Brechin City vs Stenhousemuir

Match Report

Brechin City v Stenhousemuir at Glebe Park, Brechin on 06.04.21

SPFL League Two

Brechin City 1 [Inglis 11] Stenhousemuir [Hodge 36]

Brechin City – Hutton, McIntosh, Inglis, Reekie, Jordan, Barron [b77], McKee, O’Connor, McLevy [b65], Slaven [C.Paton 86] and Devine. Subs not used – McLauchlan, Bollan, Osman, O’Neil and M.Paton

Stenhousemuir – Martin, Brydon, Corbett, Little, Tiffoney[b28] [Biabi 61], Blair, Tapping, Hodge [Halleran 81], Yeats, Docherty [b51] [Collins 83]and McGuigan [Hopkirk 61]. Subs not used – Erskine, Fairley, Watters, Kane and Grigor

Referee – Scott Lambie            Assistants – David Doig and Chris Hobbs

The Warriors made the trip to Glebe Park with several changes to the side that had played Kilmarnock as Creag Little returned from suspension whilst Jack Brydon and Alan Docherty who were both cup tied both starting. This was Docherty’s first start for the club and he did his prospects no harm at all.

Brechin are sitting at the bottom of the table and are fighting for their league status but they had the luxury in this crazy season of having a whole week off to prepare for this fixture, though they were still missing a number of players through injury.

The Warriors created the first chance in the first minute when a Jack Hodge shot landed on the roof of the net which was a warning for the home side. Sean Slaven managed to turn his marker in the third minute but the defender was able to block the effort, five minutes later he repeated the trick but this time managed to get a shot on target that was comfortably saved by Paddy Martin. Brechin didn’t have long to wait though before they made the breakthrough in the 11^th minute as Kieran Inglis struck when he converted a Adam Devine pass after the Warriors had given the ball away cheaply to Sean McIntosh.

At the other end of the pitch Docherty read a through ball better that the Brechin contingent and seeing keeper David Hutton in no mans land managed to get an effort on target only to see it cleared off the line.

Inglis should have put Brechin further ahead in the 18^th minute after a high ball in the wind caused havoc but he missed the target from close range.

Just after the half hour Gregor Jordan’s backside deflected a Mark McGuigan strike wide but there was nothing anyone could do to keep a superb Jack Hodge strike from flying into the net over a despairing keeper.

Hutton though beaten on that occasion proved his worth in the 39^th minute when he saved a McGuigan penalty after Corbett was hauled to the ground by Scott Reekie at a corner kick.

The second half saw the visitors certainly have the bulk of the play with ex-Brechin stalwart Callum Tapping to the fore in the Stenhousemuir midfield. Despite this there were not too many clear chances in the opening exchanges and Tapping came closest just after the hour with a long range effort just past the post. He then broke through the defence in the 72^nd minute but his shot lacked power and was saved. A minute later in a rare attack Martin did well to make a one handed save to deny Slaven once again.

As the game progressed though more and more of the play was in the Brechin half of the pitch and Brydon almost got his first goal for the club but his goal bound header was blocked by team mate Botti Biabi. Stenhousemuir should have picked up the victory in the last minute when the ball fell to Ryan Blair who only had to pass the ball into the net but he snatched at it and blasted over the bar from four yards out.