Chorley 0 Shire 3

The two game trip to Lancashire was wrapped up with a comfortable win over Unibond League Division One side, Chorley.

Boss Gordon Wylde chose a starting eleven which included Derek Ure at left-back and Andrew Brand in the centre of defence with Steven Dymock and Alan Ward up front and, for the first half hour, they were given a tough time by their opponents who harrassed and harried and, on occasion, put the boot in.

But they could also look dangerous too and within the space of a couple of minutes Bromham and Roscoe came close. There was a scare for Shire when Robert Tiropolous came flying out of goal to punch a cross clear and landed heavily on the rock hard surface. Thankfully, after treatment he continued.

It was a solid start from Shire rather than one which indicated they would race to victory, but the tide was turning and after half an hour Mark Molloy ran down the right and swung over a cross which Ward connected with only to see the ball come back off a post.

Shire were starting to look good, but they also wasted chances. Derek Ure slammed a shot from 25 yards wide and Steven Dymock blazed over when clean through after being presented with a gift of a loose pass. At the break there were the usual flurry of substitions, Steven Learmonth and Steven Oates making their arrival. They were followed soon after by Paul Tweedie and it was the Shire striker who made the breakthrough in 62 minutes. Ure fired the ball over the top of a rather square Chorley defence and Tweedie raced clean through on goal before lobbing the keeper from the edge of the box.

After 70 minutes Brand strode forward and unleashed another wonder strike, this time from 30 yards out to give Shire a 2-0 lead and leave the home team rather stunned. Chorley ran out of puff while Shire got stronger as the game went on. With just fourt minutes left two of the later substitutes, Joe Boyle and Jamie Nixon, combined well on the edge of the box, leaving Boyle to complete the scoring with a low shot from ten yards.

Chorley : Priestly, Gibbons, Wright, Callaghan, Molyneaux, Bluck, Allen(Walsh 58), Sanderson(Moffat 58), Roscoe(Miller 80), Buckley, Bromham(Tench 74).

Shire : Tiropolous, Smith(Livingstone 60), Ure, Brand, Thywissen(Oates 46), Blair(Nixon 64), Molloy(Boyle 70), Stewart, Dymock(Tweedie 49), Ward, Adams(Learmonth 46).

Referee : I. Esat

Chorley Preview

Shire are looking forward to another chance to boost confidence when they take on Unibond League First Division side Chorley later.
Boss Gordon Wylde admitted while last night’s opponents, Lancaster City were not of the highest standard, a 2-0 win was important from a morale-boosting point of view.
“The pitch wasn’t the best and Lancaster has a couple of triaists in their team but at least we had the chance to knock the ball about a bit and score some goals.
“I still see these matches as being primarily about getting players’ levels of match fitness up. We have to be able to hit the ground running when we play Elgin next Saturday and that is what these games are all about.
“I think Chorley will be a much tougher game even though they are in a lower league than Lancaster. Unlike last night’s opponents they will play their strongest team. They also haven’t played for a week so they will be out to impress their manager.”
Chorley, once of the Conference, have slipped down the league ladder, partly as a result of financial problems. Last season they were not too far from being relegated to the Unibond League Second Division. However, they will give Shire another stiff work out.

Lancaster City 0 Shire 2

Shire started their two game tour of the north-west of England with an easy win over Conference North side Lancaster City.
Boss Gordon Wylde started the match at the superbly-named Giant Axe Stadium with just about his strongest possible eleven, with Andy Smith ad Steven Learmonth at full-back, Andrew Brand and Paul Stewart in the middle of the park and Paul Tweedie partnering Steven Dymock up front.
Within three minutes they should have been ahead when trialist Stewart Adams was straight through on keeper Liddicott, but the Lancaster man pulled off a fine save and Brand, following up, was unable to hit the target with the rebound. Tweedie then hit the crossbar with a cross-cum-shot and the Shire striker forced a great save from Liddicot with a shot on the turn from just inside the box.
For all their superiority it took Shire until 34 minutes to score. Steven Blair laid the ball into Brand’s path 25 yards from goal and the Shire skipper unleashed a tremendous shot which beat the keeper.
At the interval the flurry of substitutions began. Off went Smith, Blair and Adams to be replaced by Ure, Ward and Livingstone.
Four minutes after the interval Shire were 2-0 ahead. Brand pushed a ball down the channel , Lancaster’s left back Wiggins left it for the keeper who was too slow off his line and, in the confusion, Tweedie nipped in to score.
More substitutions followed as Wylde opted to give everyone a game. And the chances kept on coming too. Young Jamie Nixon twice worked his way into nice positions but shot wide and Tweedie was unlucky to see a header come back off the bar.
Lancaster rarely threatened and Shire were able to enjoy plenty of time on the ball and gain some much-needed confidence as a result.
Lancaster City : Liddicott(Roberts 46), Galley(Stables 46), Wiggins, Greenwood(Coulton 67), Aubury-Williams(Spencer 46), Findlay, Quadrio, Love, Elstrum, Gray, Marshall(Lund 65).
Shire : Tiropolous, Smith(Livingstone 46), Learmonth, Thywissen, Oates, Blair(Molloy 46), Brand(Nixon 53), Stewart(Boyle 53), Dymock(Ward 53), Tweedie, Adams(Ure 46).
Referee : Ian Gittings

Picture Exclusive : New Shire Strip

Scott Livingstone (above) models the new-look East Stirlingshire strip for the 2006/07 season. It is a look which goes back to the start of the club's long history. It was rumoured, although never proven, that Shire wore all-white in the first match the club played against Falkirk reserves in 1880. That was reflected during Shire's Centenary Season of 1980/81 when it returned to a plain white outfit. The last season Shire played in mainly white was 1989/90.

Shire 0 Falkirk 1

The club's interest in this season's Stirlingshire Cup ended with this narrow defeat at the hands of a youthful Falkirk team, but manager Gordon Wylde was taking a number of positives from the Firs Park clash.

Unfortunately, young Shire keeper Robert Tiropolous will not look back fondly on his Firs Park debut with any great affection. His failure to hold onto a left wing cross after 24 minutes provided Falkirk striker Dayne Robertson with a simple tap-in which turned out to be the game's only goal.

Falkirk sent an inexperienced team to Firs Park for their opening tie in this season's County Cup; although six of their starting line-up featured in Bairns' SPL matches last season. Likewise, Gordon Wylde put out what might be best described as his second string. However, he did include former Livingston youngster Stewart Adams on the left wing as a trialist.

The visitors were first on the attack and after just three minutes Stewart send a back post header narrowly wide. On 18 minutes Tiropolous had to come racing out of his goal to Deny Robertson who was clean through, although the keeper did not look so clever on 24 minutes when he dropped a simple cross right at Robertson's feet at the edge of the box. The youngster could hardly miss.

Four minutes later Craig Ireland should have made it 2-0 but his netbound effort was hacked off the goalline by Shire's Steven Learmonth.

Shire skiper Andrew Brand then took advantage of some dodgy keeping from the Bairns' Aussie stopper, Scott Higgins, to race clean through on goal but he was denied an equaliser by Scott Arfield's intervention.

The Second half was little more than a practice kick about devalued by a flurry of substitions. The Falkirk youngsters had most of the ball but otherwise had very little idea what to do with it. Shire created the best chance of an arid second half. Again Andrew Brand was involved, slippling the ball through to the trialist but he somehow managed to shoot wide when he seemed well-placed.

Stenhousemuir 2 Shire 0

It looks as though Shire will not be making a repeat appearance in this season's Stirlingshire Cup final. A piece of slack marking and a penalty goal were enough to give Stenhousemuir the advantage in a closer game than the scoreline suggested.

Shire, with a new look side, impressed in spells and although beaten, boss Gordon Wylde still managed to take some positives from the game. Chief among them were the performances of rookie keeper Robert Tiropolous, who coped well with the pressure of being thrown in at the deep end. Paul Stewart also gave an assured display which bodes well for the coming season.

There was nothing to seperate the teams in the early stages of the match. The Warriors might have had a slight edge in forward momentum, but that did not mean Tiropolous had too much work to do. Most of the Stenhousemuir efforts were from outside the box and, in any case were well wide.

After 34 minutes of sparring the home team took the lead out of the blue. Iain Diack played a simple ball into the box and Hutchison, all along in the front end of the six yard box, flicked the ball past Shire's debutant keeper.

That wake up call produced a trememdous Shire response. After 39 minutes Steven Blair's free kick found the head of Paul Tweedie and only an instinctive save from Andy Carlin stopped the Shire man equalising. Just a minute later Shire skipper Andrew Brand thumped a superb vollevy off the underside of the Stenhousemuir crossbar. Derek Ure picked up the rebound and looked odds on to score but lost control of the ball, allowing Carlin to save.

Shire should have been 2-1 ahead at the interval, but ten minutes after the break found themselves 2-0 down. A rash challenge inside the box by Andy Smith on Stenhousemuir's trialist gave the referee the chance to award a penalty, which he did. Diack made no mistake from the spot.

The game seemed out of Shire's reach although they never stopped trying. In the end the response was just not good enough, although there was still a chance for Tiropolous to excel, making a great stop from the Warriors' trialist with four minutes to play.

Two New Signings

Boss Gordon Wylde has completed the signing of goalkeeper Robert Tiropolous and midfielder Jamie Nixon. The 20 year old goalie was until recently part of Alloa's youth set-up and featured in both their under-17 and under-19 teams. He was invited to pre-season training and impressed enough to win a one year deal.

18 year old Jamie is a product of Celtic's youth academy and has Scotland caps at various age groups. The central midfielder is hoping to revive his career after being released by the SPL champions. He is also following a family tradition by signing on at Firs Park. Jamie's great-grandfather was a Shire player in the 1920's, and was a teammate of legendary Shire men, Ebie Docherty and Bobby Stoddart.

Challenge Cup Draw

Shire have drawn a home tie with Queen's Park in the first round of the Challenge Cup. The match will go ahead on Tuesday 15th August with a 7:30p.m. kick-off. It's the third time in five years Shire have drawn the Spiders in one of the three major cup competitions,

Falkirk Cup-Tie All-Ticket

The Stirlingshire Cup match with Falkirk at Firs Park on Wednesday 26th July will be all-ticket. The club is issuing 650 briefs for the match, as was the case for the match last season. This is once again being done on Police advice.

Shire fans can obtain their tickets from Firs Park during normal office hours. They may also be available when the players are training. Demand for tickets, especially from Falkirk fans, is likely to be high because this will be their last match before John Hughes' team starts its SPL campaign at Dundee United.

Jackson Leaves Shire

Veteran keeper, Derek Jackson, has had his contract with East Stirlingshire F.C. cancelled at his own request. The popular 41 year-old veteran cites "personal reasons" for his decision to quit Firs Park barely two weeks before the start of the new season.

Boss Gordon Wylde has expressed his "disappointment" at Jackson's departure but added, "the club will not stand in his way." Wylde had already informed the former Arbroath man he was on the lookout for a younger keeper and that he could no longer be assured of a first team start.

Jackson was signed in January 2005 by Dennis Newall and became an instant hero, saving a penalty on his debut, a stop which helped Shire to a win over Queen's Park. The improvement in the club's performances, especially in defence, can largely be put down to his influence at the back.

He ended last season on a high winning one of the Player of the Year awards, and seemed ready to knuckle down for another campaign. Everyone at the club wishes him well for the future.

Shire are set to move swiftly to find a successor between the sticks. It's expected youngster Anton Nugent, who played as a triaist in the 1-1 draw with Dunfermline, will sign this week. Anton has a good pedigree having spent four years as a youngster with Rangers and the last two seasons playing in England with Doncaster Rovers.

Good News For Smith

New signing Andy Smith was not as badly injured as first thought during Wednesday's 1-1 draw with Dunfermline. Initial fears were that the former Stirling Albion and Bathgate Thistle man had broken a toe in tackle, but that, thankfully, is not the case.

"After Wednesday's game our physio, Iain MacIver thought Andy may have broken it, even if it was just a hairling facture," Shire boss, Gordon Wylde told Zebra Diary. "But Andy's been to the hospital and they have confirmed nothing is broken, and that what it may be is just very bad bruising." he said.

Smith is expected to return to training next week.

An Old Friend Finally Goes

The transformation of Firs Park for the new season has claimed an old friend. The one-time Supporters' Club hut, which had been standing derelict at the top of the Firs Street terrace has been demolished.

The hut was brought to Firs Park in the 1960's and served as a pre-match and half-time meeting place for members of the Supporters Club until the terracing at what was once the railway shed side of the ground was bulldozed to make way for the wall and the upgraded stand at the start of the 1990's.

It was given a new lease of life as a pie hut, but when the Firs Park terrace was closed by Falkirk Council the hut no longer had a use. Groundsman, Jimmy Wilson's been trying to have it removed for some time. A small band of volunteers helped him with his wish, as can be seen from the photos.

Smith Injury A Concern

New signing Andy Smith could be a doubt for the start of the new season after suffering a suspected broken toe in the 1-1 draw with Dunfermline Athletic at Grangemouth Stadium.

The Ulsterman was involved in one or two meaty challenges during the first half, which is where the damage was done. There is no confirmation of a break, but if doctors do deliver bad news it would almost certainly rule him out of the league opener against Elgin City on August 5th.

Carl Thywissen was taken off after an hour of the Pars' friendly with a hip injury, but it appears no serious or long-lasting damage was done.

Boss Gordon Wylde had warned Smith not to get involved in any serious challenges. "Before the game I told him I could not afford any injuries, " Wylde told Zebra Diary. "But he is a player who likes his tackles and he got a few knocks. I don't yet know how serious it is, but I'm hoping it is not too bad."

The trialist keeper will remain with the squad for the rest of the pre-season.

Shire 1 Dunfermline Athletic 1

A first half goal from Marc McKenzie ensured Shire got something from their opening pre-season match against Dunfermline at Grangemouth Stadium. Although the result was welcome, that was not the most important thing on the mind of manager, Gordon Wylde.

"It was a good work out for them," he told Zebra Diary afterwards. "But we still need to get their level of fitness up. It was a useful exercise from that point of view , and we played well in spells. There were some decent performances, and some not so decent ones, but at least it was a start."

Shire lined up with an orthodox 4-4-2, with new signings Andy Smith and Steven Learmonth filling the full-back roles while Jamie MacKay and Carl Thywissen played in the centre of defence. Steven Blair and Andrew Brand played alongside two trialists in the middle with Derek Ure and McKenzie uip front.

The early pace was very slow and there were few chances for either side. Dunfermline, primarly a mix of reseves and under-19's, failed to show much promise and it was Shire who did most of the attacking. They might have been a goal up before one of the rtiaists sent over a delightful left-wing cross which McKenzie, the smallest man on the pitch, somehow headed past the Pars keeper.

At half-time there were the usual multiple substitutions. The other new signings, Paul Stewart and Alan Ward came on, Ward partnering another replacement, Paul Tweedie, in a new-look strike force.

Shire coped well with whatever Dunfermline could throw at them, nut an injury to Thywissen led indirectly to their equaliser. Wylde wanted to re-introduce MacKay, who had been substituted at half-time, but the referee would not allow it. Shire played on with one man short in defence while Stephen Oates prepared to come on, and while still down to ten men the Pars took advantage, scoring from close range after Shire failed to clear a corner.

Both Tweedie and Ward created god openings late on but could not find the killer blow.

New Season Starts With Pars

After three weeks of hard pre-season Shire get into action at last with a game tomorrow night with Dunfermline Athletic at Grangemouth Stadium (kick-off 7:00p.m.) Boss Gordon Wylde is promising to give his new signings their first outing in club colours but he is also monitoring the progress of several potential players for next season.

"I will start the match with three or four trialists," Wylde told Zebra Diary. "It is important I get a chance to see what they can do. Everyone is champing at the bit to get going. Pre-season has gone very well and we now need to get games under our belt.

"I think we have organised things correctly. We have done three weeks of hard work, not just fitness, but a lot of ball work too. I want to see the players keep possession , use the ball well, play passes and, although winning these games is not that important, I do think wins breeds confidence."

Dunfermline will bring a young team of youth players and reserves because their first team squad is currently on a tour of Holland. Wylde is convinced he has got the spread of games right. "This will be our first game three weeks into pre-season. Then we will put in another week of hard work, then, in the week prior to the Elgin City match, there will be four games. That mix should allow us to hit the ground running on August 5th."

Zebra Diary TV

Zebra Diary, the primary source of information on what is happening at East Stirlingshire FC, is offering a new service for next season, Zebra Diary TV. People with access to a broadband connection will be able to view video interviews and reports on what is happening at the club. Unfortunately, due to restrictions this video service will not include match highlights, however it will be an extra dimension following on from the addition of audio interviews last term.

In order to make this work, Zebra Diary is asking for help. We need a small number of volunteers. If you would like to help, please contact us by means of the e-mail link below. Thank you.

Shire On Tour

Shire today (Friday) confirmed the proposed tour to the north-west of England is on. The club has fixed up two matches with non-league sides from Lancashire. The details are as follows :

Friday 28th July 2006 Lancaster City Kick-Off 7:30p.m.

Saturday 29th July 2006 Chorley Town Kick-Off 3:00p.m.

Lancaster City play in the Nationwide Conference North and Shire will not be their only pre-season visitors from Scotland, Partick Thistle will visit them two weeks earlier. They have already announced their intention to field a mainly reserve side, and are informing travelling Shire fans there will be free admission.

The following day Shire visit Victory Park in Chorley for a game against the Unibond League Division One team. They play two divisions below Lancaster and are more likely to play a first eleven. They are managed by former Motherwell player Shaun Teale and should be good opponents.

Marc McKenzie Re-Signs

Winger, Marc McKenzie has signed a new one year deal to continue his career at Firs Park. The 20 year old had been offered a contract in May but had rejected it at the time to see if he could find something more lucrative. However, the offers were not forthcoming and he has now taken Gordon Wylde up on remaining at Firs Park for another year.

Wylde went to great lengths to sign McKenzie after he impressed in a trial game against Montrose in January. The Shire boss tracked the former Albion Rovers and Stenhousemuir man for two months before eventually signing him for the last eight weeks of the 2005/06 season.

His performances were not of the standard many would have expected in that time, athough he did impress in the final game of the season at Arbroath, a match Shire should have won.

McKenzie was one of four refuseniks who were offered new deals at the end of the season and turned them down. Paul Tyrrell subsequently joined Stenhousemuir, Jordan Smith went to Berwick Rangers while Mark Tyrrell, we understand, is still without a club.