The Warriors have not had a good record at Boroughbriggs in recent years but on this occasion they came back home with a well deserved three points after this single goal victory over Elgin City.

Manager Colin McMenamin made several changes to the starting eleven from the team that had won in the Challenge Cup during the week. Graeme Smith, Dylan Dykes, Mark McGuigan and Andy Munro all coming into the team. David Hopkirk would also have probably returned as well but was absent through ill health.

Elgin had been free scoring going into this match as highlighted by their five goals against Brechin City in midweek when Kane Hester scored a hat-trick and with Shane Sutherland also a patent threat it was important that they were kept quiet and to their credit the Stenhousemuir defensive unit limited the chances from the home side.

The home side were missing several players including Rabin Omar who was on international duty with Iraq Under 23s.

In the opening exchanges Stenhousemuir came closest to scoring through a dipping shot by Kieran Anderson that went just over the bar. Defences in the main though were on top and Thomas McHale was the first to be called into action to parry a shot out for the corner in the 12^th minute. The keeper then did well to block a Mark McGuigan effort in the 20^th minute.

Elgin were rarely seen as a creative force but they did set up a good opportunity for Hester in  the 28^th minute but the striker fired wide of the target. A late challenge by Stephen Bronsky on Graeme Smith went unpunished and would have possibly been the main talking point of the half, however in the last minute of the first period Daniel McKay was stretchered off the pitch. He had taken a knock a couple of minutes earlier but it was a surprise when he left with what was diagnosed as a broken ankle.

Slack play by Andy McDonald was pounced on by McGuigan just after the resumption and the striker strode forward but his cross-cum-shot went across goal without the reward that his early initiative possibly deserved.

Rory MacEwan fired just wide at the other end just after the hour mark. The closest to a goal though came when McDonald almost sliced the ball into his own net with the keeper stranded. Elgin managed to clear the resultant corner but Stenhousemuir kept possession and Alan Cook whipped a cross into the danger area which caused problems and when the ball fell to Andy Munro the captain pounced to tuck the ball home.

Shortly after this Bronsky had a powerful strike deflected wide and in the latter stages there were a few dangerous crosses into the Stenhousemuir box. There were no real worries for Graeme Smith though and over the 90 minutes he didn’t have a shot to save which says everything about the game.