MONTROSE 0 SHIRE 2

Shire put the long-running Montrose hoodoo to bed and moved into third place in the league table thanks to a 2-0 victory at Links Park.

Second half goals from Jamie Stevenson and Colin Cramb capped a superb defensive performance from the team who had to soak up pressure from the home team while Montrose had the advantage of a strong wind at their backs.

But after the change around it was Shire who bossed the match and that was reflected early bon when Stevenson swept home Andy Rodgers’ cross.

There could have been more goals before substitute Marc McKenzie played Cramb clear in injury time to score with a low shot past Tony Bullock.

There was a recall to the starting eleven for Craig Tully at the heart of the defence with Sean Anderson missing out. The rest of the personnel selected saw service the previous week against Elgin City but the formation was changed.

Stevenson joined Cramb as a twin-pronged strike force with Brian Graham and Rogers employed wide in midfield. The back four featured Derek Ure at left-back and, with a very strong wind in their faces, they were quickly under pressure.

In just the second minute a right-wing cross provided Hunter with an opportunity but his header from just six yards was pushed wide of target by Mark Peat. That heralded a flurry of corners for the home team but no real clear-cut chances for Mark Peat to deal with.

Michael Bolochoweckyj and Tully dealt brilliantly with an airbourne barrage of crosses, especially from Steven Bradley, and generally there was little real threat of conceding the opening strike.

Not that Shire were seen too much in an attacking sense. Graham broke clear down the left early on but sent his shot across the face of goal and wide. A great Rodgers run from deep ended with him being upended near the box but Cramb’s free-kick from fully 35 yards was well over the crossbar.

The travelling supporters had to wait until 39 minutes to see their team test the Montrose keeper when Stevenson took a reverse pass in his stride, cut inside a defender and shot but Bullock made a comfortable save.

Montrose tried pumping more high balls into the box but that produced no real danger for Peat, who was happy to clutch them out of the sky or let his two central defenders deal with them.

The blank scoreline at the interval reflected a 45 minutes where neither side created much in the way of real scoring opportunities. Shire’s approach during the first period was, to be fair, hardly adventurous but that was to change after the interval when they had the elements in their favour.

Stevenson tested Bullock within three minutes of the restart with a shot that almost crept in at the back post but the Englishman scrambled across his goalmouth to fall gratefully on the ball.

The former Ross County goalie was then in the right place at the right time to push a Bolochowevkyj header from Stevenson’s corner round the post. Shire were starting to look dangerous and the travelling fans had something to celebrate on 51 minutes.

Derek Ure’s diagonal ball sent Rodgers scampering down the right and he was allowed to swing over a cross which the in-rushing Stevenson  threw himself at it to connect with and fire the ball into the net from six yards. The on-loan Morton man got himself some carpet burns on the plastic surface for his troubles but he was soon prompting Shire to better things.

Montrose, meanwhile, were failing to make much of an impression on the Shire defence who turned keeping them at arms-length of Peat’s goal. Referee Gary Hilland then booked Paul Hay and Rodgers in quick succession as the game got bitty, although the visitors never looked under too much pressure.

McKenzie came on and his pace troubled the Montrose back line, which was starting to look under pressure as the rest of the team committed more to attack.

Squib really ought to have finished the game off just a few minutes from the end when he was played clean through on goal. He did everything perfectly until his final shot which he tried to slip under Bullock’s  body, except the home keeper got enough on it to divert the ball wide.

McKenzie had better luck as a provider. His clever flick played Cramb through on goal in injury time and this time the Shire striker showed his teammate how it should be done, beating the diving keeper from six yards.

MONTROSE : Bullock, Hegarty, Pope, Davidson, Tweed, Crighton, Gibson, Buchan, Black(Stewart 75), Hunter, Bradley(Nicol 72).

SHIRE : Peat, Hay, Ure, Tully, Bolochoweckyj, Weaver, Donaldson, Stevenson(McKenzie 73), Cramb, Graham(Dunn 89), Rodgers(Kelly 78).

REFEREE : G. Hilland.

ATTENDANCE : 400.