SHIRE 3 MONTTROSE 1

The club's final game at Firs Park just had to end with a party. There was no way it could take its leave of its home since 1921 without a happy ending and the players rose to the challenge.

A well-deserved win over Montrose had more significance, of course, than simply a decent send-off to the old stadium. Allied to Forfar's draw with Dumbarton it meant Shire escaped another wooden spoon.

Six in a row would, no doubt, have tested the patience of the SFL, who were already threatening to strip Shire of full membership after years of dire performances.

It was a day when the club finally delivered. In fact, it seemed to many like a case of all our Christmases at once, especially after Andy Rodgers ended his goal drought to level a David King own goal five minutes from the interval.

Further goals from Joe Savage and Michael Bolochoweckyj after the interval put the result in no doubt. But there was still the anxious wait to confirm that Forfar had not beaten Dumbarton.

With that result assured it was time for a freindly pitch invasion as fans, players and officials celebrated what could now be the end of the bad times.

Coach Jim McInally brought back goalkeeper Gary O'Connor and defender Scott Gibb to the starting line-up, the only changes to the side which lost the previous week at Dumbarton.

Montrose resisted the temptation to make wholesale changes ahead of their midweek play-off match with Stranraer and they certainly made the better opening.

After five minutes Roddy Hunter foraged down the right and cut the ball back for Ross Gardiner but he ballooned it over the bar despite being very well placed.

Three minutes later a moment of high controversy and Garry Wood turned Craig Forsyth's cross into the net only for the far side linesman to rule the effort out for offside.

A swirling, gusty wind was doing its best to spoil the match as a spectacle but Montrose had the forard momentum still and O'Connor had to watch a Stephen Black half-volley as it dipped at the last moment, thankfully, just over the bar.

Shire tried to respond but the best they could managed were two headers from Andrew Brand and Stephen Oates, both from McBride free-kicks, but both went high and wide.

The visitors made the breakthrough in 27 minutes in rather fortunate circumstances. Jay Stein's low cross seemed to pose very little threat but David King, in attempting to clear, only managed to slice the ball spectacularly past O'Connor into his own net.

To be fair, it was no more than Montrose deserved but, having gone in front, they went to sleep. And it wasn't long before Shire took advantage.

Five minutes before the interval Scott Gibb aimed a long throw-in towards the penalty box. Andrew Brand flicked it on at the near post and Andy Rodgers rose to send a looping header over the despairing dive of McKenzie in the visitors' goal for the equaliser.

Six minutes after the interval Shire had a lucky escape when Stein's cross found Hunter unmarked at the back post but his shot forved a great save from O'Connor.

With the game increasingly looking like a stalement it would take a moment of magic to turn it in one team's favour and it duly arrived on 65 minutes. Rodgers held the ball up nicely for substitute Joe Savage who made space for a shot on the edge of the box before unleasing one of his trademark thunderblots from just outside the box.

Shire were 2-1 up and in the driving seat. Brand's free-kick saw Bolochoweckyj head narrowly over, Savage knocked down for Rodgers to come close and Oates headed a David Nicholls free-kick narrowly over the bar.

But on 80 minutes there was at last a collective sigh of relief. Nicholls floated another free-kick in from wide on the left and Bolochoweckyj was left unmarked at the back post to head home the third.

SHIRE : O'Connor, K. McBride(Savage 59), Gibb, Oates, Bolochoweckyj, King, Donaldson, Brand, Rodgers(McKenzie 83), Nicholls9Thywissen 88), Ure.

MONTROSE ; McKenzie, Buchan, Forsyth, Gardiner, Cumming, Gibson, Hunter(Dorris 61), Davidson, Wood(Baird 61), Black, Stein(Stewart 71).

REFEREE : F. McDermott

ATTENDANCE : 551.