2Match Report
Stenhousemuir 2 [Motion 48, Diack 76]
Albion Rovers 0
After the victory over Berwick Rangers the previous week manager John Coughlin kept faith in the same starting eleven as they tried to win back to back games for the first time since September.
Their opponents Albion Rovers despite beating Stenhousemuir at Ochilview in the Challenge Cup in July have lost their three league encounters this season.
The first half of the game saw the Warriors though not in full control create the better chances throughout as Rovers failed to have a shot at goal. The Warriors however were a bit shot shy as well in the first 45 minutes as they struggled to create many chances. A number of their openings were thwarted not by the Albion Rovers defence but by the assistant referee flagging for offside mainly against Iain Diack. Indeed the striker became frustrated at the state of affairs and was cautioned for booting the ball away after one decision too many not to go his way. The only time that he was given the benefit of the doubt by the assistant he bore down on goal but was to be denied by Jamie Ewings who pushed the ball out for a corner. The resultant corner was cleared only to Craig Molloy and he picked out Gary Thom with his cross but the defender who is usually so good in the air was unable to get any power into his header and it was comfortably saved by the keeper. A minute later Marc Pollok got behind the home defence but his cross was cleared before any dangerous situation developed. Rovers came close to scoring in the 41st minute as an attempted clearance by Kevin Motion sliced off his foot a hand to be tipped round the post by an alert Scott Bennett. With practically the last move of the half Stenhousemuir should have taken the lead when Robert Love beat the offside trap to latch onto an Alan Brazil through ball but the striker saw his shot drift just wide when a goal looked the more likely outcome.
After failing to score in the first half the Warriors soon made amends with a Kevin Motion free kick in 48 minutes that was stroked into the net from about 20 yards out. This came a minute after Diack had a shot saved by Ewings.
In the 54th minute of the game Albion Rovers created their only chance of the game when a solo effort from Pollok deserved a better reward after winning the ball on the halfway line he strode forwards and after holding off challenges by Alan Reid and Jordan Smith he fired in a powerful shot that Scott Bennett managed to tip onto the post.
The Warriors seemed to take notice of that threat and tried to get the all important second goal. Love pinged an effort over the bar from just outside the box in the 61st minute and he set up Diack in the 73rd minute but once again the chance was missed as Diack’s lob went over the bar. It was not a good day for the striker at that point as on another day he could have had a hat-trick but he did not hide away and in the 76th minute he eventually got his name on the scoresheet when he gathered a ball over the top of the Rovers defence by Chris McLeod and after taking a touch drilled the ball past the keeper and into the net.
With five minutes to go the Warriors almost made it three when a Motion corner caused problems in the opposition defence and McLeod had an effort cleared off the line by Bobby Barr.
The 2-0 score though was one that everyone would have taken before the game and with the two teams that had been tied on points with Stenhousemuir both losing points it was a good day for the Warriors.
Stenhousemuir – Bennett, Lyle [b89], Reid, Thom, McLeod, Smith, Love [Brand 88], Molloy, Diack [b28] [Dalziel 80], Brazil and Motion.
Subs not used – Stirling, Thomson and Renton
Albion Rovers – Ewings, Reid, Fleming, R.Walker, McGowan, C.Donnelly, Crozier [Harris 75], McKeown, Pollok, Barr and Adam.
Subs not used – Andreoni, McGoldrick, Ferry and D.Scott
Referee – Anthony Law Assistants – Neil McLennan and Andrew Dallas
