3rd July 2021 The Spartans 1 Stenhousemuir 5

A lovely morning today and we both went for a long walk. With the match kicking off at 13.00 I had a brunch of a couple of bacon rolls with brown sauce before heading off to Ainslie Park at 11.45. Walked down the old railway path and I arrive at the ground at 12.40. Showed my season ticket and wandered in taking up a position on the fence at the cafe end of the ground. I managed to get a photo of a team sheet before moving to a seat in the stand for kick-off.  

Spartans made a few changes following their heavy defeat to Hearts in midweek. Daniel Baur and Arron Murrell returned to the starting line-up with Ian McFarland returning to the squad as a substitute. He was joined on the bench but six trialists one of whom was former player Jordan Caddow.  Spartans lined up with Euan Smith, normally a midfield player in central defence and central defender Baur at left-back. Baur was a Hearts youth player and played a couple of times in the first team under Craig Levein's management. He was played at left-back then and I do not feel he is as comfortable there as in central defence. Playing at left-back restrict his passing options being tighter against th touchline and he also seems to lack the attacking qualities required at full-back. 

Stenhousemuir are currently member of the SPFL competing in league Two. They have a unique claim to fame as the only current SPFL club, who were also in the Leagues in the twentieth century,  never to have won a league title. They have made several new signings over the summer and look to be strong contenders for promotion in the new season. New signings include strikers Thomas Orr and Robert Thomson previously with Stranraer and Also respectively. They are consistent goalscorers and a strong attacking threat. The defence has been bolstered by the signing of 'man of many clubs' Craig Reid previously with Ayr. 

The match started slowly and it was twenty minutes before a shot from Orr forced the first save of the game by Spartans keeper Blair Carswell. Murrell had Spartans first shot on target ten minutes later with David Wilson in the Stenhousemuir  ("Stennie")goal making an easy save. The first goal off theme arrived after thirty-four minutes. Blair Henderson was fouled on the edge of th penalty area as he looked to lay off a quickly taken free-kick to Jamie Dishington on the right wing. Scott Maxwell's free-kick bounced of the Stennie defensive wall to Murrell, unmarked eight yards from goal, and he knocked the ball past Wilson despite appeals for offside from the Stenhousemuir defence. The lead did not last long as two minutes later a cross from the right by Darren Christie was headed down by Thomson towards Orr on the edge of the six yard box. The forward, facing away from goal, half-turned and shot low past Carswell for the equaliser. Stennie went ahead in thirty nine minutes. A corner from the right was met by Thomson about twelve yards out with a looping header. The ball flew past Carswell to for a two one lead.

The second half was more of the same with Stennie scoring again in the second minute. Soon good inter-passing ended with Cameron Graham, on the edge of the penalty box, knocking the ball through into the right hand channel . Orr timed his run perfectly to shoot low past the helpless Carswell. The fourth goal arrived in sixty-four minutes and was made and scored by three substitutes. Ross Forbes hit a long ball down the left hand side. Jamie Mills collected the ball near the byeline then knocked it back to Adam brown on the edge of the penalty area. Brown took a touch then curled a shot into the top right hand corner of the goal beyond Carswell.  The keeper distinguished himself minutes later when he got down quickly to block a shot from Brown as he ran in from the left. The ball rebounded back to Brown but Carswell scrambled to gather the second attempt. The final goal arrived in seventy-two minutes when a corner from Declan Hughes deflected of Baur and was bundled in at the far post by Reid. The Spartans announcer gave this as an own goal but I thought the Stennie player got the last touch as did the Stennie Twitter feed. Despite making three substitutions Spartans were unable to pull a goal back before the final whistle. I don't think Spartans are in danger of relegation but I think they will struggle to match their big spending rivals in the Lowland League the the competitive games start. With twelve goals conceded in the last two friendlies they certainly need to look at strengthening the defence.

The weather had clouded over during the game and there was a hint a rain rain in the air now. Despite this I decided to walk home, again along the railway path, and arrive back just after 16.00 in tim to settle down for an evening in font of the television watching the Euro semi-finals. 

Teams

Spartans: Carswell, Herd, Smith, Baur, Bolochoweckyj, Woods, Dishington, Brown, Henderson Murrell, Maxwell.

Subs: Caddow, Trialist, Trialist

Stenhousemuir: Wilson, Anderon, Coll, Crighton, Reid, Wedderburn, j. Lyon, Christie, Graham, Orr.

Subs: Forbes, Hughes, O'Reilly, Brown, Mills