Montrose vs Stenhousemuir

Match Report

Referee – Chris Graham         Assistants – Michael Banks and Ben Dempster

This was Stenhousemuir’s first trip to Links Park since 2009 and they were hoping to put the previous week’s result and second half performance behind them. They kept the same starting eleven as in the Stirling Albion game for this match against Stewart Petrie’s Montrose.

The game started slowly and it took until the 11^th minute before the first real action when a through ball by Liam Callaghan picked out Martyn Fotheringham but the Montrose skipper’s chip over Chris Smith also went over the bar.  There was a scare for the home side in the 17^th minute when a poor kick out by Sean Dillon was picked up by Mark McGuigan but he drove at the defence but his subsequent shot went wide. The closest that either side came to opening the scoring in the first half was when Chris Templeman did well for a big man to stoop to meet a cross and his header went narrowly wide, Stenhousemuir had to make an enforced substitution on the half hour when David Marsh had to go off after picking up an injury earlier in the game that he could not run off.

If the first period had been limited in action the same couldn’t be said for the second period as Stenhousemuir, after frustrating a Montrose side who had the bulk of the first half play without creating opportunities, almost opening the scoring immediately after the resumption with a McGuigan snapshot crashing off the underside of the bar. Stenhousemuir appealed that the ball had crossed the line to no avail. Three minutes later McGuigan had another opportunity when a probing pass by Harry Paton picked him out but the striker’s effort was blocked by keeper Allan Fleming’s legs.  Fotheringham came close for Montrose with a free-kick that went just wide but it was Stenhousemuir who deservedly took the lead in the 70^th minute. Jamie Longworth passed to Nathan Blockley who crossed into the danger area with the outside of his foot for McGuigan who had eluded his marker to head home from close range. Three minutes later a burst of speed by Paton took him into the box but he had to overstretch to meet the ball and caught a Montrose player instead of the ball. He was harshly cautioned by referee Chris Graham as there was obviously no intent in the tackle,

In the 79^th minute against the run of play Montrose equalised. A cross field pass was totally misjudged by Ruaridh Donaldson and Graham Webster took full advantage with a good first touch to advance on goal. Chris Smith did well to block the initial shot but was unable to prevent Webster tucking the ball into the net.

Things could have been worse for the Warriors as Montrose could have scored a second in the 82^nd when Templeman was allowed a free header from an Iain Campbell corner but he headed wide of the target.

There was to be no further scoring before the end and thus honours were even. It was an improved performance though by the Warriors who could consider themselves unlucky not to pick up their first win of the season.