The Warriors are back in Stenhousemuir this weekend as we welcome Stranraer to Ochilview.
Performances have been underwhelming against the Dumfries and Galloway side since Stephen Swift took over and some of his teams worst performances have come against The Blues.
Last year saw Stranraer pick up 3 wins and a draw, scoring 10 goals in the process.
Stranraer have had a struggle to the start of the season, aside from a good victory away to Annan. Gary Irvine’s men have won 1, drawn 3 and lost 6 so far. However, they have managed to find the net 15 times which is 4 more times than The Warriors. Their defence have caused the issues though, with 26 conceded in their opening 10 matches.
Recent results between the sides haven’t been favourable for The Warriors. You need to go back 11 matches, to 14th January 2017 to find Stenhousemuir’s last victory over Stranraer.
Following Saturday’s victory in Forfar, it could be time to agree that the season has finally started, and the website caught up with Swifty this week to gather his thoughts on the past week.
“It obviously started against Albion Rovers but we had 3 bad results in the league. But I thought the boys showed good character to bounce back which was important. We need to build on that and it comes no tougher than Stranraer who we’ve got a terrible record against. So hopefully we can put that right. It will be a real good sign in terms of where we’re going.”
One of Stranraer’s outstanding performers last season was Matty Yates who was a constant thorn in Stenhousemuir’s side. The young striker has come in and had an immediate impact at the club, so it’s good to know that he’s on our side this time.
“Absolutely, he caused us real problems last year and that’s why we’ve signed him. He’s a good player, but Stranraer will be really tough in how they’ll set up. They’ll go try and play and we’ll combat that with a stye of our own. So, hopefully, we can get a result.”
Stranraer’s last few results have included loosing last minute goals and have resulted in them coming off the pitch with real heartbreak, which will undoubtedly make them more hungry coming to Ochilview.
“I think at this time of the season, everybody is hungry for points because you don’t want to be the one that’s chasing the pack. So everyone’s hungry, we’re hungry and I’m hoping that we can show the same hunger that we did last week and go from there. But, as you say, they’ll be well up for it anyway.”
Last week, we saw a defender on the score sheet for the first time this season, so it’s good to see that the team aren’t relying solely on the strikers getting the goals.
“You need from everywhere, midfields and the back. We’ve set targets for everyone this year and everybody’s got them, so they need to know that we need them to chip in.”
Matty Yates faces his old club for the first time, so we caught up with the former Stranraer man on his time at Stair Park.
“I enjoyed it. I was there for 18 months with 2 different managers, but I really enjoyed it there. I learned a lot while I was there and played with a good group of boys, so it was good.”
Matty was part of the Stranraer side that dominated Stenhousemuir last season, but what was that run of form down to?
“I thought we played much better over the four games, with winning 3 and drawing 1. It really came down to the hard work that we put in and we dominated most of the games.”
Another striker who’s no stranger to Stranraer is Tam Orr. Both Matty and Tam played together at Stair Park, so it must be good for Matty to be partnered up top with a familiar face.
“I played with Tam for a wee while. The first spell that I had with Stranraer I played with him and he left to come here. But he’s good, I like playing with Tam. He brings something different to the team as well.”
“We played well and worked hard last week, so hopefully we can take that into this week and get another good result.”
Stranraer FC images courtesy of Stranraer FC.
MATCHDAY INFORMATION
Kick-off: 3pm
Match Entry: Both home and away fans can enter via pay at the gate [cash] or you can purchase your ticket in advance by using Fanbase. Adult admission costing £14, concessions £9 and under 16’s just £5.
Getting Here: Click here for details of how to get to Ochilview by car or train.
Season Card Holders: Season Tickets are valid for this match, the Season Ticket number will be displayed at the turnstiles.
The Pie Hut: Food and drinks will be available to be purchased once again from the Pie Hut.
The Wee Bar: The Wee Bar is open from 12pm with all fans welcome.
Ochilview Matchday Guide: You can read our Matchday Guide here and ensure that you have everything that you need for your visit to the ground.
Referee: Greg Soutar
Assistants: Graham Chambers & Robert Bowie
OPPOSITION INFORMATION
Full name Stranraer Football Club
Nickname(s) The Blues
Founded 1870; 152 years ago
Ground Stair Park, Stranraer
Capacity 4,178 (1,830 seated)
Chairman Iain Dougan
Manager Jamie Hamill
2021–22 Scottish League Two, 6th of 10
Last 10 Matches
| Date | Venue | Competition | Opponent | Result | Score |
| 27/8/22 | Home | League Two | East Fife | D | 2-2 |
| 24/8/22 | Away | SPFL Trust Trophy | FC Edinburgh | L | 2-3 |
| 20/8/22 | Away | League Two | Elgin City | D | 2-2 |
| 13/8/22 | Home | League Two | Bonnyrigg Rose | D | 2-2 |
| 6/8/22 | Away | League Two | Forfar Athletic | L | 0-2 |
| 30/7/22 | Home | League Two | Annan Athletic | W | 1-0 |
| 19/7/22 | Away | League Cup | Forfar Athletic | L | 2-2 |
| 16/7/22 | Home | League Cup | Dundee | L | 0-3 |
| 12/7/22 | Away | League Cup | Hamilton | L | 2-5 |
| 9/7/22 | Home | League Cup | Queens Park | L | 2-5 |
Top Scorers
| Name | Goals | Assists | Played | Goals per 90 | Mins per Goal | Total Shots | Goal Conversion | Shot Accuracy |
| Paul Woods | 4 | 0 | 9 | 0.46 | 196 | 11 | 36% | 91% |
| Scott McLean | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0.4 | 224 | 8 | 25% | 25% |
| Josh Walker | 1 | 1 | 9 | 0.25 | 363 | 5 | 20% | 80% |
| James Hilton | 1 | 1 | 9 | 0.15 | 581 | 11 | 9% | 55% |
| Luke Watt | 1 | 1 | 8 | 0.13 | 697 | 6 | 17% | 17% |
| Scott Robertson | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0.25 | 366 | 2 | 50% | 50% |
| Craig Malcolm | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0.21 | 433 | 6 | 17% | 83% |
| Anton Brady | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0.15 | 601 | 3 | 33% | 100% |
The statistics shown for each player include any goals they may have scored in the following competitions in the current season: Scottish League Cup, Scottish League Two
FIXTURE INFORMATION
Last 10 Meetings
| Date | Venue | Competition | Result | Score |
| 23/4/22 | Home | League Two | L | 1-3 |
| 19/2/22 | Away | League Two | D | 1-1 |
| 4/12/21 | Home | League Two | L | 1-4 |
| 18/9/21 | Away | League Two | L | 0-2 |
| 15/4/21 | Away | League Two | L | 0-4 |
| 12/12/20 | Home | League Two | D | 2-2 |
| 16/3/19 | Home | League One | L | 0-1 |
| 26/2/19 | Away | League One | D | 1-1 |
| 3/11/18 | Home | League One | L | 0-2 |
| 15/9/18 | Away | League One | L | 0-2 |
Head to Head
| Total | Won | Drawn | Lost | Scored | Conceded | |
| Home | 89 | 33 | 21 | 35 | 141 | 130 |
| Away | 89 | 21 | 19 | 49 | 109 | 177 |
| Total | 178 | 54 | 40 | 84 | 250 | 307 |
ON THIS DAY – 20th AUGUST
| Year | Opponent | Competition | Venue | Result | Score |
| 2016 | Queen of the South | Challenge Cup R3 | Away | L | 1-7 |
| 2006 | Elgin City | Division 3 | Home | W | 2-0 |
| 1994 | Brechin City | Division 2 | Away | D | 1-1 |
| 1988 | Alloa Athletic | Division 2 | Away | W | 2-1 |
| 1983 | Stirling Albion | Division 2 | Home | W | 4-3 |
| 1980 | Brechin City | Division 2 | Away | L | 1-2 |
| 1977 | Hearts | League Cup R2 L2 | Home | L | 0-5 |
| 1966 | Clydebank | League Cup | Away | L | 2-3 |
| 1960 | Dundee United | League Cup | Home | D | 1-1 |
| 1958 | Ayr United | Division 2 | Home | L | 1-2 |
| 1955 | Third Lanark | League Cup | Away | L | 0-3 |
| 1949 | Hamilton | League Cup | Home | W | 3-0 |
| 1938 | Montrose | Division 2 | Home | W | 3-2 |
| 1932 | East Fife | Division 2 | Away | L | 2-6 |
| 1927 | Morton | Division 2 | Away | L | 0-1 |
| 1921 | Broxburn United | Division 2 | Away | D | 0-0 |
| Total | Won | Drawn | Lost | Scored | Conceded | |
| Home | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 14 | 13 |
| Away | 10 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 24 |
| Total | 17 | 6 | 3 | 8 | 25 | 37 |
LEAGUE INFORMATION
Fixtures
Annan Athletic v Forfar Athletic
East Fife vs Dumbarton
Elgin City vs Bonnyrigg Rose
Stenhousemuir vs Stranraer
Stirling Albion vs Albion Rovers
Table
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | League Form | |
| 1 | Dumbarton | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 3 | 10 | 15 | WWWWW |
| 2 | Bonnyrigg Rose | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 10 | WWDLW |
| 3 | East Fife | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 10 | WLWWD |
| 4 | Stirling Albion | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 7 | LDWWL |
| 5 | Stranraer | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 8 | -1 | 6 | WLDDD |
| 6 | Stenhousemuir | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 9 | -4 | 6 | WLLLW |
| 7 | Albion Rovers | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 6 | -1 | 4 | LLLWD |
| 8 | Forfar Athletic | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 | -2 | 4 | LWDLL |
| 9 | Annan Athletic | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 10 | -5 | 4 | LWLLD |
| 10 | Elgin City | 5 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 11 | -3 | 3 | LDDDL |
