A four-goal defeat was a sad way for Stenhousemuir to end their 12-match unbeaten run but the Warriors were not able to pull off the heroics they did at Ibrox earlier in the season, when they netted three times to get a point, and manager Scott Booth admitted his side did not press enough against Rangers.
“The game did not really go as planned, we started it quite well but we did not really manage to create too many chances and with the opportunities we did have we did not make the right decisions,” said Booth.
However, the Stenny gaffer felt his team could have done better, saying: “The most disappointing thing about the game was the lack of aggression that we showed, I think we allowed Rangers to play too much and too easily, if you play sides who have good players you have to make sure they do not have time on the ball and I think we gave them too much time.”
Booth also knows his men are better than the result suggests, adding: “We can play much better, although, at times, in possession we kept the ball quite well and we passed it a round quite well we did not really effect the game and certainly out of possession we were not aggressive enough to make it difficult for Rangers, for me that was the main aspect of the game I would like to have changed.
“Obviously there were a couple of contentious decisions but you always get them in these games but, all in all, I think the better players for Rangers turned up on the day and made it very difficult for us, you have to give them credit for the way they played, the likes of Shiels and Law, in particular, did well.”
Any thoughts of Stenny carrying on where they left off at Ibrox were dashed by half-time, when Rangers had a 2-0 lead with Booth noting the difference between the fixtures. “They were two different games, in the game at Ibrox we got a little bit of luck here and there, which we did not have on Saturday and you need a little bit of luck to win practically any game;” he said.
“We were more aggressive at Ibrox, so we were able to create one or two chances and we took them well when we did create them but this week we did not make the right decisions,” said Booth, who is now planning to get Stenny back on track and keep their play-off hopes alive, although he knows it will not be easy against an in form Airdrie team whose season has been turned around since Gary Bollan took charge.
The Warrriors will be without the injured Eddie Malone and Robbie Duncan, who is suspended, but Booth has a fully fit squad apart from those two for this tough fixture and he is hopeful of a win.
“It will be a very very difficult game, they have been on a really good run of games when they have not been beaten, I think they have only lost to Rangers a couple of times since Christmas, so they are definitely a team with good momentum, their manager has done a great job since coming in,” said Booth, although he is up for the challenge, adding: “It is going to be a tough one but we are at home and we have to attempt to take the game to them and, hopefully, finish the home league season on a high.”
