STENHOUSEMUIR 0 SHIRE 3

The Shire Revolution is gathering pace. A year ago the team beat Stenhousemuir 5-0 at Firs Park but that proved to be a false dawn. This time it looks more like the real thing.

As soon as Sean Simpson put Shire in front after just six minutes there always looked as though there would be only one outcome.

The visitors were two up at the interval thanks to a superb Simpson free-kick and it should have been more. Joe Savage grabbed a well-deserved third goal for the mountain of work he got through and by the end the visiting fans were shouting, "easy, easy" and they weren't far wrong.

Simpson was the obvious hero of the hour and a half but he owed his place in the starting line-up to injury and suspension.

Marc McKenzie's ankle had not healed in time for him to participate and Gordon Moffat was ruled out, bizarrely, because he had failed to serve a suspension incurred with Albion Rovers last year.

That opened the way for Sean and he grabbed his chance in spectacular fashion.

There were only six minutes on the clock when Derek Ure got in behind the Warriors defence. His initial shout, though, was blocked by keeper John  Hillocoat but Ure fought to hard to win win possession from the rebound and he squared the ball for Simpson to tap-in.

That gave the Shire team the boost they required. Craig Donaldson came close with a decent long-range effort and the clever passing was releasing midfield runners willy-nilly, which brought the prospect of even more goals.

The second arrived just shy of the half-hour mark.Savage was fouled just outside the Stenhousemuir penalty box and Simpson stepped up to fire the free-kick high into the top left-hand corner of Hillcoat's goal.

Shire's slick passing was cutting swathes through the home defence and right on the half-time whistle Savage should have made it 3-0 but his finish from Andrew Brand's cut back crashed off the post when it seemed easier to score.

The interval did not end Shire's dominance and just two minutes after the restart Ure whipped over a cross which a panicky home rearguard cleared just in the nick of time before Savage had the chance to pounce.

Savage was having a field day against his former club but just could not find the back of the net. After deftly flicking the ball over two defenders he cracked in a shot which Hillcoat saved.

Then he turned provider, setting Simpson up nicely but the Shire man was denied his hat-trick by a diving save from the keeper.

It was mostly one way traffic, although former Firs Parker Paul Tyrrell did have one long range effort which Darren Hill plucked out the air.

Savage was like a man possessed in his efforts to get on the scoresheet. With ten minutes left he ran from the half-way line to the edge of the box, leaving Warriors defenders trailing comically in his wake, but his shot was blocked at the crucial moment.

A minute later he thought he'd finally found the target but his header from Simpson's corner was cleared off the line by Jamie Smith.

Finally, with three minutes to go, Savage managed to find the target. Gary Kelly set Brand clear was a superb pass and the Shire skipper unselfishly passed to Savage who curled the ball into the far corner from just outside the box.

Stenhousemuir : Hillcoat, Lyle, McEwan(Dillon 56), Tyrrell, Smith, Gilbride, Thomson, Dempster, Hampshire, Murdoch(McLaughlin 54), Lindsay(Menzies 73).

Shire : Hill, Doyle, K.McBride, King, Thywissen, Kelly, Donaldson, Brand, Savage, Simpson(P.McBride 85), Ure.

Referee : G. Salmond

Attendance : 526.

Sean Simpson's free-kick makes it 2-0.

The goalscorer takes the plaudits.

Skipper Andrew Brand confounds Paul Tyrrell.

Photos : Falkirk Herald

 

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