Albion Rovers Preview

No-one has to tell Gordon Wylde this match is Shire's most important of the season. Shire still have an outside chance of avoiding a fourth successive wooden spoon, but only if they manage to win at Coatbridge. Defeat would mean a nine point gap with five games to play, surely a bridge too wide to close ?

The boss has Mark Tyrrell available again for selection after his recent injury problems. That will bolster the defence but Andrew Brand's absence for the remainder of the campaign is a big blow. Adam Owen's leaving means Derek Ure will have to continue at left-back with the front pairing of Steven Dymock and Alan Patrick again being asked to end the goal drought.

Both played effectively on their last trip to Cliftonhill, with Patrick scoring Shire's goal of the season, albeit in a 4-2 defeat. "Rovers are more at our level, " Wylde told Zebra Diary. "I have told the players we have already won twice against them this season, let's make it a hat-trick!"

Scott Livingstone, Carl Thywissen and Andrew Brand are all unavilable through injury.

Adam Owen Leaves Firs Park

Shire's Welsh left-back, Adam Owen, has left the club by mutual consent. It's understood his decision to quit Firs Park is work-related. Adam looked a good signing back in October and his experierience in a problem position for the club was welcome.

But in recent games his performances had been below par. He had struggled with a couple of injuries too. He will leave a legacy in terms of the fitness work and nutrition advice he freely gave to the club. Adam works as a sports scientist at Celtic Football Club, and he helped bring many of their innovations in the field to the Third Division.

Andrew Brand's Season Is Over

Andrew Brand has played his last game of the season. His second broken wrist of the season means he will miss the remaining six games of the campaign. It was ironic, if sad, that Andrew sustained the lastest fracture in his first match back after missing six games with a broken wrist.

He bravely tried to play on despite knowing the extent of the injury, even starting Saturday's match at Elgin. But the doctors have decided to put a heavy plaster cast on rather than risk further damage. "It's a serious blow for us," shire boss, Gordon Wylde told Zebra Diary.

Wylde : Embarrassed And Angry

Gordon Wylde was not a happy man after Shire's 3-0 defeat at Elgin. To listen to his press conference with reporters, led by Central FM's Tadek Kopszywa, click on "play" below. He started off by giving his reaction to the Elgin goals.

Elgin City 3 Shire 0

In the end Shire will be thankful it was not another seven up. After falling three goals behind inside the opening quarter hour there was a real danger they would be engulfed in another defensive meltdown. A repeat of the seven goal thrashing at the hands of Stenhousemuir did, at one sage, seem on the cards.
But they managed to steady the ship and a mixture of bad finishing and some decent saves from keeper Derek Jackson kept the score down.
Before the match, Shire boss, Gordon Wylde, sprung a surprise by including two players who were supposed to be injured. Marc McKenzie took his customary place on the right wing and Gary Walsh fitted in just behind the front pairing of Alan Patrick and Steven Dymock.
Derek Jackson, Paul Gaughan and Mark Mollloy were all included after missing the midweek game against Stenhoisemuir. Not that it made much difference as Shire made their worst start to a game in many a year.
They were a goal down after just three minutes and it was no surprise that it was their nemesis of days gone by who was on target. Martin Johnston exchanged passes on the edge of the box with Chris Gardiner before unleashing a tremendous shot into the top corner of the net.
Worse was to follow on ten minutes. Gardiner drove in a shot from the left-hand edge of the box, the ball deflected off Jordan Smith and although Johnston was falling backwards he still managed to direct his shot with enough power to get it past Jackson. Paul Tyrrell responded with a shot which Renton did well to save but the game was over after 12 minutes when Elgin made it 3-0. This time Adam Nelson floated in a free-kick from wide on the right and Paul Kaczan rose to head home unchallenged.
Jackson kept Shire from suffering any more embarrassment after that. He made one great save with his legs from a netbound Johnston effort and pushed another round the post when again it seemed certain he would add to his tally.
Shire’s forays upfield were few and far between. Patrick managed to chip the ball over from a Walsh cutback, Derek Ure drove a 20 yard free-kick over the bar and McKenzie shot wide when well placed.
Elgin started the second half as they begun the first and after 51 minutes Johnston was clean through on goal again, but this time he was undecided about how to finish, although Jackson still had to make a smart save to deny him his hat-trick.
Shire were again exposed on the hour mark when Johnston was released in the inside left position but Jackson thwarted him with a brave diving save at his feet,
The home side seemed happy to play out time with their three goal advantage intact although there was some unnecessary showboating from some of their players towards the end.

Elgin City Preview

The injury crisis which has caused manager Gordon Wylde a real headache over the last week shows very little signs of easing. Mark Molloy and Derek Jackson will be added to the squad after recovering from the problems which caused them to miss the midweek match against Stenhousemuir. But, on the downside, Marc McKenzie picked up a knee injury in the 7-0 defeat and is rated doubtful for the Borough Briggs encounter. Despite having a broken bone in his hand, Andrew Brand seemes certain to start the match, such is the extent of Shire's injury worries.

Wylde will have to do without Mark Tyrrell (ankle), Gary Walsh(ankle), Paul Tweedie(groin strain), Scott Livingstone(leg infection), Carl Thywissen(achilles tendon), Jamie MacKay(knee) and Adam Owen. A new trialist is likely to be brought in at right back, with Henry Sobolewski recalled at left-back.

Shire 0 Stenhousemuir 7

Shire showed what many had feared beforehand. That with an injury-depleted team they would not be able to compete with Championship-chasing Stenhousemuir.

Gordon Wylde's hands were tied when it came to team selection with an ever-increasing number of regulars missing through injury. Keeper Derek Jackson was added to the list that included Scott Livingstone, Mark Molloy, Carl Thywissen, Stephen Oates, Adam Owen and Jamie MacKay. Andrew Brand was included among the substitutes despite having a broken bone in his arm.

Trialist Paul Tweedie returned to partner Steven Dymock up front while formert Shire keeper, Euan Wilson, returned as a trialist to replace the injured Jackson. He was picking the ball out of the net after just ten minutes.

John Paul McBride's free-kick defelected off the Shire defensivce wall to Marc McKenzie. Instead of booting the ball to safety the Shire man simply fell over it, allowing Tommy Sinclair to drill the ball home from the edge of the box.

Teenage star David Templeton gave Shire's Graham McWilliam a hard time all night and he escaped the attentions of the centre half to fire the ball past Wilson for the second goal on 17 minutes. Shire managed to limit the damage until the stroke of half-time when Colin Cramb unleashed a trememdous volley from the corner of the 18 yard box to make it 3-0 at the interval.

Shire were unable to stop the Stenhousemuir juggernaut in the second half. A simple pass upfield found Templeton in yards of space and with Jordan Smith playing him onside he simply raced in on goal to chip the advancing Wilson for the fourth goal.

After that it was a matter only of how many ? Cramb got the fifth after 70 minutes with an impudent lob over Wilson and when Iain Diack rose from the substitutes bench to replace Jim Mercer after 69 minutes Shire fans feared the worst. They were right to show some apprehension because five minutes later Diack unleashed one of his unstoppable drives from just outside the area to make it 6-0. Shire fans knew what to expect. After all, he had scored similar goals for Shire prior to the transfer window. Diack added insult to injury, turning home a Templeton cross from close range to complete the scoring with the game's last kick.

Brand Shows Shire Spirit

Shire boss Gordon Wylde's praised Andrew Brand for volunteering to help the club out of its injury crisis, by playing with a broken arm.

Wylde was struggling for a squad with no fewer than eight of his twenty-one man squad ruled out for yesterday's game wiith Queen's Park. But Brand was determined to show his commitment to the cause.

"He broke his wrist playing against Montrose in January," said Wylde. "He recovered and played at Montrose last week where he suffered a similar injury. Andrew's been in pain all week and has been to the doctors twice in the last week. They did a scan and it showed he has another broken bone.

"Andrew could even need an operation, but despite that he came to me and asked if he could play." Andrew was included in the squad despite having a cast on his left arm. He was rewarded with a place on the bench and an eleven minute substitute appearance, replacing Paul Gaughan after 79 minutes.

Wylde Happy With A Draw

Shire boss, Gordon Wylde, hailed his injury-stricken team's performnce in getting a point from play-off chasing Queen's Park. He was more than happy with the makeshift team, and the draw which brings them closer to next-to-last Albion Rovers. Click "play" below to listen to his post-match press conference.

Shire 0 Queen's Park 0

It will not go down as one of the world's classic football matches, but it may well turn out to be one of Shire's best points of the season. Boss Gordon Wylde had horrendous injury problems before the game; Mark Tyrrell, Carl Thywissen, Mark Molloy, Andrew Brand , Scott Livingstone, Adam Owen and Jamie MacKay were all out.

To make matters worse Graham McWilliam, who was due to start, failed to make the kick off in time because of travel problems. That meant more re-jigging of the team with trialist, Bannockburn Amateurs striker Paul Tweedie, thrown into the starting eleven when he had turned up at Firs Park expecting to warm the bench.

Paul Gaughan was re-called to the team for the first time in months to partner Jordan Smith at the centre of defence. Derek Ure, a striker, and Steven Blair, a midfielder, filled both full-back berths. Alan Patrick, another forward, was pressed into service in midfield for his first start since January. Molloy and Brand, who has a suspected broken arm, sat on the bench to make up the numbers.

Shire fans had every right to fear the worst but the team got off to a sound start. They created the first clear opportunity after ten minutes, McKenzie ghosting in atb the back post to hit Paul Tyrrell's ball into the box across the face of goal and wide. Tweedie created an opening for himself just beyond the half hour but his effort was easily saved by David Crawford.

Queens looked shotshy from the start and, indeed, failed to get a single effort on target in the entire first half. The closest they came was a speculative cross-come-shot from Mark Ferry which hit the outside of the post.

The visitors might have taken the lead after 55 minutes whenPaul Paton threaded the ball through for Ross Clark to get a clean sight of goal. His effort was on target but Derek Jackson made a brave save to blot the shot with his legs.

The game, which had been tight and edgy and almost chanceless, opened out in the last ten minutes. Blair had to make a block on the line to stop Ferry scording and Jackson produced a good save from Clark's overhead kick. But at the other end Crawford had to look smart to smother a Steven Dymock effort while McKenzie looked odds on to give Shire an injury-time winner after racing clean through on goal but his effort was bravely defelected wide by a Queen's Park defender.

Queen's Park Preview

Shire were dealt a major blow on the eve of the home game with Queen's Park with the news that Mark Tyrrell will not play. Tyrrell, one of the team's better performers over the last few weeks, has picked up a recurrence of the anklr problem which forced him to miss last month's game at Berwick Rangers.

He has been added to an injury list that includes Scott Livingstone, Adam Owen and Jamie MacKay. Both Gary Walsh and Mark Molloy have picked up knocks in training, but both should have recovered in time to play.

Boss Gordon Wylde is less hopeful now about bringing in any new players in time to face the Glasgow amateurs. He still wants to capture a left-back, who is currently with a West Of Scotland Junior Superleague team, but that deal may have to wait until the end of the season. A deal to bring in a new goalkeeper seems to have gone flat, although the possibility of Euan Wilson making a re-appearance has not been ruled out.

Steven Blair looks set to be left out of the team following last week's 2-0 defeat at Montrose, while Alan Patrick seems certain to return up front and will partner Steven Dymock, who is back after missing the Montrose game through suspension.

Wylde Chases Potential Signings

Boss Gordon Wylde has revealed he is hopeful of having two fresh faces on board for the home game with Queen's Park on Saturday.

Wylde is interested in a goalkeeper and a left-back. "The goalie is with another Third Division club," he told Zebra Diary. "We tried to get Euan Wilson in but he was unable to commit to us, so we have had to look elsewhere."

The Firs Park boss was due to speak to the player in question tonight (Wednesday). He has also expressed an interest in a left-sided defender. "It's a position we badly need to fill," said Wylde. "I have been looking at a player currently playing with a big junior team in the west of the country. He comes with a good pedigree and was with Coventry City as a youngster. He is tall and a natural left-back.

"I want to get them both in for Saturday. I know that will be difficult but we will do our best. It may well be we will have to wait for next season to get them, but we will not give up."

Wylde is determined to build up the squad especially in the wake of the disappointing defeat at Montrose. "I went there full of belief we could win," he said. "But too many failed to perform on the day. I have certainly left them in no doubt that this is as good a place as any to keep playing senior football, but if they can't perform they won't be here for much longer."

Winter Weather Strikes Again

Shire and Cowdenbeath will make a fourth attempt to play their postponed Boxing Day game on Tuesday 4th April, after playv was ruled out at a snowbound Firs Park earlier. A 10:30 am inspection ruled out the possibility of any play, despite a milder day all round. The club and the fans knew with more than ten centimetres of snow falling on Sunday morning the game would always be in some doubt.Today's postponement was the third time the match had been scheduled and subsequently failed to take place. It's original date in the calander was 26th December, but frost ruled out any play. And a forzen pitch led to another postponment on 28th February.

Cowdenbeath Preview

Shire and Cowdenbeath are both hoping for a rapid thaw to allow their game to go ahead tomorrow. More than ten centimetres of snow fell on the Firs Park pitch on Sunday morning, and while rain and warmer temperatures have reduced that amount, things do not look hopeful. A 10:30 a.m. pitch inspection has been called. The match may be postponed for a third time until later in the month.

If the match does get the go ahead, Steven Dymock will return to the attack after suspension. He will partner Marc McKenzie, the one bright spot in Saturday's dismal 2-0 defeat at Montrose. One or two others are nursing knocks after the weekend but they should still play. But Adam Owen and Scott Livingstone are still out, which means Derek Ure could continue in the left-back role. Kick-off, should the game get the all-clear, is 7:30 p.m.

Wylde Disappointed By Montrose Defeat

Shire boss Gordon Wylde was a bitterly disappointed man after the team's 2-0 defeat at Lnks Park. It was a game which could have brought Shire within touching distance of the rest of the division. But Wylde is refusing to accept defeat means a fourth consecutive wooden spoon. Listen to what he had to say to reporters after the match at Links Park by clicking "play" below.

Montrose 2 Shire 0

What started out as an ideal opportunity to close the gap on Montrose and Albion Rovers at the bottom of the Third Division table ended in total disappointment.

Shire were never at the races after allowing Montrose to get off to the best possible start. The home team was two goals to the good after 18 minutes and they simply never looked back. Gordon Wylde's men failed to respond to the challenge apart from a brief flurry three quarters of the way through the game, and it was difficult to escape the conclusion that they were a well-beaten side long before full-time.

Despite giving a debut to MacMcKenzie and being able to welcome back Andrew Brand and Gary Walsh from injury the team had an odd shape about it. Derek Ure started at left-back, McKenzie was up front rather than wide on the right, where Carl Thywissen was his striking partner and Brand ended up in midfield. Walsh had been told to play just behind the front two.

No-one will know whether this experimental formation would have worked because it was never given much of a chance to find its feet. Montrose scored twice inside the first twenty minutes and by then the game was as good as over.

After 12 minutes of not-very-much Montrose took the lead out of the blue. Greg Henslee's speculative cross-come-shot from way out wide decieved the entire Shire defence and clearly caught keeper Derek Jackson out too. Their failure to deal with it ended with the ball in the back of the net.

Six minutes later it was curtains for Shire's chances of victory. Kris Brash crossed from the left and Gary Middleton met the bal with a powerful, altghough unchallenged, header to make it 2-0. After 38 minutes to should have been three. Henslee's pass released Brash, his shot ooked netbound but Shire relieved to see it hit the post and bounce to safety.

The second half brought nothing in the way of a response from Shire. Jackson made a brave diving save at the feet of Calum Watson when the Montrose man was clean through on goal. Watson also missed a simple effort at the back post, blazing over when it seemed easier to score.

Shire were not creating much at all. But on 76 minutes they should have pulled a goal back when McKenzie met Ure's cut back ten yards out. But his shot hit the inside of the post and bounced back into play.

Montrose Preview

"It's our cup final," were the words of manager Gordon Wylde going into tomorrow's match at Montrose. It's easy to see what he means; a Shire win and a defeat for Albion Rovers against East Fife would move Shire within a point of the Coatbridge team and just two away from Saturday's opponents.

Wylde has been boosted by the news this week that Gary Walsh is fit again. The Irish midfielder will go straight into the starting line-up, as will new signing Marc McKenzie. The former Albion Rovers and Stenhousemuir winger signed this week, having played one game as a trialist; the 1-0 win against Montrose at Firs Park in January. Now there's an omen !

Also rteturning is Andrew Brand. He has been raring to go after recovering from his broken wrist, but postponements over the last week have delayed his comeback.

On the down side, top scorer Steven Dymock is suspended. He picked up his sixth booking of the season in the 4-0 defeat against Montrose and, as a result, has been hit with a one game ban. Also out is Adam Owen who is still feeling the effects of a nasty clash of heads with an Arbroath player two weeks ago. Scott Livingstone is still out with a virus, and while Jamie MacKay has resumed training he is still a long way short of being fit.

Weather Causes More Problems

Shire's scheduled home match with Stenhousemuir fell victim to the weather again this afternoon. The frost which had forced its postponement on Saturday had still not all disappeared, despite an overnight thaw, and constant rain fell on the still hard surface, making the problem worse.

Gordon Wylde had hoped to give new signing, Marc McKenzie a debut and was also set to include Gary Walsh who has now recovered from the ankle injury he suffered at Berwick. Both will now have to wait until this weekend, if the game at Montrose gets the go ahead. Reports received earlier today say there is still at least three inches of snow on the Links Park pitch.

Shire Get Their Man

The club tonight (Monday) completed the signing of Marc McKenzie until the end of the season.It ends an almost two month chase for the former Albion Rovers and Stenhousemuir winger's signature. He played as a trialist for Shire in the 1-0 win over Montrose on January 14th, but the club looked as though it had lost out on a deal when Queen's Park stepped in. However, despite playing three reserve games for the Spiders as a trialist, the Hampden club decided to pass up the chance to add Marc to their playing squad.

"I am delighted at long last to get Marc," Shire boss Gordon Wylde told Zebra Diary. "He will give us another option up front. He can play wide on the right or through the middle. I know he was highly rated at Stenhousemuir and played in some of their games in the early part of the season."

Marc will make his Shire debut against the Warriots tomorow night, weather permitting.

Derby Date Update

Shire have already alerted the SFL to the fact they may need a pitch inspection for tomorrow's re-arranged derby clash with Stenhousemuir. With temperatures sent to dip to -3 again overnight, club officials seem resigned to the prospect of another postponement. An inspection in mid-afternoon looks the likeliest bet. It would move the game back to at least March 21st, which is the first available midweek date.

McKenzie Set For Shire Return

Two months after making an impressive debut as a trialist, Marc McKenzie could be set to come back to Firs Park. Shire have been keen to sign the former Albion Rovers and Stenhousemuir winger since that 1-0 win over Montrose in January, but the player himself has been playing hard to get.

With his proposed move to Queen's Park now fallen through, McKenzie has been invited along to traning by Shire boss Gordon Wylde and he has decided to take up the offer. He could join the squad for the training session organised in place of the postponed Stenhousemuir match tomorrow.

The blond outside-right shone in his one match so far for Shire, but he left to try his luck with the Spiders. It has taken a lot of persuasion and phone calls from Wylde and club Secretary, Les Thomson, to convince him to come back. If he enjoys training he will certainly be asked if he would like to sign until the end of the season. Because he is a free agent he is free to join any club of his choosing outside the transfer window.

Warriors Visit Switched To Tuesday

A combination of an already bone-hard pitch and the forecast of another night of freezing temperatures meant there was little point in waiting until Saturday to call off the scheduled match with Stenhousemuir. All that was required was a Friday afternoon pitch inspection at 1:30p.m. to decide to postpone the tie.

Instead, the match has now been moved to Tuesday 7th March with a 7:30p.m. kick-off. The Shire squad will not have Saturday off, however. Manager Gordon Wylde will put them through a tough two hour lunchtime training session.