STRANRAER 2 SHIRE 1

An injury-time goal from Stranraer’s Mark Stewart deprived Shire of what would have been a welcome share of the points at Stair Park.

Ironically, the game only went that far because the referee correctly added five minutes of stoppage time for what looked like a serious injury to Carl Thywissen.

But Shire never properly cleared their lines from a corner and when the ball came back in another weak clearance allowed Stewart to collect the loose ball and fire home.

It was a poor end to a game that had such a promising beginning. Ten of the eleven players who started the Scottish Cup demolition of Albion Rovers seven days earlier were named in the starting line-up, the only absentee was the injured Gary Kelly  whose place went to Paul Brownlie.

And it seemed as though the team was about to pick up from where it left off at Cliftonhill. There were less than two minutes on the clock when Shire took the lead. Kevin McBride’s cross from the right was collected by Andrew Brand who played in the unmarked Scoot Gibb. The Irishman had  no trouble in rolling the ball into the empty net.

Shire seemed to take heart from such a bright start and hogged possession. McKenzie was looking dangerous down the right hand side and whipped over a few crosses that just eluded Joe Savage.

But Stranraer were always liable to be a threat and just after the quarter hour a poor header from Thywissen let Stewart in. But the on-loan Falkirk man wasted his opportunity. The home team was starting to get a foothold in the match but their efforts weren’t ending with many clean cut chances.

They did draw level just shy of the half hour. Some   route one football was responsible for Stranraer’s comeback. A long ball from the keeper caused confusion in the Shire defence before Gregory Tade picked up the loose ends to fire low past Darren Hill from just inside the penalty area.

The goal clearly increased Stranraer’s confidence although their bigger share of the game didn’t necessarily mean any more danger in and around the Shire goal. It was evident, though, that the tide had turned in the home team’s favour.

The start of the second half had the Shire faithful in the paltry crowd worrying for their team. Gerry Britton’s side had the upper hand but they  were still having real problems getting a glimpse of goal, never mind forcing Darren Hill to make a save.

Hill’s error in mis-judging a passback allowed Stranrer a corner which Tade directed towards goal although the Shire keeper dealt with it comfortably. It was ten minutes into the second half before the visitors even got out of their own half, but when they did they had the ball in the back of the net.

Savage was fouled outside the box and McBride sent the resulting free kick past Scott Black. However, the referee disallowed the strike because Joe was standing in an offside position.

Long before the end both sides had seemed to have settled for a draw although Shire’s position seemed to have been weakened when Carl Thywissen was carried off the field in a stretcher following a late challenge by Tade.

David King came off the bench to shore up the defence. The home side put on a spurt in an attempt to steal all three points. On loan Morton striker Adam Coakley was introduced at the expense of the ineffective Michael Mullen.

While Stranraer threw people forward in search of a winner Shire appeared to be satisfied with a draw and Savage was withdrawn and replaced by Stephen Oates.

Three minutes into the five added on for the delay while Thwissen received treatement, Stranraer won a corner on their right. The ball was floated in and, after a scramble, cleared. But it eventually found its way back out wide and this time the Shire defence failed to deal with it. The ball landed on the penalty spot for Stewart to strike a left foot shot past Hill.

A minute later, though Shire should have drawn level. McKenzie was fouled 20 yards from goal wide on the right and Donaldson floated over a great free kick which Paul Doyle met with a powerful, netbound header. Unfortunately, a marvellous goal was prevented by a superb one-handed save from home keeper Black.

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