"Missed Chances"

Third place in the league after two wins and a draw at Albion, against a side that had also started the season with successive victories, represents a decent start for the Warriors, but manager Campbell Money knows it could have been better.

John Dempster’s first-half spot kick gave Stenny the lead but Kenny Wright restored parity in the 74th minute and Money was left to reflect on a point, but also several missed chances.

Missed Chances cost points at Albion.

“It should have been three wins out of three,” he said. “If the truth be told we did enough to win the game, we missed chances that, on other occasions, you would like to think we would take. But all in all I don’t suppose we can really complain too much about the start we have made.”

With three games completed, East Fife lead the Third Division with a perfect record, followed by Albion and Stenny on seven points with Stranraer and the Shire a further point back, and Money cannot see things opening up much as the season progresses, adding: “I can see it being pretty tight all the way through.”

 

Doubt Over Hillcoat

However, with the Shire coming to Ochilview on Saturday, there will be a chance for Stenny to keep the pressure on the leaders and move ahead of their local rivals. “If we had won on Saturday we would have been top, but we didn’t and so now they [the Shire] are a point behind us, so it has got the makings of an excellent match.

What Campbell Wants To See On Saturday!

“They have been doing almost as well as we have, it will be an interesting match and I’m sure it will be a match that a lot of people locally would like to see.”

Money will not have the luxury of a full squad to choose from for the derby encounter, but is not too worried, saying: “We have still got Steven Ferguson and Scott McCulloch out, John Hillcoat has got a wee bit of a hamstring as well, so we will have to see how he goes, other than that everybody else is okay.”

 

"Pitch Dictates"

Injuries or no, the squad is now complete and even though Money has the option of signing players outside of the transfer window he was quite adamant that would not happen, stating: “I have got no intention of bringing anyone else in.”

The Ochilview Surface Dictates Player Type

Money is quite happy with the squad he has and hopes Stenny will cope in all conditions throughout the season, saying: “Our pitch dictates the type of player we have to try to sign, sometimes the players you would sign for our pitch are not necessarily the same as you would sign for grass pitches and heavy grass pitches at that, but I think I have a fair degree of flexibility in the squad.”

Hopefully that flexibility will help earn the Warriors a place back in the Second Division, which is obviously the target for Money, although a set number of points is not his aim. “To be fair, I think it is difficult to do that,” he said. “If you get two or three injuries that can affect things quite quickly. Obviously we have Scott and Steven out just now and that is a bit of a blow as they have actually been doing okay. So we really have to watch what we are doing in terms of injuries, because we can’t take too many of those.”

 
Big Boab and Fergie Are Long Term Absentees

However, despite dropping points at Albion, Money is quite pleased and ready for Saturday’s showdown with the Shire. He concluded: “Time will tell how things go but generally I have been reasonably happy with the start we have made.”

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