SHIRE 0 STENHOUSEMUIR 3

Shire were dealt a harsh lesson by title favourites Stenhousemuir in their first game of 2009.

The Warriors scored three times, with their only three shots on target, while managing to hold off all Shire attempts at a comeback. The game was won, and lost, in the space of just two minutes.

After 35 minutes of disappointing sparring Scott Dalziel took advantage of a mistake in  the Shire defence to pounce for the opening goal. And Kevin Motion scored the second goal after Shire had failed to clear their lines. It turned out to be a handicap the home team, despite their best efforts, could not overcome.

Dalziel’s second goal, on 69 minutes, was more the consequence of Shire trying to get back into the game rather than Stenhousemuir’s superiority, but it only added to the gloom.

Eddie Forrest began his two match suspension after going over the 18 point disciplinary limit and so Craig Tully slipped back into the central defensive role with Michael Bolochoweckyj.

There was a recall for Sean Anderson in the defensive midfield role, while David Dunn took up his normal place at left-back despite suffering a broken wrist in the match against Cowdenbeath two weeks previously.

Jamie Barclay’s loan deal from Falkirk was still left unresolved, so trialist Barry-John Corr took over in goal. The former Celtic and Stranraer keeper had been out of football since last season but had recently tuned out for junior side Yoker Athletic.

Neither keeper had much to do in a tentative first ten minutes, although Andy Rodgers’ pace did cause a few anxious moments in the visitors’ rearguard. The Warriors, likewise, had few early opportunities to use their favoured weapons from setpieces.

The first real action in a strangely tame opening fifteen minutes was provided by referee John McKendrick, who booked Dean Richardson for a foul on Willie Lyle. The first shot at goal by either side came on 17 minutes but Kevin Motion’s effort from 25 yards was so wide it was closer to the corner flag than the frame of the goal.

Paul Hay became the second Shire player to enter the referee’s notebook on 26 minutes for a foul on Andrew Brand and not long after the game got its first corner kick although Gary Thom’s header from Motion’s flag kick lacked pace and direction.

Shire carved out their first real opening on the half hour. A decent exchange of passes set Richardson in behind the Warriors’ defence but his cross was headed clear with Brian Graham lurking at the back post.

The visitors took the lead out of the blue on 35 minutes. Craig Tully failed to deal with a huge clearance from Warriors keeper Scott Bennett and that was enough to let Scott Dalziel clean through on goal and he found the back of the net from ten yards out.

There were bigger problems just two minutes later when the home defence failed to cut out an Andy Shirra cross and Motion hooked a shot past Shire’s trialist keeper from six yards.

Shire responded as the fans would have liked and on 38 minutes Dunn’s corner was headed powerfully towards goal by Tully but Bennett pulled off a wonderful save to keep the ball out of the net.

Graham then cracked in a curling shot from the edge of the box that Ovenstone deflected wide for a corner. There was chaos in the Warriors box from the resulting corner and Rodgers collected the ball and fired it towards goal but again Bennett produced a fantastic save to stop a goal.

Less than a minute into the second half Donaldson floated a free-kick in which Rodgers headed just over the bar. Three minutes Rodgers had an even better chance after getting in behind the defence but hit his shot from the edge of the box just too high.

Coach Jim McInally decided there was no point trying to play out the game and sent on substitutes Colin Cramb and Marc McKenzie to try and add some menace to the team’s attacking intent.

But the withdrawal of Paul Hay and Dean Richardson carried a degree of risk that the Warriors would simply pick Shire off on the break. And that threat became reality on 69 minutes when a swift exchange of passes saw Stenhousemuir race upfield and when Andrew Brand crossed from the right Dalziel had an easy enough time in prodding the ball into the net for a third goal.

Shire still had plenty of possession one facet of the game they did dominate. And they certainly didn’t lack anything in spirit but only once, ten minutes from the end, when Rodgers fired a cross from McKenzie off the post with Bennett beaten did they look like scoring.

SHIRE : Trialist, Hay(McKenzie 57), Dunn, Donaldson, Bolochoweckyj, Tully, Anderson(Kelly 73), Ure, Graham, Richardson(Cramb 57), Rodgers.

STENHOUSEMUIR : Bennett, Lyle, Thom, Smith, Ovenstone, Thomson, Ferguson, Dalziel, Brand(Connolly 81), Shirra.

REFEREE : J. McKendrick

ATTENDANCE : 814.