Alloa Athletic v Stenhousemuir FC

Irn Bru Scottish Second Division                 Att 550

Alloa Athletic 2 [Gormley 89, Prunty 90] Stenhousemuir 1 [Dalziel 29]

 

The Warriors went into this game on the back of an eight game unbeaten run and they must feel bewildered at it coming to an abrupt end in this game against the league leaders Alloa Athletic.

 

The injury crisis that has dogged Stenhousemuir recently has dissipated but ill health is now the problem and that meant that Robert Love and Scott Gibb were unable to participate in this game. Nevertheless the Warriors started the game in a positive mode and took the game to their opponents. In fact they should have taken the lead in the 3^rd minute when a Pat Scullion cross was only cleared out to the edge of the box where Andy Stirling gathered but he fired wide of the target.

 

The majority of the play was being conducted in Alloa’s half of the field and Stenhousemuir were causing problems for the home defence without the reward that it deserved. In the 10^th minute a curling effort by Scullion went just the wrong way at the end after Stirling and Scott Dalziel combined to create the chance.

 

Alloa were rarely out of their own half but they showed that they were not be taken lightly when Jordan Smith had to make a timely interception to deny Bryan Prunty though the Wasps felt that their hitman has been pushed in the process.

 

The Warrior’s continued to push for the breakthrough and they came close on several occasions with Iain Thomson bringing David Crawford into action to save Thomson’s snapshot. This was followed shortly afterwards by a Scullion effort just over and then Willie Lyle on an overlapping run fired just wide from inside the box when a goal would have been just reward for a fine move that he has started. Eventually the pressure told and Stenhousemuir took the lead when Dalziel took advantage of hesitation by Crawford to head home an Iain Thomson cross from close range. After this Stenhousemuir continued to press for a second but were unable to double their lead before the half time whistle blew.

 

Alloa had made all three substitutions by the hour mark as they tried to get back into the game and although Prunty had threatened again it was Andy Stirling that almost scored at the other end with a curling effort that Crawford was only able to parry clear.

 

The game began to turn though in the 62^nd minute when Stenhousemuir were reduced in numbers. Iain Thomson was the culprit as he kicked out at Jamie Hay as both players tussled on the ground and for the second away game in a row he was shown the red card.

 

Gradually Alloa began to take advantage of their numerical advantage with Stenhousemuir playing deeper and hoping to hit on the counter attack. Chances were still few and far between though for the home side with Chris McCluskey rarely being called into action. He was tested in the 71^st minute by a David Gormley header from a Hay cross but apart from that had little to do.

 

With eight minutes left Stenhousemuir brought on youngster Alan Lawson who at age 15 is probably the youngest player to represent Stenhousemuir in a league game.

Going into the last minute of the game a McCluskey blunder was seized on by Gormley after the keeper lost his bearings and deliberately dropped a Jason Thomson cross as he felt that he was going to cross the line with it and before he could retrieve the ball it was in the back of the net.

 

At that stage a draw seemed to be a blow for Stenhousemuir but even worse was to follow in stoppage time when Stephen Thomson instead of playing a simple pass out wide, tried to penetrate the home defence and was caught out of position. The ball was played swiftly to Bryan Prunty who took full advantage to fire Alloa ahead with a fine finish.   The game drew to a close seconds later with Stenhousemuir coming away with nothing after what for most of the game had been one of their best performances  of the season.

 

 

Alloa Athletic – Crawford, Stevenson, McCafferty [Thomson 59], Buist, Walker [b89], Brown, Carroll, Ferguson [Wilson h/t][b90], Prunty, Gormley and Kerr [Hay 32]. Subs not used – Philp and Flynn

 

Stenhousemuir – McCluskey, Lyle, S.Thomson, Smith, McLeod, Thom, Stirling [Bradley 74], Scullion [Lawson 82], Dalziel, Diack [Molloy 74] and I.Thomson [so 62]. Subs not used – Quinn and Bennett

 

Referee – Anthony Law                                Assistants – Francis Anderson and Graham Fraser