New Date For Cowden Game

Shire and Cowdenbeath have agreed a third date for their twice-postponed match. The teams will try again at Firs Park on Tuesday 14th March. The game was postponed for a second time today because parts of the pitch were rock solid after freezing overnight temperatures.

The game should have been played on Boxing Day, but frost put paid to that particular festive fixture. Shire boss, Gordon Wylde was disappointed at the latest setback. "You want to get games on," he told Zebra Diary. "Players and fans are built up for it and it's a disappointment when the game is called off. But parts of the pitch are hard, so it probably was the right decision."

Shire 0 Arbroath 4

A makeshift Shire team succumbed to the club's worst defeat of 2006 so far, after being turned over by a lively and purposeful Arbroath team who could easily have scored more than four.

Manager, Gordon Wylde was left to cobble together a team for this Firs Park encounter. Gary Walsh's well-publicised injury will leave him on the sidelines for three weeks, so he was not considered. Scott Livingstone's infection didn't clear up in time to allow his inclusion, while Mark Tyrrell was only named in the starting eleven after a late fitness test.

The lopsided looking team had Henry Sobolewski on the left side of midfield with Mark Molloy at outside right and Jordan Smith at right-back. But despite the personnel and positional changes, Shire started the better side. Steven Dymock should have given them the lead after just three minutes. Paul Tyrrell's pass put him clean through on goal but the Shire striker's effort was a disaster, shanking the ball wide when it seemed easier to score. After ten minutes Steven Blair's ball picked out Derek Ure and although his lob from the edge of the box was well-executed it was just too high.

Arbroath forced themselves into the game more but they scored with virtually their first chance. Gavin Swankie crossed from the left and it seemed as though Derek Jackson had cut out the danger. But the ball fell free from his grasp and landed at the feet of Kevin McMullan who bundled it over the line. Arbroath never looked back from that moment.

Jackson was saved not long after by his defender. Although the keeper was beaten by efforts from McMulland and Andy Reilly, Jordan Smith and Adam Owen were on hand to clear their netbound efforts off the lne.

Within a minute of the re-start McMullan should have made it 2-0 but he was denied by a point-blank save from Jackson. It was then that Shire enjoyed their only real spell of dominance and they could have levelled from Ure's 18 yard shot which deflected off a visiting player. But keeper Mark Peat made a fine stop with what was his only real save of the game.

Three goals in the last twenty minutes, all from corners did for Shire. The first of the three flag kicks from Jay Stein was headed firmly past Jackson at the near post by Swankie. Two minutes later Stein's effort went all the way through the Shire defence to Robbie Raeside, unmarked at the back post. He drilled tjhe ball home from a tight angle.

Jackson's nightmare afternoon was completed five minutes from the end. He tried to punch clear another Stein corner, but his feeble attempt landed straight at the feet of Scott Taylor, who drilled home the fourth goal.

Shire Complain Over Walsh Tackle

The club is to seek an official explanation over referee Crawford Allan's decision not to send off Berwick's Kevin Haynes following his tackle on Gary Walsh.

A letter has already been sent to the SFA registering a stong protest against the match official's decision. Shire are still seething over the challenge, which seems likely to rule the young Irish midfielder out of the side for some time.

An initial scan of Gary's ankle has already been carried out which shows some ligament damage, although the full extent will not be known until the swelling has gone down. When that happens another assessment will take place. It is extremely unlikely he will be fit in time to play against Arbroath on Saturday.

Wylde Condemns Walsh Tackle

Shire manager Gordon Wylde has condemned as "disgraceful" the tackle which resulted in midfielder Gary Walsh being carried from the Shielfield pitch on a strecher towards the end of the 1-0 defeat against Berwick Rangers.

Walsh was scythed down by Berwick's Kevin Haynes, an offence for which the home centre-forward was only booked. The decision of referee Crawford Allan not to send the striker off amazed Wylde. "You get booked for not retreating ten yards at a free-kick and for jersey pulling. Yet their player commits a disgraceful tackle and he gets the same punishment," he told Zebra Diary.

"He went right through on Gary's ankle which is badly swollen. But it's too early to say whether or not he will be out for any length of time, he may be fit enough to play next week. He's a tough wee Irishman and you expect him to get up even after foul like that, so for him to stay down shows how bad it was."

Wylde was satisfied with his team's effort, but not the result. "I believed we could get something from the game," he said. "We matched them in almost every department, the players worked hard but we didn't have that creative sparkle we needed to get even a point, which is disappointing."

Sub keeper, Ewan Wilson's position has been clarified. He has not signed for the club, it turns out he was only helping the club as a one-off. The search for a back-up for Derek Jackson continues.

Berwick Rangers 1 Shire 0

Three in a row. Well, Shire couldn’t quite manage it. But they tried hard. You certainly can’t fault them for effort. In the end all that separated the teams was a 40th minute penalty, awarded quite correctly after Stephen Oates had fouled Sean Paliczka inside the box. Kevin McLeish made short work of the spot kick and that was the three points pretty much down the drain.
Shire had several handicaps to contend with, though. Before kick off, Mark Tyrrell, the mainstay of the Shire defence, was ruled out with an ankle injury and half an hour into the match Steven Blair was forced off, which forced an internal re-organisation and Gary Walsh was carried off on a stretcher after a disgraceful challenge from Berwick’s Kevin Haynes who should have been sent-off.
Shire did at least carve out the game’s first opening. On ten minutes Steven Dymock flicked on Adam Owen’s long ball into the path of Carl Thywissen. The Big Norwegian forced Gary O’Connor into good save but his effort would have been in vain as the linesman had his flag up for offside.
Berwick aren’t second in the division for nothing and they put the visitors under the cosh midway through the second half. But they failed to show any composure in front of goal.
The home team kept winning free-kicks around the Shire box but could do nothing with them.
It seemed as though the game was heading for a goalless stalemate at the interval when Oates gave away his rather needless penalty box foul McLeish sent Jackson the wrong way.
Shire started the second half positively, Derek Ure bore down n goal but his shot was deflected back into the arms of O’Connor.
Then PaulTyrrell tried his luck from long range but shot wide. Gary Walsh was teasing Berwick dfown the rght nd he sent over one delightful cross but he couldn’t find any takers in the centre.
That said Berwick had one or two close things and Greenhill ought to have scored when clean through but blazed his shot over the bar.
The second was pretty much a repeat of the first half with Berwick having plenty of possession with no end product while Shire could not find a way over the half way line.
It was not much of a spectacle. Shire’s unbeaten run is at an end and more importantly, Gordon Wylde, has an injury list he could have done without.

Berwick Rangers Preview

Gordon Wylde will have a fuller than usual squad to choose from for the trip to Shielfield. Gary Walsh, who missed last week's win at East Fife, has recovered from his ankle injury and will play. Of those injured at Bayview, both Derek Jackson and Mark Molloy are restored to health and are in the squad. Jordan Smith, a substitute at East Fife, will make his first start for Shire since the 4-0 home defeat against Queen's Park on December 13th, following his return to fitness from a recurring hamstring problem. Scott Livingstone won't play after picking up a mystery virus during the week and neither Andrew Brand or Jamie MacKay, both out long-term, will be considered.

Keeper Crisis Resolved

Former Shire keeper, Ewan Wilson, has re-joined the Firs Park club as back-up for Derek Jackson. Manager Gordon Wylde made the move to avoid a repeat of the potential crisis at East Fife, where a clealy injured Jackson had to hobble around his goal in pain after injuring his calf muscle simply because there was no-one on the subs bench to replace him.

Ewan has a fair bit of experience having played senior with Shire and East Fife and in the juniors with Lithlithgow Rose among others. He is now a serving officer with Central Scotland Police, and is the force's current number one keeper and helped them to win the Scottish Police Championship last year. He will travel with the team to Berwick on Saturday although Jackson is expected to start the match.

From The Training Ground

Shire manager, Gordon Wylde, remains "confident" at the team's chances of taking at least a point from the trip to Berwick Rangers this weekend. Despite the injuries sustained by Mark Molloy and Derek Jackson during the 2-1 win at East Fife on Saturday both are expected to be fit and ready to feature at Shielfield. Jackson and Stephen Oates missed Monday night training after both picked up a stomach bug, but the effects of that should have worn off in time for the game against the Third Division's second-top side.

Gary Walsh has been receiving treatment at Celtic for his ankle injury. Wylde does not forsee any problems and the Irish teenager will take his place in the side having been forced to watch Saturday's game from the stands. Jordan Smith will once again be included in the squad for the journey south of the border. As things stand, only Andrew Brand and Jamie MacKay will not be considered for selection.

Wylde Hails East Fife Win

Listen to Manager Gordon Wylde's post-match press conference after Shire's 2-1 win at New Bayview. Goals from Steven Dymock and Paul Tyrrell gave Shire their first away victory in 21 games.

East Fife 1 Shire 2

It's a long time since November 6th 2004, or at least it seems like it. That was the last time Shire won an away match until this well-deserved triumph at New Bayview, the Firs Park team's first win at the ground since 2001.

Manager Gordon Wylde made two changes from the team which had won the previous week at Albion Rovers. In came Adam Owen at left-back after a spell out injured and Alan Patrick was drafted in on the right side of midfield after Gary Walsh failed a late fitness test.

The game started off at a snail's pace and the excitement simply failed to build during an error-strewn first 45 minutes. But Shire should, nevertheless, have had a half-time advantage after Derek Ure crossed for the unmarked Scott Livingstone. The midfield man met the ball with a perfectly-timed diving header but John Dodds in the home goal pulled off a great save. East Fife were poor and the best they could manage was a shot on the turn from Craig Smart which Derek Jackson pushed away to safety.

Shire were forced to re-organise midway through the first period. Mark Molloy got a nasty kick on the head in an accidental clash with Patrick and was withdrawn suffering from mild concussion. Carl Tywissen moved into midfield and the not-fully-fit Jordan Smith went to centre-half. But despite the changes Shire made it safely to the break with the scoreline still blank.

The visitors showed considerably more attacking intent at the start of the second half. Steven Dymock was bearing down on goal within a couple of minutes of the re-start and only a fine intervention from Marco Pelosi stopped a great scoring chance.

But Dymock was not denied on 54 minutes. Derek Ure flicked the ball into his path and the Shire striker held off the attentions of the two East Fife centre-halves to slot the ball home from eight yards. That was the cue for some wild celebrations, but as is always the way, the advantage proved very hard to hang onto.

First, Jackson damaged his calf muscle going for a high ball and was left hobbling around his goalmouth for the rest of the game. Then referee Mr. Boyle decided to interpret every Shire tackle inside their own penalty box as a foul. After 66 minutes Stephen Oates gave away a penalty after a rather rash challenge. A spot kick against an injured keeper should have been no contest, but Martin's penalty hit the crossbar.

On 73 minutes Martin turned inside the box and shot for goal but his effort went wide. There was a stunned silence as Mr Boyle blew his whistle and pointed to the spot again. Few people had any idea why the award was made but Pelosi made a nice job of the penalty. With an injured keeper, a referee seemingly conspiring against them and the home team full of re-newed enthusiasm, things were set for the classic Shire finish. But the players did not read the script. Instead they refused to buckle and started to dominate the game. After 81 minutes Dymock crossed, the home defence failed to cut out the danager and Paul Tyrrell, lurking unmarked at the back post, slammed home the winner.

East Fife Preview

The midweek search for a star may have proven fruitless, but Shire boss Gordon Wylde is still on the case of former Stenhousemuir winger, Marc McKenzie. Wylde was set this week to make another bid to persuade the player to come to Firs Park. If he succeeds we could well see McKenzie in the squad for the visit to New Bayview.

Stephen Oates, suspended for last week's win over Albion Rovers, could miss out this week through injury. Oates is currently rated as doubtful and that could mean another defensive start for Carl Thywissen, Shire's Man of the Match against Rovers. Adam Owen has shrugged off his ankle knock and should revert to the left-back slot. He is set to be the only change to the starting eleven which played last week. Andrew Brand, Jordan Smith and Jamie MacKay will not feature because of long-standing injury problems.

Wylde To Run Rule Over Trialists

Shire will take on Knightswood Juveniles later in a match designed to let boss Gordon Wylde have a look at several potential new recruits. The match was due to happen during the transfer window but was postponed because of the weather and, then, due to a lack of opponents. The fact that the window is now shut means Wylde's try-outs will be limited to amateur players and seniors who currently are without a club. Likely to be among those taking part is defender, Alan Thomson, who played as a trialist in Saturday's 1-0 win over Albion Rovers. The former St. Mirren and Benburb full-back could sign if he impresses.

Listen To This

Zebra Diary is offering you a new service. Thanks to web based audioblog.com we can now offer you interviews with manager Gordon Wylde and the players. This allows you the chance to hear their views straight from the horses' mouth. As a taster, here is the manager talking about on-loan Celtic star, Gary Walsh's debut.

Shire 1 Albion Rovers 0

Shire clinched their fourth league win of the season but it was a far from convincing performance. The Firs Parkers took the lead through Derek Ure after just five minutes then hung on as Rovers pressed hard for an equaliser. By the end of the game they could breathe a collective sigh of relief as they moved two points nearer the rest of the division.

Celtic starlet, Gary Walsh, had a quiet debut as the game largely passed him by. But he showed enough skill in a nice little cameo during the second half to suggest better things were on the way. Gordon Wylde also introduced a trialist at left-back who had a rather nervous match before being replaced by Adam Owen.

The star of the show was undoubtedly Carl Thywissen. The big Norwegian midfielder was pressed into service as an emergency centre-half due to the absence of the suspended Stephen Oates and the injured Jordan Smith. He scarecly put a foot wrong which was just as well because Shire had plenty of defending to do.

However, t was the home team who came out of the traps quickest. A mix up in the Albion Rovers defence allowed Derek Ure a clean run on goal and he fired Shire in front with a well-taken shot low at keeper Gary McGlynn's near post. That should have been a signal to Shire to relax and ease ahead, but it was Rovers who had most of the play in the remainder of the first half.

But for all their possession the Coatbridge team could not muster a serious attempt on the Shire goal until the 39th minute when they ought to have scored. Steven Donachy crossed from the right, Scott Chaplain fired in from the edge of the six yard box and only a brilliant reflex save from Derek Jackson prevented an equaliser.

After the break it was the turn of Rovers' striker George Wallace to miss a sitter. He was sent clear after some nice flowing fotball but, with only Jackson to beat, instead of bursting the net he shot tamely into the keeper's arms.

Walsh had been largely quiet but burst into the game on the hour mark. He surged towards the Rovers box before unleashing a powerful shot which shaved the outside of the post. Minutes later the Irishman went on a slalom run through the Rovers defence, leaving three players in his wake, but no Shire plaer could get on the end of his cut back.

Scott Livingstone could have settled matters if he had found the back of the net with the goal gaping, but instead he shot over the bar from just eight yards out. Shire might have lived to regret that miss in the final minute when substitute Stephen Reid cracked in a shot which deflected off Mark Tyrrell. Thanfully, the ball hit the crossbar and bounced away to safety.

Albion Rovers Preview

Manager Gordon Wylde has selection problems at the heart of defence for tomorrow's home clash with Albion Rovers. Stephen Oates is suspended and Jordan Smith will not play due to his ongoing hamstring problems. With Paul Gaughan also injured Wylde will have to make do with an emergency centre half to partner Mark Tyrrell, most probably Carl Thywissen, who last week was up front with Steven Dymock !

A junior trialist has been drafted in and will play at left-back in the absence of Adam Owen, who has an injured ankle. Gary Walsh is scheduled to make his debut wide on the right of midfield, and the striking partnership of Steven Dymock and Alan Patrick, who performed so well in the victory over Montrose, could be re-united.

Rovers have serious injury problems. Andy Sim, the tiny blond winger who tormented Shire in the 4-2 defeat at Cliftonhill, is definately out. Strikers George Wallace and Steven Reid are struggling to be fit as well. The referee is John McKendrick, who was in charge of the last meeting of the teams at Firs Park, which Shire won 3-1. There's a lucky omen.

Happy To Be Here, Says Gary

Shire's new signing from Celtic, Gary Walsh, says he's "not bothered" by East Stirlingshire's lowly reputation and jumped at the chance to move from Parkhead to Firs Park.

The 19 year old Irish youth international has progressed through the youth ranks after three years at Celtic but says it was the lure of first team football that was the biggest influence on a decision to join the club.

"I started out with Home Farm in Ireland," he says. "But when I got the chance to go to Celtic I jumped at it. After all, it's every kid's dream in Ireland to play there and it has been a great experience for more. I started out in the under-17's then moved up to the under-19's which is where I have been playing my football this season.

"But I really wanted the opportunity to play first team football, which is why I asked Celtic if there was a chance I could get a loan move to another club. So when Tommy Burns said East Stirling were interested I said OK."

Gary is a versatile player. He can ft in anywhere on the right-hand side; at right-back, in right midfield, he can, if asked play up front as well. "I love playing football if I was asked to play in goal I would," he joked. He is very keen to impress at his new club.

"Football is all about enjoying yourself and I want to do that, but I also want to win matches and if I can give the supporters some entertainment too I will try to do that.

"It's senior football and I expect the standard to be high. I don't see any pressure on me because I have come from Celtic, I just want to go out and play the best I can every week."

Shire boss, Gordon Wylde is delighted to get such a talented youngster on loan until the end of the season. "He has that winners mentality that they drum into you at Celtic and I want that to rub off on the rest of the team. His presence wil give us that extra bit of quality. Gary's not big but he is strong and he's quick. He also can score a goal or two."

Gary's set to make his debut against Albion Rovers on Saturday.