Warriors ready for battle
It’s that time again Warriors. The calm before the storm. Much has changed since our last league encounter in May, with all preparations boiling down to Saturday when we will begin our latest campaign. Plenty hard work has gone on behind the scenes, with a new coaching team entering the building, quickly followed by almost an entirely new squad hungry for success.
It’s certainly exciting times to be a Warrior. Not only because of the fresh feeling brought by the anticipation and hope for the new season, but because of the fact that we will be able to welcome many of you back to Ochilview to support the team.
It’s set to be a long season, 36 games spanning 9 months over the course of the coming year. There’ll be highs, lows and no doubt many twists and turns along the way. Countless miles will be travelled, many people met and probably a few too many scotch pies scoffed. So get excited. Savour every moment, because this is what we all live for as football supporters.
The Warriors are back and ready for battle, only this time they have an army of supporters behind them!
Lastly, just a reminder that not only are tickets for Saturday’s game available via the FanBase app, but it’s also not too late to sign up for the season. Both our season tickets and virtual season tickets remain on sale. For season tickets please phone 01324 562992 and for virtual season tickets please sign up at:
https://stenhousemuirfc.univtec.com/identity/5fbbb70adfbf3e5925e8d7e1/5f6cce6fbc01606f57ceb445
Last time out
Dunfermline Athletic 4-1 Warriors
The Warriors finished off their Premier Sports Cup campaign with a trip to Fife to face Premiership promotion hopefuls Dunfermline. The matched proved to be too tough a test for the boys as the Pars ran out 4-1 winners, securing their progression to the knockout stages.
The game was played on a glorious afternoon in front of 1,500 supporters at East End Park. The home side started the brightest and were in the lead after 15 minutes as Wighton was played through on goal before lifting the ball over the onrushing David Wilson for 1-0.
Shortly afterwards, Wedderburn came close against his old side as his volley just flew over the opposition bar. Wilson then pulled off an excellent save with his feet to keep the boys within touching distance.
Despite this, Wilson and the Warriors will be disappointed with the manner in which Dunfermline got their second. In the 36th minute, Wilson’s clearance struck Jamieson only to fall into the path of Todorov, who squared to former Warrior O’Hara for a tap in.
The Pars consequently piled on the pressure before half time and made it 3-0 on 44 minutes after an O’Hara cross caused a goalmouth scramble in which Wighton was able to bundle the ball over the line.
Our hosts then started the second half in similar vein and it wasn’t long before they had their 4th as an Edwards knock down from a cross fell to O’Hara 6 yards out before he dispatched a shot past Wilson.
Credit has to be given to the Warriors for not crumbling at this stage, as they began to come into the came a bit more. We were able to respond with a goal of our own in the 67th minute after Lyons was able to get to the by-line and cut the ball back for Thomson to turn home from close range.
Many in the ground then thought the Warriors might have been given a penalty after a Lyons mazy run ended with him going down in the box, only for the referee to instead book the youngster for simulation.
A very tough game for the boys against a strong opposition, however it was a test that this new squad will be able to learn from. Attention now turns to our league opener on Saturday.
Match highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQJTncUnJ3o
Stephen Swift interview:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkNAp1zldLk
Onto the next
Saturday 3pm – Stirling Albion (H)
Fast forward to Saturday and the Warriors are welcoming Stirling Albion to Ochilview, to play out our much anticipated opening fixture of Cinch League 2.
The boys will be keen to get our revenge over the Binos for our 1-0 defeat at Forthbank back in March. Additionally, both teams will be looking to get off to a positive start in the league in an attempt to build some momentum.
The Warriors go into this one on the back of 3 successive defeats to higher league opposition, despite a really strong preseason. As for our visitors, they go into this one full of confidence after a Premier Sports Cup campaign that saw victories over League 1 Cove and Peterhead, as well as a draw against Championship side Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
The match is set to be a cracker and is definitely not one to be missed, so get yourself along to Ochilview and give the team the backing that they need to secure the win! Season tickets are valid for this fixture and both home and away supporters can purchase tickets through the FanBase website or app. Admission prices are £14 for adults, £9 for concessions and £5 for children.
On holiday or out of the local area on Saturday? There’s still no excuse for missing the game as the match will be streamed live on Warriors TV! Virtual season tickets are valid and pay-per-view can be purchased for £10 at https://stenhousemuirfc.univtec.com/home
Ladies latest
Rebecca Robertson departs
This week, the club confirmed that Rebecca Robertson has moved on from the club in order to pursue fresh challenges. Rebecca, who captained the ladies side in recent seasons, contributed massively to the club as both a player and a person in her 5 year stay at Ochilview.
The club would like to put on record our sincere thanks to Rebecca for everything she has done for the club and also wish her the best of luck for the future. Your welcome back anytime!
SWF Championship Cup draw
On Tuesday, the draw took place for the SWF Championship Cup, with the Warriors being drawn a home tie against Dunfermline athletic.
The club will release fixture details in due course, so please do keep an eye out on our official social media channels.
Limited player sponsorship still remaining
The club would like to thank everyone who has purchased player sponsorships to date, the uptake has been truly impressive with only a few remaining.
We still have some limited packages available for the following players:
Ryan Marshall [A]
Jamie Mills [A]
Bjay Coll [H]
Adam Corbett [A]
Ryan Tierney [A]
James Lyon [H][A]
Nicky Jamieson [H][A]
To learn more about our player sponsorship packages and to find out why they’re right for you, please follow the link below:
https://www.stenhousemuirfc.com/2021/06/12/player-sponsorship-packages-now-available/
Just in case you’re interested…
New faces leading Scotland’s supporter movement
Scotland’s national independent supporters organisation have reported changes this week as former Dundee chairman Stuart Murphy takes over as CEO, while Fergus Reid joins the board of directors. Please follow the link below for more details:
https://scottishfsa.org/board-update-21-07-21/
Initial findings of English fan led review released
Following the collapse of the European Super League, the UK Government ordered a fan led review into the governance of football south of the border , with the initial findings now being made public. Please follow the link below to find out what’s been said:
European football sees revenues fall due to Covid pandemic
Only now is the true scale of the impact of Covid on European football becoming clear, with revenues falling in 2019/2020 for the first time since the financial crisis. Please follow the link below to read more:
