Berwick Rangers 2 Shire 0

An act of wilful thuggery upstaged what had been a fairly uneventful match at Berwick. Kevin Haynes’ punch in the face of Shire full-back Steven Learmonth at least provided the match with a talking point, which it would have lacked had he not done it. Shire will feel aggrieved on a number of counts; that Stephen Oates’ unmerited red card denied them a man advantage for the last half hour, that the referee failed to spot a blatant handball in the run up to Berwick’s first goal were just two. But ultimately, Shire did not do enough to merit anything from the match.
Boss, Gordon Wylde stuck with ten of the eleven players who beat East Fife in their last outing a fortnight ago. The only change saw Joe Boyle replace the now departed Joe Savage. Boyle slotted into the midfield while Paul McBride, who had played in the middle four at New Bayview, moved up the pitch to partner Paul Tweedie in attack.
It was McBride who should have given Shire the lead after just two minutes. Berwick conceded a needless corner which Marc McKenzie floated over to the near post. McBride made the highest jump and directed his header towards goal but was unlucky to see his effort cannon of the post.
If that was an early indication that this wasn’t going to be Shire’s day we didn’t have long to wait for the next one. A cross from the right was brought under control by Stuart Noble’s hand, but the Berwick man was allowed to continue and although his shot was well saved by Shire keeper Anton Nugent, not one white shirted defender could scramble the ball clear and Darren Greenhill collected the rebound to shoot home. Eight minutes gone and Berwick were one up.
The swirling wind was making good football difficult but, as usual, Shire skipper Paul Stewart was trying to be constructive and he could well have equalised on 18 minutes but his netbound effort from the edge of the box was deflected over the bar by Jordan Smith.
After 29 minutes Stephen Oates gave away a poor free-kick wide on the Shire right and was booked for his troubles. Worse was to follow when the ball was played across. Smith headed goalwards and although Nugent saved Iain Diack scrambled the ball over the line to give the home team a two goal lead.
A minute later McKenzie made good progress down Berwick’s right and cut the ball back perfectly for McBride but the Shire striker hit a weak effort which Gary O’Connor in the home goal saved with ease. After 36 minutes more clever work from Stewart put Tweedie clean through but the Shire striker chose to shot early and his effort blazed over the crossbar.
Shire started the second half in positive fashion and were awarded a free-kick right on the edge of the box after McBride was fouled. Stewart’s effort was well-hit but was deflected for a corner by Berwick’s defensive wall.
The home team were comfortable without creating too much although they were unlucky not to add to their lead in 52 minutes when Jordan Smith smacked a shot from 25 yards off Anton Nugent’s crossbar. The game seemed to be drifting aimlessly towards an inevitable conclusion when it took a rather unsavoury twist on 56 minutes.
Berwick’s Kevin Haynes was challenged down by the corner flag by Steven Learmonth. There was something the burly Berwick man took objection to because when the ball moved away he pushed Learmonth to the ground. The Shire man got up, said something, at which Haynes turned round and punched him in the face.
The usual melee followed with several players from both sides getting involved. The referee, who could not have seen Haynes actions, consulted his linesman, who couldn’t have failed to miss them, and the Berwick man was shown a straight red card.
Then Oates, who seemed to have done nothing wrong, was shown his second yellow and sent-off too. There seemed absolutely no justification for Oates’s punishment and Shire were deprived of an extra man advantage for the last half hour, and any chance of getting back into the match.
Berwick Rangers : O’Connor, McNicoll, McGroarty, Horn, Smith, G. Greenhill, Thomson, D. Greenhill(Manson 64), Haynes, Diack(Shand 77), Noble.
Shire : Nugent, McAloney(Livingstone 81), Learmonth, Thywissen, Oates, Boyle(Brand 58), McKenzie, Stewart, Tweedie, McBride(Dymock 65), Ure.
Referee : S. Nicholls
Attendance : 512

Berwick Rangers Preview

Shire face their toughest test so far when they head south of the border to Northumbria for a match with league leaders Berwick Rangers. But despite having won eight games in a row, Berwick do not frighten Shire boss, Gordon Wylde.

"Why should we fear the game ?," he asked. "We have beaten the last league leaders before Berwick and ended their unbeaten home run into the bargain. But it is all about consistency, which we don't seem to have. A lot will depend on which Shire turns up. Will it be the team that won at East Fife or will it be the won that lost against Elgin City or Albion Rovers ? A lot of it depends on how they get out of bed in the morning and we will take it from there."

The Firs Parkers scored a creditable 2-2 draw at Berwick on their last visit in September. "We played well that day," said Wylde "And don't forget at the end of the game it was Berwick who were hanging on for the draw."

Wylde is likely to continue with the team which won so surprisingly, but deservedly, at East Fife in the last game the team played a fortnight ago. The only change will come up front where Steven Dymock is likely to take the place of the now departed Joe Savage. "Berwick like to play with three at the back, so the best way to hurt them is to try to get balls in behind the defence. We will have to alter our style because East Fife ike to get the ball back to front quickly while Berwick are happier passing it," said Wylde.

The only possible change could mean a starting place for Andrew Brand who has another week of training now under his belt. A decision on the starting eleven will be made later.

Arbroath Game Off

Saturday, 20th January, 9:20 am : The scheduled Third Division match between East Stirlingshire and Arbroath has been postponed due to a waterlogged pitch. No new date, as yet, has been set for the game.

The recent bad weather has meant Shire have not played a home game since the 2-0 defeat at the hands of Egin City on 23rd December 2006. Arbroath becomes the third outstanding home fixture still to be played. Shire'll face Berwick Rangers on Tuesday 27th February, while no date has yet been re-arranged for the postponed New Year derby with Stenhousemuir.

Arbroath Preview

Shire will aim to build on last week's shock win over league leaders East Fife when they face another promotion chasing team, Arbroath, at Firs Park tomorrow.

Firs Park boss Gordon Wylde has shaken off the disappointment of losing out on the signature of Joe Savage ad instead says the club will carry on trying to get the best out of the players already at the club. "I will make just one change from the East Fife team," Wylde said earlier. "Steven Dymock will come into the team in the place of Joe Savage and the rest of the team will be the same."

Shire beat Arbroath 2-1 at Gayfield in November the last time the teams met and will be out for revenge. "If they players show the same spirit and enthusiasm they showed last week we will be all right. I believe we will get something out of the game," said the Firs Park boss.

The pitch was deemed playable early on Friday morning but whether the games goes ahead will depend entirely on overnight conditions. Widespread overnight rain was predicted and a morning pitch inspection should be anticipated.

Shire Issue "Hands Off Stewart" Warning

East Stirlingshire Football Club has denied in the strongest terms media reports that Paul Stewart has signed a pre-contract agreement with East Fife for next season.

"I don't know where they got this from but it's wrong," Shire boss Gordon Wylde told Zebra Diary. "Paul Stewart will definately be with us until the end of the season when we will sit down with him and discuss a very good new deal to stay for next season."

Shire have confirmed they have turned down at least one immediate transfer bid from East Fife as they attempt to hold on to the club's influential midfielder. It's believed the pre-contract story may have been circulated to the media in a bid to force Shire's hand into accepting a transfer bid for the player's immediate transfer. Shire have again stated they will not allow this to happen unless the price is right.

Savage Won't Sign

The club has confirmed that Joe Savage will not be signing with the club and won't play any more trial games. The scorer of Shire's opening goal in last week's 2-0 win over East Fife has apparently accepted a better ofer to play for another Third Division team.

"It is disapponting," Shire boss Gordon Wylde told Zebra Diary. "We had given Joe training facilities and put him in the shop window and it seemed he wanted to commit to us, but that's football and we will just have to get on with it."

East Fife 0 Shire 2

If only Shire could come up with results like this against Montrose and Elgin they wouldn't have to think about a fifth last place finish in the Third Division, never mind worry about it.

Gordon Wylde promised a more robust, physical Shire with less emphasis on playing fancy football and more focus on getting a result. The weather, torrential rain and a swirling, gale force wind, vindicated the approach. Shire revereted to a standard 4-4-2 with trialist, Joe Savage partnering a recalled Paul Tweedie in attack. Skipper Paul Stewart was restored to midfield, Paul McBride who had played the last three games as a striker partnered him in the middle while Paul McAloney, a fish out of water at centre-half, looked much more at home at right-back. Stephen Oates made a welcome return to the centre of defence and Anton Nugent was recalled in goal for the first time in months.

The visitors started really brightly and created the game's first half chances inside the first five minutes, but Oates narrowly missed Savage's cross at the back post and Derek Ure couldn't finish despite being well-placed.

East Fife, the league leaders who hadn't lost at home this season, found the going tough but they settled down and started to dominate the midfield although their only worthwhile effort in the first half came when Shire centre-half Carl Thywissen sent a brilliant header towards his own goal and had his blushes saved by a super tip over the bar from Nugent.

Shire's containment and counter attack game came into its own in the second half and they started to look far more purposeful than their opponents who hogged much of the possession but rarely threatened Nugent's goal with anything more dangerous than the occasional long-range effort. Savage was having an increasing influence on the game and he was unlucky to see a netbound effort deflected wide for a fruitless corner after 54 minutes.

There was a real scare for Shire two minutes later when Kevin Gordon burst clear but his shot went into the side net when it seemed he would opening the scoring. But as the game developed it turned into the Joe Savage show. He set up Marc McKenzie who was unlucky to see a shot from the edge of the box go just wide and then produced a decent save from Ian Ross with a shot on the turn from just inside the area.

Just when it seemed a draw would be a good result for Shire they broke upfield to score in styleafter 78 minutes. Steven Learmonth's run down the left sent Savage clear. The striker checked, cut inside and went on a slalom run into the box which left two home defenders in his wake before finishing specuacularly with the outside of his right foot.

East Fife could have equalised on 83 minutes but their trialist, Steven Nicholas, was denied by a superb point-blank save by Nugent. There were cheers from the away fans when Andrew Brand came on four minutes from time to replace McAloney, the club captain's first game since September. The icing was placed on the cake in the game's final minute when McKenzie broke the offside trap and slipped the ball to Stewart who danced past two home defenders before firing home the clincher.

East Fife : Ross, Smith, Hampshire, Smart, Doyle, Courts, Gordon(Martin 69), Jablonski, Ritchie(O'Reilly 69), Gibson, Trialist.

Shire : Nugent, McAloney(Brand 86), Learmonth, Thywissen, Oates, McBride, McKenzie, Stewart, Savage, Tweedie, Ure(Adam 87).

Referee : Alan Muir

Attendance : 552.

East Fife Preview

Shire travel to New Bayview tomorrow, weather permitting, to play current Third Division Leaders East Fife. Despite two chastening defeat at the hands of Dave Baikie's team this season Firs Park coach, Gordon Wylde, is approaching the match in confident mood.

"We know it will be difficult and we will certainly have to match East Fife in the physical department, something we have not managed to do. If we are to take anything out of the game we may have to change our approach and become a bit more direct. East Fife like to get the ball over the top and in quickly and they have been very successful at it. But we can go there and take something from the match," he said.

Wylde will give Joe Savage a game as a trialist, flu permitting and will welcome back Steven Dymock after his one game ban. He is also hoping a number of the players who missed out at Albion Rovers because of illness will come back into the reckoning. But out of consideration are Paul Brownlie and Stephen Adam who have not recovered from their injuries at Cliftonhill.

The weather has been poor over the last few days but there is no word on whether there will be a pitch inspection at Methil. A decision will most likely be taken in the morning.

Shire fans should note that the seating arrangements in the stand at New Bayview have been changed, which means visiting supporters will be placed in the seats at the sea endf of the ground.

Savage Still In Plans

Joe Savage should make his long-awaited Shire debut at East Fife on Saturday, provided he shakes off a dose of the flu. Boss Gordon Wylde insists the former Stenhouisemuir striker is "still in our plans" despite being unable to play for the club because games have been postponed by the weather.

"Joe is still with us," Wylde told Zebra Diary this week. "We have three games to assess him and to find out if he likes us and we like him. He is a big, awkward player and will provide us with a badly needed physical presence up front. He certainly will come into the reckoning for the East Fife game but he has been suffering from the flu so we will just have to wait to see how his is.

Shire were interested in taking Savage to Firs Park last season as part of the deal which delivered Iain Diack to Stenhousemuir, but the striker opted for East Fife. He was released by Dave Baikie in the summer and signed for Albion Rovers where he started the season as a regular before falling out of Jim Chapman's plans. He has been a free agent since November and is currently weighing up one or two options although he has been training with Shire for the past three weeks.

Wylde Hints At Brand Return

A Zebra Diary Exclusive : Shire Coach Gordon Wylde has raised the hope that club captain Andrew Brand will return to the team in the next few weeks. The skipper seemed on the verge of giving up football completely after the operation on his wrist failed to heal as well as he had expected. But now it seems as though he has had a change of heart.

"Andrew came to me and said he was still feeling sore from the operation and was understandably reluctant to risk breaking his wrist again," Wylde told Zebra Diary. "He had started a new job which involved him working on Saturdays and he did appear to be at the stage of giving up football completely.

"I told him to go away and think about it and come back and see me in the New Year. On the morning of the Albion Rovers game I got a message from him to say he wanted to come back to the club and give it another go. I am more than happy to have him back. I am hoping he will be in training this week and it should not be too long before he is ready to come into the team."

The club captain had been in fine form in the first month of the season. But at the start of September he went into hospital for surgery to strengthen the joint in his left wrist. Brand broke the joint twice playing for Shire last term and was worried that without the operation he would do so again.

However the prodecure did not go as well as Andrew had hoped and although he started training his comeback never materialised due to his own concerns about the operation. Andtrew was due to be out for six weeks but he last played for Shire in the 5-0 defeat at East Fife on 1st September last year.

The Game's Off

The photos taken just as the referee was inspecting the pitch tell their own story of the New Year Derby against Stenhousemuir which should have taken place this afternoon. Match off, waterlogged pitch and a free afternoon for everyone involved. The match will now be re-scheduled for February.

Warriors Match Is Off

Tuesday 2nd January 2007 9:40 am : Shire's New Year Derby match with Stenhousemuir, scheduled for Firs Park this afternoon, has been postponed. Three days of heavy rain have left parts of the pitch flooded. Local referee David Somers made a full inspection and decided the match could not go ahead. No new date has been set, but it looks as though the game will now be played some time in February.

Derby Game Doubt

It is already looking unlikely that tomorrow's scheduled New Year Derby with Stenhousemuir will be on. Shire have called a 9:30 am pitch inspection and it seems only a dry, windy night will give the game some sort of chance of going ahead.

However, after two days of heavy downpours one club official described the surface as "like porridge". Should the game be postponed it is most likely to be played in the first available midweek in January.

With no fixture for this coming weekend, Shire are next scheduled to be in action on Saturday 13th January when the team vist New Bayview to take on current Third Division leaders, East Fife.