Stenhousemuir FC v Dunfermline Athletic

Match Report

Stenhousemuir v Dunfermline Athletic at Ochilview Park, Stenhousemuir on 15.11.14

SPFL Division One Att 1,177

Stenhousemuir 1 [Faulds 71] Dunfermline Athletic 0

Stenhousemuir – Fleming, Meechan [Duncan 68], Greacen, McMillan [b16], Lithgow, K.Millar [b59], Reid [Fotheringham 78], Faulds, McMenamin [b47], Oliver [b90] and Dickson [Walsh 78]. Subs not used – Summers, Watt, Eddington and Smith.

Dunfermline Athletic – Scully [Goodfellow 63], Millen, Whittle, Urquhart [b81], Buchanan, Geggan, El Bakhtaoui, Spence [Falkingham 36], Moffat, Forbes [Stirling 60] and Byrne. Subs not used – Ugwu, Thomson, Smith and Williamson

Referee – Nick Walsh

Assistants – Ross Haswell and Alan Hogg

The Warriors went into this game with a number of changes from that that had fell to Airdrie the previous week.

Dunfermline though not firing on all cylinders are still the league favourites and as they are a full time team were strong favourites to win a game against a team that had lost their last three games. The Fifers started full of purpose and it took the home side a while to get going and the game could have been won or lost in that period.

Stenhousemuir were pushed back in the opening stages and Ross Forbes forced Greg Fleming into action in the second minute but the keeper made a routine save from a long range shot. In the sixth minute though Fleming made a fine save to save from Andy Geggan after the defence had been split open.

Gradually the Warriors came into the game and a hooked shot by Jamie Reid in the 17th minute was easily saved by Ryan Scully. The Pars keeper was beaten though in the 21st minute when the move of the match ended with Kris Faulds striking the crossbar from a Ross Meechan cross.

Stenhousemuir lifted by this had their best spell of the game so far and Dunfermline panicked at a corner kick that was not cleared properly and Lewis Spence clipped the bar with an attempted clearance. The Warriors were having no luck and they struck the woodwork again in the 33rd minute when Kieran Millar intercepted the ball before playing it out to Gary Oliver who clipped it behind the visitors defence for Colin McMenamin who controlled his shot that beat Scully but clipped the outside of the post. Shortly after this Oliver was set up by an Alan Lithgow pass but hit the side netting from close range.

Nevertheless despite Stenhousemuir’s dominance there was always a chance that they would pay for their misses and Kris Faulds had to come to the rescue to intercept a probing pass from a swift Dunfermline counter attack. Then in the 42nd minute Stenhousemuir’s failure to clear a corner almost cost them when Faissal El Bakhtaoui fired over from a tight angle when more composure could have resulted in a goal.

The second half like the first saw Dunfermline on top and Fleming saved a powerful drive from Josh Falkingham and then denied Forbes who drove the rebound goalwards but the keeper made a fine recovery. A minute later Fleming denied the Pars again with another stop before the play was moved to the other end and a Oliver cut back was met by McMenamin but the striker shot well over.

The Fifers suffered a blow just after the hour when the keeper Ryan Scully was injured in a collision with Colin McMenamin and Ryan Goodfellow took his place. The youngster was not over awed and he gave a good account for himself saving from Jamie Reid in the 70th minute. Stenhousemuir did though take the lead a minute later when Dunfermline were pressured into making a mistake at the back and when the resultant cross from the right took a slight deflection Faulds was on hand to adjust his run and dispatch the ball into the net. This was no more than Stenhousemuir deserved for their endeavours at this stage of the game.

Towards the end of the match they were pushed deeper into their own half but despite resolute defending Dunfermline did have a couple of chances to draw level with the best of them falling to Michael Moffat who headed a Falkingkam cross wide when it looked easier to score.

The final whistle blew shortly after this and Stenhousemuir were victorious against Dunfermline for the first time since the miners strike away back in 1984.

On that occasion the post match activities had turned ugly but this time it was a more civilised affair and the Warriors faithful were able to celebrate an unexpected result.