Elgin City vs Stenhousemuir

Match Report

Elgin City v Stenhousemuir at Boroughbriggs, Elgin on 19.12.20

SPFL League Two                     Att 220

Elgin City  2 [Hester 39, Cameron 44]  Stenhousemuir 0

Elgin City – McHale, Cooper, Spark, McDonald [b44], Bronsky, MacEwan [b62] [Mailer 73], R.Dingwall, Cameron, Hester [MacBeath 86], Peters [Sopel 58]and O’Keefe [T.Dingwall 73]

Subs not used – McHardy, Osadolor, Loveland, Allen, Kelly

Stenhousemuir – Martin, Tiffoney [b49][Halleran 65], Munro [b82], Little [McQueen 20], Watters [Trialist A.McC 76], Hodge [Graham h/t], Grigor, Blair, Spence, McGuigan, Biabi [Fairley 65]. Subs not used –Erskine

Referee – Steven Reid            Assistants – Colin McAlpine and Steven MacDonald

This is the longest away trip in the league for the Warriors and meant the first bus trip for the players who had tight restrictions imposed on them due to the covid guidelines. There was another first though and it was a more welcome one as it was the first time that they had played with regular supporters watching albeit from the Elgin area only as Moray council is currently in tier 1 and hopefully this is an indication of things to come. The Warriors were missing the suspended Callum Tapping though he was still involved being kitman for the day.

Possibly the key moment in the opening stages was in the 15^th minute when there was a clash of heads between Creag Little and Andy Munro. The game was stopped for a while as both received treatment and although both were bandaged up Little was unable to continue. He was replaced by Chris McQueen who had a touch of good fortune when he headed a Connor O’Keefe cross off his own crossbar in the 27^th minute.

Stenhousemuir could have taken the lead in the 32^nd minute when Botti Biabi’s shot from inside the box struck Tom McHale in the midriff before being collected by the keeper at the second attempt.

O’Keefe was being given too much room down the flank and it was his cross that was chested down by Kane Hester before being steered home in the 39^th minute. Worse was to come though as Elgin extended their lead in the 43^rd minute though a Brian Cameron shot from close range after a Russell Dingwall free kick had led to a goalmouth scramble. There was to be no further scoring before half time that was extended by six minutes for the Little-Munro injury.

Almost immediately after the restart Hester almost scored again after outmuscling his marker but his shot was saved by Paddy Martin. Stenhousemuir had claims for a penalty turned down in the 59^th minute when Cammy Graham appeared to be pulled down by Andy McDonald but no award was forthcoming. Despite trying hard to get back into the game it was Hester who came closest to scoring with a volley from the edge of the box that rattled the crossbar in the 64^th minute and then O’Keefe saw a shot tipped over by Paddy Martin.

As the game progressed Elgin were able to dictate the pace of the game and certainly Martin was the busier of the two keepers. The visitors tale of woe was completed in stoppage time when Josh Grigor was shown a straight red for a foul which was possibly a booking at most.

The game ended without further incident and thus the Warriors failed to score for the first time in the league this season and it would have meant that it felt an even longer trip home than it actually was especially as they are not allowed to shower before getting on the bus. This meant that Elgin remained second in the league whilst Stenhousemuir remain sixth with 12 points after the first third of the season.