Match Report

Match Report by Scott Gallacher, Communications Officer & Reporter

Stenhousemuir booked their place in the next round of the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup with a commanding 4-1 victory over Clachnacuddin at Ochilview, producing a scintillating first-half display that put the tie beyond doubt before the break.

Gary Naysmith made four changes from last weekend’s win over Peterhead, with Nicky Jamieson, Finlay Gray, Dale Carrick and Oliver Whyte all coming into the matchday squad. Darren Jamieson, Ross Meechan, Oliver Simpson, Gregor Buchanan and Archie Graham all retained their starting places.

The Warriors made the perfect start. With just five minutes played, Michael Anderson collected a loose ball on the edge of the area and forced Mark Ridgers into the first save of the afternoon. The rebound fell kindly, and Anderson made no mistake second time around, drilling his finish into the side netting to make it 1-0.

Seven minutes later, Stenny doubled their advantage in style. A superb delivery into the box from Euan O’Reilly found Ross Taylor unmarked at the back post, and the winger thumped his finish beyond Mark Ridgers to give the Warriors early control.

Stenhousemuir continued their blistering start and almost added a third on 18 minutes when another piercing run from Ross Taylor saw his cross deflect towards Finlay Gray, the ball trickling narrowly wide of the far post.

The relentless pressure paid off again in the 21st minute. A long ball over the top sent Finlay Gray racing through on goal, and the midfielder showed tremendous composure, rounding Mark Ridgers and sliding his finish into the empty net.

Stenny were rampant, and they added a fourth just before the interval. In the 42nd minute, Finlay Gray collected possession in midfield, drove through the heart of the Clach defence, and placed a confident low finish past the visiting ‘keeper to claim his second of the afternoon.

Clachnacuddin threatened for the first time on the stroke of half-time when Allan MacPhee forced Darren Jamieson into a sharp save, but the Warriors took a deserved four-goal cushion into the break.

Half-Time: Stenhousemuir 4-0 Clachnacuddin

Stenny continued to push for a fifth after the break. Ross Taylor twice tested Mark Ridgers from distance, before Mikey Anderson sent an acrobatic scorpion kick narrowly over the bar on 70 minutes.

Clachnacuddin responded with several half-chances of their own, Ben Gardiner twice calling Darren Jamieson into action with efforts from free-kicks and long range, but the Warriors’ keeper was equal to both attempts.

The visitors did eventually pull one back in the 76th minute when Harry Nicolson struck a powerful effort from distance following a set-piece from a free-kick that found the back of the net to make it 4-1.

As the game entered its final stages, a flurry of bookings followed, with Leyton Grant, Ally Gillies, and Copeland Thain all going into the referee’s book.

Stenhousemuir almost restored their four-goal cushion late on, but Finlay Gray, hunting his first senior hat-trick, saw his curling free-kick tipped wide by Ridgers in the 90th minute.

The Warriors closed out the game comfortably to secure a deserved victory and progression to the next round.

Full-Time: Stenhousemuir 4-1 Clachnacuddin

Stenhousemuir: D. Jamieson, Simpson, N. Jamieson (Bilham 63’), Buchanan, Meechan (Cameron 46’), Gray, Grant, Anderson (Whyte 73’), O’Reilly (Ewen 46’), Carrick (Aitken 16’), Taylor

Unused Subs: Graham, Lyle

Clachnacuddin: Ridgers, Nicolson, Meekings, Cormack, MacPhee, Kerr (Thain 56’), Cooper (MacKenzie 73’), Gillies, Gardiner (Coli 83’), Davison (Leszczynski 56’), Anderson (Lawrie 73’)

Unused Subs: Adams, Colligan, MacLeod, Morrison

Bookings: Nicolson 63’, Simpson 65,  Gillies 81’, Grant 80’, Thain 87’

Match Preview

Match Preview by Scott Gallacher, Communications Officer & Reporter

Stenhousemuir return to Ochilview after a run of three consecutive away fixtures for the second month in a row, as the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup gets underway. The Warriors host Highland League side Clachnacuddin, with a 3pm kick-off.

Gary Naysmith’s men head into the tie full of confidence after a superb performance on the road last weekend, defeating Peterhead 4-1 at Balmoor Stadium.

Euan O’Reilly’s early penalty set the tone and had the Warriors 1-0 ahead at the interval. A dominant second-half display followed, with Euan O’Reilly adding his second of the match and Ross Taylor netting himself a brace.

Last month, the visitors played in the North of Scotland Cup Final against Forres Mechanics. Forres pulled off a remarkable comeback to beat Clachnacuddin in the North Cup final, earning their first cup triumph since 2010.

However, Clachnacuddin will arrive at Ochilview in good spirits after a 3-2 win over Inverurie Loco Works last weekend.

Despite trailing at half-time, The Lilywhites produced an impressive turnaround, with James Anderson scoring twice before Kuba Leszczynski added a third in a well-worked move, securing the victory even after being reduced to ten men late on.

A rare fixture in Scottish footballing history, this will be just the third meeting between the sides, with both previous encounters coming in the Scottish Cup and both played at Grant Street Park.

The first meeting came on 28 January 1950, when Stenhousemuir ran out 3-2 winners in the Scottish Cup First Round. The second took place on 29 November 2008 – exactly 17 years ago to the day from this weekend’s tie – when Stenny recorded a comfortable 5-0 victory in the Scottish Cup Third Round.

Looking ahead to Stenhousemuir’s first outing in the competition this season, assistant manager Brown Ferguson said: “They’re sitting top end of the Highland League, they were playing Inverurie today, so we’ll wait and see what that result looks like and get the footage, but we’ll do our homework on them.

“We’ll certainly not be underestimating anything. It was only a couple of seasons ago where we lost in the Scottish Cup to Highland League opposition, so we know how difficult these games can be.

“From our point of view, we’ve had a little… not a stutter, because we’ve been picking up points, but without a few wins. We’ve come out of that with a really strong weekend, but we’ve got to take that confidence into next week and try and impose ourselves on next week’s game.”