Match Report

MATCH REPORT

Brechin City v Stenhousemuir at Glebe Park, Brechin on 30.11.19

SPFL Ladbrokes League Two             Att 401

Brechin City 1 [McCord 50] Stenhousemuir 2 [Cook 17, Dykes 70]

Brechin City – McMinn, Reekie, McIntosh, Brown [Crawford 83], Hill [b85], Page, Hamilton, Allan, McManus, McCord and Inglis [b45][Ngoy 75][b79]. Subs – Duncanson, McLaughlin, Watt, Knox and Sinclair

Stenhousemuir – Smith, Armstrong [b40], Marsh, Dykes, Hopkirk [McBride 90], Cook, McLaughlin [b73], Blair, A.Munro, Tiffoney [b79] and Biabi [McGuigan 85]. Subs – Terry [t], O’Neil, M.Munro, Scullion and Potter.

Referee – Steven Kirkland     Assistants – Andrew McWilliam and Kieran Trayner.

After a run of defeats it was vital that the Warriors got something out of this game against the bottom of the league side. Brechin were keen to get the game played and an appeal to cover the pitch to stop the frost penetrating had been successful and thus the game was given the all clear on the Saturday morning. The run off areas and areas for corner kicks were not ideal and the pitch was kicking up frost but the referee Steven Kirkland took a pragmatic approach to the situation allowing the game to start whilst monitoring the situation.

Three Stenhousemuir players were making their league debut although Jonathan Tiffoney had played in the Challenge Cup against Partick Thistle. This was the first time though that Ryan Blair and Botti Biabi wore the Warriors strip after their international clearance came through with Blair last featuring for Little Rock Rangers in the USA and Biabi with Ebbsfleet United in England.

The home side started the game with promise and were certainly the brighter side with Ryan McCord and Ollie Hamilton creating a couple of decent chances for each other. The Warriors though were gradually get into the game and they took the lead in the 17^th minute when a Tiffoney shot was saved by Lewis McMinn but the ex-Warrior was unable to stop Alan Cook scoring from the rebound which took a slight deflection as it entered the net.

The keeper then had to make saves from Biabi, Cook and Andy Munro before the end of the half as the visitors grew in confidence as the game progressed.  They will have been unhappy to go into the interval just a goal ahead and this feeling would have been exacerbated when another slow start was punished with Brechin equalising five minutes after t he resumption. Hamilton taking full advantage of poor defending to cross to McCord who headed home via a deflection.

Biabi looked as if he had put Stenhousemuir ahead again a minute later when he proved to be stronger than his marker to get into the danger area and stroke the ball into the net but the referee felt that he had fouled whilst winning the ball and the goal was disallowed.

The Warriors though were to have the final say though when Dylan Dykes scored his first goal for the club with a shot that flashed across goal and went in via the inside of the post and marked a good days work for the midfielder who probably had been seen more in an attacking sense than all season. And thus the Warriors picked up a vital three points to put some distance between themselves and Brechin and hopefully lift the confidence in the team.