Berwick Rangers Preview

Having run them close at Firs Park just ten days ago, Shire boss Gordon Wylde wants his team to go one better this time and beat Third Division leaders, Berwick Rangers.

Wylde was in no doubt his team should have won against second top Arbroath in midweek and, on the eve of another vitally important encounter for the club, was in ebulient mood. "My group of players are every bit as good as Berwick and every bit as good as Arbroath. Twice in a week we have played the team at the top and the team in second place and each time we should have won. I have no doubt this is a match we can win."

Wylde was far from happy with the scant praise his team recieved after almost toppling Berwick last midweek. "I heard John Coughlin say his team did not play very well. But maybe that's because we didn't let them play. At least Arbroath manager John McGlashan came out after the game on Tuesday and admitted we were the better team on the night.

"Having said all that, I don't want any more hard luck stories. We really need the points now and that is one more reason why I think we can win."

Another reason for confidence is the Wee Rangers' depleted squad. For tomorrow's game they will be missing suspended top scorer Gary Wood and also Robbie Manson, who scored both Berwick goals in the 2-2 Shielfield draw back in September.

For their part Shire will be able to re-call Paul Brownlie and Steven Dymock who both missed the Gayfield trip for work reasons. The trialist striker who impressed at Arbroath, Kevin Struthers, is unlikely to be available. The only injury worry is Stephen Oates whose knee problem will most likely keep him on the sidelines.

Arbroath 3 Shire 2

Appropriately for a trip to a fishing town, this was the tale of the one that got away. Shire played well enough to beat promotion-chasing Arbroath, scored two cracking goals but still ended up losing simply because they could not keep the back door shut.
In particular keeper Anton Nugent will look back ruefully on his error of judgement after 74 minutes that cost his team at least a point. Afyer Shire had cancelled out Arbroath's 2-0 advantage Nugent picked up a harmless-looking through ball just a footstep outside his penalty area. Referee Mike Ritchie awarded an indirect free-kick which Paul Tosh blasted into a crowded box and the ball rebounded off the shins of Robbie Raeside into the net. It was a cruel way to end a match and not at all what Shire deserved on a night when they more than matched a team with genuine title aspirations.
Stephen Oates was left out because of his knee problem while Paul Brownlie and Steven Dymock were unavailable because of work commitments. Boss Gordon Wylde included trialist, Kevin Struthers as the lone striker in a 4-5-1 formation. But the visitors did anything but try to strangle the life out of the game. Instead, Paul Stewart's shot in the second minute, although too high, was an early statement that Shire would not simply sit back and defend. Futher efforts from Joe Boyle and the trialist were off target but at least it was more of a forward threat than the home team had managed up until that point.
After 28 minutes Shire should have taken the lead when Joe Boyle's deep croos found Marc McKenzie unmarked at the back post but the wee winger's shot hit the woodwork and the ball was scrambled to safety by the Arbroath defence. A minute after that Shire were behind. Jay Stein's cross was headed goalwards by Andy Reilly and cleared off the line by Struthers but when the ball was pitched back into the box Reilly made no mistake with his second header.
Things got tougher for Shire three minutes after the break. A long thrown-in was not properly cleared from the danger area and Arbroath defender Jamie Bishop hit a low shot from the edge of the box which seemed to go through Nugent as he dived and hit the back of the net. Two goals down with almost the entire second half to go and things did not look good. But, from somewhere, Shire managed to piece together their best spell of football in months.
It started with a slalom run towards goal by Stewart which ended with a shot which was saved well by Peat in the home goal. Shire took inspiration from that and within two minutes they had pulled a goal back. Joe Boyle tried his luck, the ball rebounded off Bishop straight to Paul Tweedie whose shot was low and true and left the Arbroath keeper with no chance. With their tails up, Shire went at the home team and they did not like it. On 61 minutes Tweedie was fouled just outside the box and Boyle hit the resulting free-kick Beckha-style over the defensive wall and with dip in it and Peat had to pull off a brilliant save toprevent the equaliser. Not that it was long in coming. After 63 minutes Paul McBride picked up the loose ball in midfield and sent a strunning, curling drive into the top left-hand corner of Peat's net. 2-2 and Shire were flying.
At that point a betting man would have put money on only one team winning and it would not have been Arbroath. Stewart was denied a strike at goal by a last ditch tackle as Arbroath struggled to keep their visitors at bay. Then Paul Tosh chased a lost cause through ball with such commitment that he panicked the Shire keeper into handling outside his box. Nugent was booked and worse was to follow and Tosh simply blasted the ball low into the box hoping for the best, and he got it when Raeside diverted it into the net off his shin.
Arbroath : Peat, McMullen, Rennie, McCulloch, Raeside, Bishop, Smith, Dobbins, Reilly(Webster 67), Brazil(Scott 87), Tosh, Stein(Black 67).
Shire : Nugent, McAloney, Learmonth(Adam 84), Brand, Thywissen, Boyle(Galloway 79), McKenzie(Ure 77), Stewart, Tweedie, Trialist, McBride.
Referee : Mike Ritchie

Arbroath Preview

Shire will be hoping for calmer weather when they make the return trip to Gayfield to replay the match abandoned ten days ago due to gale force winds. Although the two teams managed 76 minutes of a goalless farce on that occasion, the clock is set back to zero and the good things is Shire will be able to field a much stronger eleven than they were on that lst trip.

But with Stephen Oates and Stephen Adam both out injured and Steven Dymock and Paul Brownlie absent due to work commitments, boss Gordon Wylde will have to shuffle his pack. He has plans to play a junior trialist up front, a player he says has a god scoring record at his level. Another trialist looks set to fill a position on the bench.

"I feel we can go there and get a decent result there. We will certainly have a better team than we did the last time and Paul Stewart is back from suspension so that is another of our better players who will be included in the team," Wylde told Zebra Diary. Kick-off at Gayfield is 7:45pm.

Shire 0 Berwick Rangers 1

How Shire must be kicking themselves. They passed up the chance to beat the league leaders and reduce the gap at the bottom to just a single point with a display that said everything about the kind of bad fortune that seems to have engulfed Firs Park.

Make no mistake about it, Shire had Berwick Rangers on the ropes but their failure to deliver the knock-out punch, despite several gilt-edged oppoprtunities, cost them dear when Iain Diack popped up unmarked at the back post to head home the only goal of the game seven minutes from the end.

There were changes to the side which started the abandoned game at Gayfield on Saturday. Anton Nugent replaced Robert Tiroupolos between the sticks and there were starting places for Steven Learmonth and Andrew Brand, replacing Craig Galloway and Adam Kassim.

There was no doubt Berwick were the livlier in the opening quarter and the underlined that with a cracking Gary Greenhill drive after 13 minutes that came rattling back of Nugent's left-hand upright. A few minutes later former Shire man Chris McGroarty crossed from the left and his one-time Firs Park colleague, Iain Diack, volleyed over the bar when he maybe ought to have scored.

Berwick posed a threat as the half wore on and twice Nugent had to look smart to save, especially with a fine block with his legs from Gary Wood's effort. Shire weren't out of things and a Paul McAloney cross set up Paul McBride but his effort was well-saved by O'Connor. Half-time was reached with no goals, which was a fair reflection on both teams.

Shire began the second period far more positively and McBride was genuinely unlucky to see his effort from Paul Brownlie's free-kick go narrowly wide after 52 minutes. Three minutes later Shire really should have scored when Dymock chested down the ball and volleyed for goal only to see O'Connor deny him with a breathtaking save. Shire were heartened by that and dominated much of the rest of the game.

But they could not turn that possession and territory into clear cut shots at goal. Brownlie at least forced O'Connor into a savbe, and a good one too, after 72 minutes while at the other end a Thomson free-kick shaved the outside of Nugent's right-hand post.

On the 80 minute mark there were no excuses for Shire not taking the lead. The broke quickly from defence and Kassim, a second half substitrute, tore towards goal before squaring the ball unselfishly for Galloway. All the youngster had to do was roll the ball into the empty net but he somehow missed the target.

That miss proved fatal. After 83 minutes Kassim was dispossessed on the half way line and the ball transferred to the left wing when Greenhill crossed deep for Diack to head home the winning goal from the back edge of the six yard box.

Shire : Nugent, McAloney, Learmonth, Brand, Thywissen, Boyle(Galloway 65), McKenzie, Brownlie, Tweedie, Dymock, McBride(Trialist 78).

Berwick Rangers : O'Connor, Manson, McGroarty, Horn, McNicoll, G. Greenhill, Thomson, Notman(Lucas 68), Haynes(Noble 68), Wood, Diack.

Referee : E. Norris

Attendance : 225.

Berwick Rangers Preview

Gordon Wylde is still waiting anxiously to find out what kind of team he will be able to field against Berwick Rangers at Firs Park. The seven members of his 19 man squad who missed the abandoned match at Gayfield could all still be out.

They have been laid low by a mystery virus, injury and suspension. Stephen Adam, Scott Livingstone and Paul Stewart will not take part; the first two are injured the latter suspended. Stephen Oates, Steven Learmonth and Andrew Brand missed Saturday's wind tunnel meeting through illness.Wylde's hope is at least one of them will be fit enough for a return.

If not then Shire will only have the twelve players, plus trialist Adam Kassim, who were available for the aborted trip to Angus. And while those players fought hard in the circumstanfes Wylde knows when things are a lot less stormier Berwick Rangers can take advantage.Kick-off is 7:45pm.

Arbroath A Shire A

Referee Mike Ritchie was left with no option but to end 76 minutes of high farce at Gayfield as gale force winds led to the abandonment of this match with the sides tied at 0-0.

The winds became so strong that Shire keeper Robert Tiroupolos had difficulty clearing his own penalty area with his goal kicks. Even Arbroath's attempts to harness the wind at their backs proved impossible as the ball appeared to have a mind of its own on where it went on the pitch and when. With forwards struggling to create any attacks and defenders unable to judge where the ball would bounce and when, the "match" became a tedious succession of throw-ins and goal kicks. Playing any kind of football was impossible. Significantly, both managers agreed the ref had made the right decision.

Shire will perhaps feel a tinge of regret that the match officials called a halt when they were less than quarter of an hour away from getting a decent draw, espcially when you consider the number of late injury withdrawls. They travelled to Gayfield with just ten fit outfield players and two goalkeepers; Steven Learmonth and Stephen Adam were the only named outfield substitutes from a possible four, although neither was fit enough to play.

Paul Tweedie had the right idea as Shire started with the gale at their backs. He cracked in a long-range effort straight from the kick-off which former Firs Park keeper Scott Morrison did well to save. Bt it became apparent very quickly that the swirling storm was making ball control impossible and Shire struggled to produce anything of note. Arbroath, as their manager admitted honestly after the ref called a halt to proceedings, dedided the best policy for facing the wind was simply to form a circle with the wagons and wait for the second half.

Paul Brownlie shot over when well-placed and a Paul McAloney ball into the box caused havoc but bounced kindly for Arbroath at the last minute. But Shire could not do anything meaningful even when the elements were supposedly in their favour.

Arbroath found much the same story after the break. The wind, by this time, was now so strong that the only way Tiroupolos could get the ball to sit still for goal kicks was to form mounds of sand to act as wedges. He launched one effort straight down the centre of the pitch and the ball blew back and went out of play for an Arbroath throw-in next to his own corner flag !

Every pass the home team hit, no matter how short, flew out of play for either a goal-kick or a throw-in. They came close to scoring only twice; once when Kevin Webster's cross into the box hit the post and the second was an Andy Reilly toe-poke which Tiroupolos dived to push round the post.

After a brief consultation with both managers Mr Ritchie decided the wind was simply too strong to continue and the game was abandoned after 76 minutes.

Arbroath : Morrison, Rennie(Webster 63), McCulloch, Raeside, Bishop, Black, McMullan, Martin(Reilly 69), Brazil, Sellars, Stein.

Shire : Tiroupolos, McAloney, Galloway, Boyle, Thywissen, McBride, McKenzie, Tweedie, Dymock, Brownlie, Kassim.

Referee : M. Ritchie

Attendance : 639.

Shire 1 Arbroath 5

At least Shire managed to score at home for the first time since September. But Paul Brownlie's 81st minute strike does not make up for the crushing disappointment of defeat. Gordon Wylde's team paid a very heavy price for a daft seven minutes right at the start of the second half when they went from being in with a shout of taking a positive result to being out of things completely.

Wylde did not have his problems to seek before kick-off when both Derek Ure and Steven Learmonth were ruled out with a virus. That meant moving Stephen Oates to left-back and a surprise start for trialist Adam Kassim. But Shire could not have got off to a poorer start.

Witrhin three minutes they were behind, just as they had been against East Fife on Saturday. Jay Stein's outswinging corner found Steven Rennis lurking unmarked at the back edge of the box and he struck a shot through a ruck of players into the net.

The visitors bossed the game for a while but never created a worthwhile chance and it was Shire, towards the half hour mark who forced their way back into proceedings. First Kassim made a good run down the left and found himself clean through with only Mark Peat to beat but he shot straight at the Arbroath keeper's legs. A minute later Paul Tweedie got to the bye-line and crossed but, when a simple touch would have put Shire level, there was no-one in the right place at the right time to take advantage.

Peat was by far the busier keeper and he had to dive full stretch to save a long-range effort from Paul McBride. Shire certainly seemed to have the upper hand as referee Craig Charleston blew for half-time but they left their advantage behind in the dressing room when they re-appeared for the second half.

Within a minute of the re-start Rennie played the ball into the box and Barry Sellars ghosted in between the Shire defenders to chest the ball into the net, 2-0 Arbroath. Barely a minute later Shire keeper Anton Nugent had a rush of blood to his head and raced to clear the ball upfield only his effort hit Arbroath's Alan Brazil, ballooned over his head and looped into the empty net. In the space of two minutes Shire had gone from being in a promising position to out of the game completely.

And things only got worse. A poor clearance after 53 minutes landed at the feet of Nicky Smith who sent a swerving half-volley past Nugent from more than twenty yards. The bleakness of the night appeared complete when Paul Stewart was sent-off for a second booking after 76 minutes, although the club video shows referee Charleston got his decision completely wrong.

The game was lost but Shire didn't give up and scored a nice goal, their first at Firs Park in 905 minutes, in the closing stages. McBride knocked a high ball into the path of Brownlie who struck a sweet shot past Peat from just inside the penalty area. But Arbroath had the last laugh, Jamie Bishop scoring a scrappy goal after the home defence failed to clear their lines.

Shire : Nugent, McAloney, Oates, Brand, Thywissen, Boyle(Brownlie 75), McKenzie, Stewart, Tweedie, McBride, Kassim(Galloway 64).

Arbroath : Peat, Rennie, McCulloch, Raeside, Bishop, Smith, Scott(McMullan 46), Reilly(Martin 62), Brazil, Sellars(Black 57), Stein.

Referee : Craig Charleston

Attendance : 275.

Shire 0 East Fife 2

Same old story. Just as Shire should have beaten Stenhousemuir in midweek, so they should have taken something from this game too. There was plenty of hard work, good play and some decent chances. What was lacking was a killer touch in front of goal. Shire have now gone eleven games without scoring a home goal and the fact that it was good goalkeeping rather than poor finishing that kept the record intacts makes it no less bearable.

Gordon Wylde made just one change to the starting eleven from Tuesday;'s disappointing defeat against Stenhouisemuir; Paul McBride came into the team in place of Joe Boyle to partner Paul Tweedie up front. But before he, or any other Shire player, had a chance to influence the game the team was already behind.

Fewer than two minutes were on the clock when Paul Walker took a flick on into his stride and beat the advancing Anton Nugent with a clever lob from just outside the penalty box. But Shire took hte setback in their stride for once and started to hog possession and create chances. Marc McKenzie was playing as though attempting to win the game single handed. After 25 minutes he sent in a superb half volley that flew just wide, had it gone in it would have been contender for goal of the season. The wee winger also tried his luck with two more efforts but they gave John Dodds in the East Fife goal the opportunity to make good saves.

The keeper should have been left with no chance just seconds into the second half when Paul Stewart's pinpoint cross was headed goalwards by McBride but his effort just shaved the top of the crossbar.

After 57 minutes everyone thought McBride had at last broken Shire's home scoring duck. Steven Learmonth whipped over the ball to the near post and McBride's stooping header was netbound all the way until Dodds managed to pull off a miraculous save. Minutes later skipper Andrew Brand tried his luck and against Dodds made a great save.

Shire had all the possession and were starting to look really dangerous but the more desperate they got the easier it was for East Fife to pick holes in their rearguard. Walker should have added a second East Fife goal eight minutes from the end but he was denied by a great save from Nugent.

Shire went for the kamikaze approach in the final few minutes and that ended up costing them dear. A simple ball over the top of the defence sent Craig O'Reilly clear and even though his first shot was saved by Nugent, he had enough time and space to collect the rebound and clinch the three points.

Shire : Nugent, McAloney, Learmonth, Thywissen, Oates, Brand, McKenzie, Stewart, Tweedie(Brownlie 83), McBride(Dymock 83), Ure(Trialist 73).

East Fife : Dodds, E. Smith, McBride, J. Smart, Doyle, McDonald, Gibson(Jablonski 54), Blackadder(Gordon 54), Ritchie, O'Reilly(Nicholas 88), Walker.

Referee : A. Law

Attendance : 358

East Fife Preview

Stephen Adam and Paul Brownlie will miss out on the crucial fixture against East Fife at Firs Park. Both are suffering from leg injuries and, with Shire in goalscoring crisis, boss Gordon Wylde will breathe a sigh of relief at the return of Steven Dymock to the squad.

He is free of the work commitments that forced him to miss Tuesday night's 1-0 home defeat at the hands of Stenhousemuir. There could be changes in the forward line. Paul McBride's brief cameo on Tuesday brightened up a lacklustre display and he may be in with a chance of starting.

The match is of real importance to Shire. For one thing they must bring thrir Firs Park goal drought to an end. It's 30th September last year since the team scoerd at home a statistic which now seems to be playing on Wylde's mind. Beyond that, at least a point from the match would come in handy. Elgin City face Stenhousemuir at Borough Briggs and some Shire folk who witnessed the derby double header with the Warriors are worried Robbie Williamson's men may stand a decent chance of winning. If that were to happen Shire would need to beat East Fife to avoid ending up bottom of the league for the first time this season. At least Shire have proof that it can be done; the last meeting between the teams ended in a 2-0 win at New Bayview, although East Fife have recovered their form since then, beatign Albion Rovers 3-0 and Elgin 3-1 in their last two outings. By contrast, Shire's victory against the Fifers, secured with goals from Joe Savage and Paul Stewart back on January 13th, was the last time they tasted victory.

Shire 0 Stenhousemuir 1

A frightening lack of composure in front of goal cost Shire dear in the latest local derby with Stenhousemuir. Despite carving the Warriors back line open time and again the Firs Parker could not find the target. No wonder they have now gone 914 minutes without scoring a goal at home. With finishing as woeful as this, all it takes to beat Shire is one goal.

That duly arrived after 17 minutes. A bit of penalty box bagatelle ended with the ball sqirming to the back edge of the area where veteran striker, Gareth Hutchison was waiting, unmarked, to ram it past the exposed Anton Nuent. The goal finished the match as a contest and only some pretty poor finishing from the visitors prevented them from expanding their advantage.

But the true story of the night was how Stenhousemuir should have been dead and buried even before Hutchison was allowed to score what turned out to be the game winning goal. After just two minutes a powerful Paul Tweedie run towards the box ended with a shot from the 18 yard line that whizzed just wide of Willie McCulloch's left-hand post.

The Stenhousemuir defence was a disaster area and a pas across the box almost let emergency striker, Joe Boyle in, but McCulloch got there in the nick of time to clear. After seven minutes Tweedie beat a dodgy offside trap and raced in on goal. He seemed certain to score but instead hammered his shot straight at McCulloch. The ball ballooned into the air and as it fell the Shire man headed towards what was an empty net. To everyone's amazement it drifted wide for a goal kick, setting the tone for Shire's night.

As is so often the case when you can't score with easy chances you leave yourself open to the sucker punch and Shire were given an early warning when John Paul McBride's 20 yard feee-kick skimmmed the top of the bar. After 17 minutes there was no saving Shire. They could not check Dempster's run into the box and the home defence made a terrible hash of trying to clear his shot. In the end they failed completely and the ball broke to Hutchison who scored with a low drive.

Things threatened to unravel for Shire but they held things together just enough to go in at the interval just one goal down.

Five minutes after the break it should have been two but Nugent came to the rescue with a great save from Hutchison after he had been sent clear by Dempster. Shire were simply not able to get past McCulloch; Tweedie found himself again with only the keper to beat but shot straight at him. Andrew Brand's later effort had a bit more venom but was not good enough to get past him.

With 15 minutes left Shire gambled and took off Paul McAloney, replacing him with Paul McBride. The forward for a defender switch almost had an instant impact but McBride's shot from the six yard box was saved.

The Warriors were not out of things and Hutchison should have put the issue beyond doubt on 81 minutes but shot over the bar from inside the six yard box. Then Shire managed one final effort. With three minutes to go McKenzie passed up a great chance to equalise, shooting straight at McCulloch. Both Tweedie amd McBride also missed good chances before the close.

Shire : Nugent, McAloney(McBride 75), Learmonth, Thywissen, Oates, Boyle, McKenzie, Stewart, Tweedie, Brand, Ure.

Stenhousemuir : W. McCulloch, McLeish, Menzies, Aitken, Murphy, S. McCulloch, Sinclair, Dempster, Hutchison, Tyrrell, McBride.

Referee : John McKendrick

Attendance : 256

Stenhousemuir Preview

Overnight weather conditions will determine whether or not Firs Park will be playable for the second leg of this week's derby double header. Athough Monday was dry, the forecast was for heavy rain through the night. With the pitch already very soft it would come as no surprise were there to be another pitch inspection on Tuesday.

And Shire coach Gordon Wylde believes heavy underfoot conditions may favour the visitors. "If the pitch is soft it will make the game slower and I have no doubt that will be to their advantage," he told Zebra Diary. "That said I don't think they will relish playing us again after what happened on Saturday.

"I felt it was two points thrown away, especially with the chances we had. The first half I thought we shaded but after the interval we had the better chances and gave them a bit of a battering. The way we conceded the equaliser was avoidable and unfortunate for Carl Thywissen who otherwisse had another great game for us.

"We need to be positive and move on, we must try to get hte goals that will allow us to pick up all three points. On Saturday we created more chances in a signle game than we have in months and that is a good sign. We have to believe we can win."

Shire will be able to welcome back Derek Ure after suspension but Stephen Adam is still ruled out by injury.

Stenhousemuir 1 Shire 1

A draw would have been seen by Shire fans as a good result before kick-off at Ochilview, but at the conclusion of this ninety minutes it felt very much like two points dropped. Gordon Wylde was left to bemoan his team's lack of a finishing touch as they passed up some glorious opportunities to kill off their local rivals and record their second win over them this season.

But perhaps it was not so surprising that Shire couldn't claim the victory. Scoring goals has been a problem all season and it was very evident on this showing. In particular, they will look back ruefully on two chances in the second half that should have resulted in the goals that would have won the match.

And at the other end there were regrets too. Carl Thywissen, otherwise Shire's best player on display, will wish he had not been so keen to clear from Stenhousemuir's Tommy Sinclair and that he had not directed the ball past his own keeper to cancel out Marc McKenzie's 45th minute opener for Shire.

Wylde again was forced into changes to his starting line-up. In the main that was down to the absence of Derek Ure through suspension. Steven Learmonth returned for the first time in four weeks to his customary left-back role while Paul McBride took up Ure's more regular beat wide on the left of midfield while trying to support solitary striker Paul Tweedie. As expected, skipper Andrew Brand moved from defence into midfield while Joe Boyle retained his place despite a poor showing against Dumbarton.

The home team had lost four on the bounce but were determined to make amends. After nine minutes Thywissen was quick to snuff out the first genuine hint of trouble with a superb saving tackle as Andy Thomson bore down on goal. Both teams huffed and puffed and generally failed to create much in the way olf scoring chances, although Scott McCulloch came close with a 20 yard free kick that struck the top of Anton Nugent's crossbar. Thomson had a worthwhile effort too, a snapshot on the turn after John Paul McBride's cutback.

Shire had to come up with a tactic to win the game and the one they devised was simple enough; give the ball to McKenzie. The wee winger was not scared to run at people but for all the posession and enterprising wing play he created almost nothing because the final delivery into the box was either poor or there was no Shire player in the box to recieve it. That was a common problem and so, despite having most of the possession and territory, Shire hardly created a worrying moment for Warriors keeper Willie McCulloch.

That changed on the stroke of half-time when a clever pass from Tweedie released McKenzie down the right. He cut inside instead of crossing, drew the lkeeper and slotted the ball under McCulloch's body to make it 1-0 Shire.

The second period began in controversy when the Warriors' Murphy was judged, harshly, to have passed back to his keeper who picked the ball up. From five yards out McKenzie blasted the indirect free kick straight against Stenhousemuir's eleven man wall standing on the goalline. That was a chance gone.

Not long after Tweedie won the ball in a tackle inside the box and it broke to McKenzie. Just seven yards out and with only the keeper to beat he seemed certain to score but, leaning back, he blasted the ball miles over the bar. Three minutes later only a brilliant save from Nugent prevented Murphy equalising with a header from McBride's corner kick.

After 58 minutes substitute Tommy Sinclair broke clear down the Shire right. He looked certain to score but Thywissen attempted a last ditch tackle. He won the ball cleanly but only succeeded in prodding it past Nugent into his own net for the equaliser.

Five minutes after that Shire passed up another great chance. Paul Stewart found McKenzie unmarked at the back post. His shot was saved well by McCulloch but the rebound fell for Paul McBride who made a real mess of turning the ball into the empty net. After 71 minutes Tweedie shrugged off the challenge of Menzie and was clean through with only the keeper to beat but he shot straight at McCulloch and could not gather the rebound. Shire were left cursing their bad luck again.

Two minutes later the Warriors Craig McEwan was strechered off and, having used all three subs, Stenhousemuir had to soldier on with ten men but they held out comfortably for a draw.

Stenhousemuir : W. McCulloch, McEwan, D. Henderson(Menzies 51), Tyrrell, Murphy, S. McCulloch, McLeish, Dempster, Thomson(McManus 72), R. Henderson(Sinclair 38), McBride.

Shire : Nugent, McAloney(Galloway 87), Learmonth, Thywissen, Oates, Boyle, McKenzie, Stewart, Tweedie, Brand, McBride(Dymock 88).

Referee : M. Sproule

Attendance : 421.

Stenhousemuir Preview

Derek Ure and Paul Brownlie will both be missing from the team that will make the shortest trip of the season to Ochilview. Ure has to serve a one match ban as a result of going over 18 disciplinary points while Brownlie is still sufferiing the effects of his knee injury suffered against Albion Rovers three weeks ago.

Shire will travel in reasonable mood even though they lost at Dumbarton last week. Boss Gordon Wylde revealed the players held a clear the air meeting in the aftermath of that disappinting defeat and feels it may have done them some good. But he is dismissing any notion that Senhousemuir's poor run of results makes Shire job any easier. "To be honest I have not been paying attention to Stenhousemuir's results. I know Campbell Money has made changes to the squad and htey will be dangerous opponents.

"But we have beaten them already 5-0 this season so the players know they are capable of it. In our last game there it was fairly even but they got the breaks and we did not. We had a goal disallowed in the first half and had that gone in it might have been different. As it was they got two lucky goals in the second half and won the game."

Wylde knows anything other than defeat at Ochilview would probably mean another week for Shire off the bottom of the table. He has also called for the midfield to help the forwards out by creating a bit more of a goal threat but also wants the strikers to hold the ball in more when they are in possession. "They players had a go at each other after the Dumbarton game and sometimes that can make you stronger," said Wylde. "They want to win as much as everybody else and I know what it would mean to the loyal supporters who have backed us this season. We want to send them home happy on Saturday."