Stenhousemuir v East Fife at Ochilview Park, Stenhousemuir on 02.10.10

Irn Bru Scottish Second Division                  

Att 679

Stenhousemuir            1 [Murray 66] 

East Fife 1 [Ovenstone 50]

 

With the injury of Scott Dalziel requiring time out there was one change to the Stenhousemuir team that had started the previous two games. The change was the return of Stevie Murray to the starting eleven and he was to be a key factor in a drawn match that for the first hour looked to see all three points heading to Fife.

 

East Fife started the game with clear intent taking the game to their hosts and within 40 seconds Willie Lyle had to make a fine block on Lloyd Young to prevent the Fifers taking the lead. Their only reward for this effort being a corner kick which was the first of 13 awarded to them in the game.

 

The Warrior’s struggled to get into the game though it could have been a different story if Paul Quinn had connected with an overhead kick from a Grant Anderson cross but the striker just failed to get a touch on it.

 

Ally Brown had to come to Stenhousemuir’s rescue to save an effort with his legs after Gary Thom had been easily beaten in the danger area. This effort after 8 minutes was a sign of things to come in what seemed an eternity of a first half for the Warriors faithful who saw their team rarely create an opening whilst just surviving at the other end.

 

Kurtis Byrne who has been prolific recently saw an effort flash just wide in the 18^th minute when he would have expected to score and he had another effort saved in 24 minutes. When Young played Stevie Hislop through on the half hour but the East Fife captain was denied by a superb Brown save to keep the scores level.

 

There was a further let off when a David Muir effort looked to be goal bound but was accidently blocked by Young and just to frustrate the East Fife support the flag then went up as Young was deemed to be offside.

 

Michael Brown made his first save in the 39^th minute when he got behind an Iain Thomson shot that had dipped through a crowded area and the keeper had to be alert to make the save after having had little to do.

 

The second half started with more promise for the Warriors with Grant Anderson just missing the target from a Murray cross that had been flicked on. It would have not counted though as the flick on had meant that Anderson was played offside. A minute later Willie Lyle came close with a curling effort after a surging run and one two. The bright start came to a resounding halt in the 50^th minute when a free kick by Robert Sloan was headed home by ex-Warrior John Ovenstone.

 

Gradually though the Warriors came back into the game and they equalised in the 66^th minute through Murray who dispatched a ball by Pat Scullion in the far corner of the net. This gave the home side a major lift and they came close to taking the lead within minutes as they at last began to pressurise the Fifers with Murray instrumental in almost every aspect of the play. Gary Thom was unlucky to see a header go just past the post in 69 minutes.

 

Although Stenhousemuir certainly had the better of the latter stages of the game and were unfortunate on a number of occasions to take the lead they still had to be wary of the Fifers who still held a threat and indeed Bobby Linn came close with a free kick that Ally Brown did well to touch just wide with six minutes left.

 

With three minutes to go a Stenhousemuir breakaway from an East Fife corner almost brought about a winner for the home side when Stevie Murray hit a long pass to Grant Anderson on the right flank and when his cross was met by Paul Quinn a goal looked to be the final outcome but the Warrior’s striker was to be thwarted by a superb save from Michael Brown to keep the scores level.

 

Stenhousemuir –Brown, Lyle, Thom, Gibb [b41], Smith, I.Thomson, Anderson, Scullion, Quinn, Motion and Murray. Subs not used – Fusco, Clark, S.Thomson, Stirling and McLennan

 

East Fife – Brown, Muir, Durie, Campbell, Murdoch [b69], Ovenstone, Sloan [Linn 72], Byrne [Crawford 78], Hislop, Young and Johnstone. Subs not used – Baillie, Cargill and Smart,

 

Referee – Gary Hilland          

Assistants – Brian Templeton and Graham Fraser