Scottish Reprise- Return to East Stirling

[Faramir]

26.12.06

East Stirling (1) Peterhead (0)

This certainly was an 'ugly' win, but it was a win nevertheless and one that we needed badly. The lone goal in the match came when James Flood was in the right place to snap home a rebound shot for his 10th goal of the season after Richard Sanna parried away Lee Wilson's shot. We received a penalty kick shortly after as Nicholas Greenhouse handballed in the area. Despite my gesturing for Flood to take the penalty, Danny Black stepped up and missed another one. Frustration got the best of Danny, because less than 2 minutes later *he* was called for a handball in the area. Fortunately, Craig Tully drilled the penalty kick off the post. The second half featured a lot of possession on our part, but continued inability to put the ball in the net when it was there for the taking. Keiran Lee and Lee Sichi both missed sitters that would have made the end of the match more comfortable. Instead we had to sweat it out until the final whistle sounded on our 1-0 win.

Division 2 Table- 20 matches played, 16 remaining

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">

1- Morton 44 pts (+25)

2- Raith 43 pts (+24)

3- Partick 35 pts (+15)

4- East Stirling 35 pts (+14)

5- Stranraer 30 pts (+3)

6- Stirling 20 pts (-12)

</pre>

[Faramir]

30.12.06

Forfar (1) East Stirling (3)

We closed out 2006 on a good note as we dominated last place Forfar in route to a comfortable 3-1 win at Station Park. Steve McDonald lost a goal in the opening moments to an offside call, but made up for it midway through the first half as he split two defenders on a counterattack and drove a low shot past Michael Brown. Forfar got a glimpse of hope when Michael Warwick evened the match as they punished us for not getting back on a counterattack. We stormed back and took the lead when Lee Sichi tapped in a looping cross at the far post to put us ahead going to halftime. James Flood then added a goal in the second half as he burst past two defenders before smashing a shot past Brown. We kept the pressure on them and never gave them a hope of rallying as we closed out the 3-1 win.

[pn75]

Nice story so far Fara, how many ex Man U academy players do you have on your books now?

[Faramir]

Hmm- pn75, not real sure how many I had at that point (right now several years beyond)

***

1.1.07

The opening of the new transfer window allowed me to complete two small transfer purchases to help the club. Joining us, both at a cost of 1K, were 20 year old AM/FC Michele Lombardi from Ross County and 21 year old MRC Kevin Markey from Airdrie. Of the two, Markey is likely more significant as he will push Ross O'Donoghue for a central midfielder role. Markey originally joined Airdrie from Motherwell and is a well balanced player, though maybe not as creative as O'Donoghue. Lombardi, who came to Airdrie from Aberdeen, is not the explosive forward I had hoped to add, but still has a lot of talent and just needs a chance to show it. His addition will likely result in little used Iain Diack moving to the Reserves.

I also had made a decision on leftwing, we simply had too many of them on the squad and it was difficult to find playing time. With my preferred pairing of Lee Sichi on the left and Kenny McLean on the right, that left Kieran Lee, Andrew Reilly and Kevin Howe available to play the left side. With Lee also able to play in the central midfield, that left me with a choice of Reilly or Howe. Both are close in ability, but Howe had drawn a lot of transfer interest last season, so he wound up being the one offered to clubs. As a small part-time club, we can't afford to keep oodles of depth on the roster, so though I would prefer to keep Howe- it was time to offer him to clubs.

[Faramir]

11.2.06

Hill and Maidenhead Find No Goals

The Havant & W match made it appear that Harrow Hill had broken out of their scoring slump. The evidence says otherwise as they outplayed visiting Maidenhead but had to settle for a scoreless draw when they could not find a way to score on Nick Hart. Hill didn't even trouble Hart much during the match as their shots were scattered to the wind and few were even close enough for Hart to worry about. Craig Farr earned his clean sheet on the Hill side with a pair of fingertip saves to at least salvage a split of the points. The match marked the return of Sean Coburn and Ash Carew from injury and they looked predictably rusty in their first time out.

"I don't know Bob. If Dickinson doesn't score, then we don't- at least it seems that way of late."

"Not for the lack of chances, to be sure."

"No, plenty of chances- mostly just putting the ball on the net."

[Faramir]

13.1.07

East Stirling (3) Alloa (2)

We were finally back into the league schedule and we certainly looked a bit rusty on defense, but our offense was clicking well enough to propel us to a 3-2 win over Alloa at Firs Park. They took the early lead when we failed to mark Warren Hunt closely enough and Steven van der Deyl missed his 25 yard blast inside the left post. We equalized when James Flood hit a pretty half-volley on a nicely timed pass from Kenny McLean. McLean was the architect as we gained the half-time lead with a cross that picked out Steve McDonald. McDonald stopped the ball and ripped it past Sam Ashton into the left side of the net. We kept the pressure up on them to begin the 2nd half and it paid off when Derek Ure, on for a slightly injured Flood, was on the doorstep to knock in a rebound after Ashton parried McDonald's initial blast. We could not coast out of the match though, as ex-mate Mark Batty found space and fired a well-placed shot past struggling van der Deyl. We held on after that to finish off a needed win to begin the New Year.

[Faramir]

14.1.07

I was pleased to hear the news that Motherwell had paid 45K to purchase Partick's Steve Nicholas. Nicholas was a very difficult forward to deal with and I welcomed the news he was leaving the Division. This also diminishes Partick's firepower and with the two of us even on points at this juncture- that was also welcome.

***

18.1.07

Gretna came calling today. They wanted to swap Gavin Skelton for Mick O'Brien and Julian Watts for Adrian Nevins. I turned them down flat on both accounts, we would not be better off with the players they were offering and Mick and Adrian are two of our best players and both under advantageous contracts with us.

***

19.1.07

We now face a critical three match stretch of the season that will likely decide how we will finish in the Division. First up is 5th place Stranraer at Firs Park. They trail us by 9 points and absolutely need to win to have a chance to overtake us for 4th. Then we face Morton at Firs Park and Raith on the road. Without good results against those two, we will be out of the chase for the top spot in Division 2, though we are barely in the chase at this point.

[Faramir]

20.1.07

East Stirling (2) Stranraer (0)

One hurdle crossed for us as we played a solid, not sensational match and sent Stranraer home unhappy with a 2-0 loss. Mick O'Brien gave us a big boost with his 1st goal of the season in the 2nd minute as he drilled a well placed shot from just beyond the edge of the area after taking a pass from Kenny McLean. The rest of the first half was poorly played by both sides, but luck kept us from a couple more goals as Danny Black hit the crossbar on a free kick and O'Brien drilled another shot off the outside of the post. The second half saw us play much better and we were rewarded when James Flood made a deft pass that Steve McDonald deflected past Alex Hards. Stranraer desperately tried to rally, but Steven van der Deyl was back in fine form and earned his clean sheet with a pair of good saves in the last 10 minutes of the match.

***

25.1.07

With the January transfer deadline almost upon us I talked to several of the lower Division 3 clubs about offers. I made offers that were accepted on both Gareth Gwillim and Martyn Fotheringham, but neither player was willing to come to our club- I guess our latest success still hasn't overcome our poor previous perceptions among players. With those turned down and no one on the shortlist (at least those willing to come here according to Brendan O'Connell) that would really help us- it is time to worry about finishing out the season with our current roster. Our fitness has been improving of late and all of our injured Senior side players are back with the return of Hugh Davidson. We appear to have plenty of depth to handle our stretch run and depending on what happens with our next two crucial matches against Morton and Raith- I may try to start getting some of our key players a match or two of rest.

We had several offers- four clubs inquired about Adrian Nevins- but I turned them all down as we need those key players for our future.

[cruiseylee]

well Faramir ive been glued to this thread for the last half an hour now looking back from the very start! Its Brill! You must be some kind of journalist? or you should be!! Why do you do these storys as I guess this is not the 1st! I would be worried nobody was reading them, but you must get alot of pleasure writing your story from your game? I think its great and cant wait for the next part of the story, hope you get promoted! And how are your reserves and u-19s doing? Do you ever give many a achance in the 1st team if they do well? Would be very appreciated if you could answer all ive asked in this message!!

[tree]

great read

[Faramir]

cruiseylee- *chuckle* Ok, will try to answer as many as possible Not a journalist per se- my real life job is Human Resources in a Manufacturing Company and my hobby job is PR for The Wargamer website (with occasional reviews there too- have been more of a full-time reviewer in the past though too). I have been a sports editor in distant past though. I am a Yank if you hadn't realized Not exactly my first I date back a few years in CMS and now FMS- been playing CM since CM2. Originally I was in the Lower League Forum, but got tired of writing without referring to the names, so I moved over here. I write because I enjoy telling the tale- not out to be the most popular here and I am not even close to being the best writer on this Forum. Typically, I don't refer to my Reserves or Under-19s in stories because they don't impact on the story about the Senior side. I do give players from my own youth program chances if I think they will help (you are going to see a lot more of that if you read the "Another Harrowing Misadventure" story- since that is one avenue I will have to use to succeed. Thanks for the comments and the questions and glad you have enjoyed the story so far. I can tell you this will be a long-running story as I am currently playing in 2011 with ES still

tree- Thanks very much, comment is appreciated

***

27.1.07

East Stirling (1) Morton (1)

The chance was there. We outplayed 1st place Morton and held the lead midway through the second half on a Lee Sichi goal. Morton then proved they are nothing if not opportunistic as Simon Ferry caught Steven van der Deyl leaning the wrong way as he struck a 20 yard shot inside the right post for the equalizer. I thought we had the win when Steve McDonald scored at 85 minutes off a pretty pass from Mick O'Brien- but the joy turned to disappointment when a late call by the Assistant referee waved off the goal as McDonald was ruled offside. With us needing a win to really pull Morton back to the pack, the draw wasn't good enough and they look well on their way to capturing the Division 2 crown.

[cruiseylee]

Thanks for your reply and I hope you dont mind me asking some more q's then as im really hooked and think your a very good story teller! What is ES by the way? And glad to hear it will be long runnung! You should beable to charge people to read on as I bet many are hooked and just havnt said anything and would pay to read on lol! Anyway some q's 1. Do you use all the skins and backgrounds etc? 2. Are you running on low database or high? 3. And on reserves and u-18's not impacting on 1st team they can make a massive difference if you can build them up with momentum and confidence and then if your team has a little dip bringing in a few players from res and yth who have dominated at that level can impact instantly! 5. How big is your whole squad? And I hope you dont mind me askng q's. Thanks again!

[Faramir]

cruiseylee- ES= East Stirling

I don't use skins or backgrounds beyond what is included with the game- just haven't bothered is all- I am not against them. I am using Large DB for this story (huge one too slow on my old, slow PC). I agree that Reserves and U-18s can help, but one of my specialities is finding bargain players that meet the needs I have for my tactics, so I am usually grabbing younger, inexpensive players to develop. How big is the squad? Hmm, typically I would guess my squad is 50 or so. I typically carry about 30-35 on my Senior side (as opposed to how the AI keeps a minimal amount), just my preference.

***

3.2.07

Raith (1) East Stirling (2)

We may have lost our chance at Morton, but we did what we needed to do with an impressive 2-1 road win over Raith. We played a superb match overall and goals from Steve McDonald and Ross O'Donoghue to counter the goal by Paul McManus from the home side. We played a stellar defensive match and throttled their midfield in an important win for us.

***

7.2.07

Nobody on New Zealand was very happy with their effort as they lost 3-0 to Vietnam. Danny Black played the whole match, but told me he didn't play well- nor did his mates.

[cruiseylee]

hi again faramir, I just looked thru some more storys and realised your doing most of them?? lol. How do you manage to get the time to play all those running games and write all this? And I take it you work aswell? you must be so busy? Or you have a time machine!!

[Faramir]

cruiseylee- most of my stories are played in advance of posting, typically I will have at least a full season done before I begin posting- though 'Another Harrowing Misadventure' is an exception. The 'Up From the Ashes' story is my last FM 05 story and is finished (though posting will take a bit to catch up). 'The Bet' is played a full season in advance of where the posting currently is. 'Scottish Reprise' I am actively playing- now into 2012. Usually I only have 2 or at most 3 that I am really playing.

***

10.2.07

Stirling (1) East Stirling (0)

It was a bitter defeat as the lone goal in the match came on an early penalty call. The referee yellow carded Adrian Nevins for a push in the area and David Graham drilled the penalty kick past Mark Peat. It was a match where we controlled the ball a lot, but our poor execution ruined our scoring chances. Michele Lombardi had a solid debut for us and gave us our best chance with a good pass to Steve McDonald, but McDonald's hard shot was parried away by Sandy Young. We need to execute much better- especially in our midfield- to get better results. This loss was disappointing after our solid efforts in our last three matches.

[Faramir]

17.2.07

East Stirling (0) Partick (0)

Our frustration level was immense after the final whistle sounded on our scoreless draw with Partick. We dominated them in the match, but thanks to a number of timely tackles and some superb work in net by Kenny Arthur, we had to split the points with them. Arthur not only saved good chances by James Flood and Steve McDonald, he also saved McDonald's penalty kick in second half injury time when it appeared we finally may have the match after Derek McInnes upended John Voigt in the area. Steven van der Deyl was not called on much, but came up with a sensational save on Stephen Opaka to keep us square. We worked hard and deserved better, but the goals weren't there today.

[Faramir]

24.2.07

East Stirling (2) Stenhousemuir (0)

We finally got back on our winning ways with a comfortable 2-0 win over derby rival Stenhousemuir at Firs Park. James Flood gave us the lead with a thundering finish of a good pass from Kenny McLean. We took a 2-0 lead to half as Steve McDonald converted a penalty kick past Richard Acton late in the first half. Stenhousemuir's hopes of rallying were done in by 2nd yellow cards handed out to Robbie Henderson and Chris Aitken and we closed out the clean sheet for Steven van der Deyl. The lone bad note was that Danny Black twisted his knew and may be out up to a month.

[Faramir]

28.2.07

It's a sign of 'Haves' and 'Have-Nots' this season, as Morton has already clinched a playoff spot with 8 matches remaining. Though we are in 3rd, we are pretty much assured a spot in the Playoffs- more than I could reasonably expect from this club going into the season.

Division 2 Table- 28 matches played, 8 remaining

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">

1- Morton PL 64 pts (+40)

2- Raith 54 pts (+26)

3- East Stirling 52 pts (+21)

4- Partick 51 pts (+23)

5- Stranraer 39 pts (-1)

6- Alloa 29 pts (-11)

7- Stirling 29 pts (-19)

</pre>

[Faramir]

3.3.07

Peterhead (0) East Stirling (0)

Played in a downpour at Peterhead, we played well and controlled much of the match, but couldn't score and wound up with a scoreless draw. Richard Sanna was very solid in the Peterhead net and the crossbar wasn't kind to us as Ross O'Donoghue hit it in the first half and Mick O'Brien hit it in the second half. Steven van der Deyl was steady in our net in earning another clean sheet as we really limited the home side's chances in the match. We just weren't sharp enough in our execution, but the weather had a lot to do with our problems today.

[Faramir]

10.3.07

East Stirling (2) Forfar (1)

We were forced to fight back after yielding a goal to last place Forfar, but managed to win a 2-1 match that wasn't as close as the scoreline would indicate. Forfar took advantage of a nicely played inbounds play in the first half as Matthew Blinkhorn slipped past Kevin Gaughan to put away his 5th goal of the season past Mark Peat on a nice pass from Ricky Waddell. We spent much of the first half frustrated as we did well in gaining their area and then our own poor execution and hesitation kept us from scoring. Just before half, we equalized as John Voigt whipped a rising shot off the crossbar and Steve McDonald had an easy put back in to the open net for his 15th goal of the season. The match winner came on a free kick midway through the second half. Daniel Simpson launched a long pass toward the six-yard box. Derek Ure, who had come on for Voigt, stole a march on the Forfar backline and deflected the ball enough for it to escape the grasp of Michael Brown. We closed out a strong defensive effort to finish off a needed 2-1 win.

[Faramir]

15.3.07

In a loss that we could ill-afford, James Flood will likely be out the remainder of the season with a torn groin muscle. His loss leaves me hoping that John Voigt and new addition Michele Lombardi can pick up the slack and pair well with Steve McDonald down our stretch drive. I like Derek Ure's ability to come in off the bench and add immediate punch to our lineup- something I haven't seen out of any of our other forwards.

***

17.3.07

Alloa (2) East Stirling (0)

We fell heavily in a match I was hoping for a better result in. They led at halftime thanks to a penalty kick converted by Graeme Brown after Adrian Nevins was whistled for pushing Ross Hamilton in the area. We showed little life in the match, much to my disappointment as I expected more fire from my club. The second half saw Carl Laurie outmuscled by Hamilton and then he banked a shot in off the near left post for his 10th goal of the season. We never came close to mounting a comeback and finished out the disappointing loss with nothing on the scoresheet.

[Faramir]

28.3.07

I was happy that Danny Black was healed up enough to get the call for the New Zealand side. Hopefully the time he played in their 2-1 friendly win over South Korea will help him get quickly back to match fitness. Mick Waitt told me he played well and he only gave him 63 minutes of time in the friendly.

***

31.3.07

East Stirling (0) Raith (0)

We thoroughly outplayed favored Raith, but were left with a scoreless draw that didn't help our chances of overtaking them for 2nd place. Michele Lombardi showed little of the extinct I had been hoping to see around the net and Steve McDonald hobbled off in the second half with a slight foot injury. Derek Ure had none of his usual magic and that left us unable to take advantage of the superior midfield play we showed. It was another match of control, but no scoring for us and was very frustrating to see all the effort wind up in another scoreless draw. Steven van der Deyl did a good job making a couple of key saves in the second half to help us split the points.

[Faramir]

7.4.07

East Stirling (2) Stirling (0)

Our Firs Park faithful were very pleased when we closed out our last home match of the season with an opportunistic 2-0 win over Stirling. Lee Wilson gave us the early lead when Ryan Carr didn't see him in front of the Stirling net and gave him a perfect pass to drive past Danny Herring. We moved ahead 2-0 when Danny Black scored his 1st goal of the season on a sizzling 25 yard free kick. There were numerous chances to add to the lead, but again we were inconsistent with our play in close on them. Steven van der Deyl had an easy time posting another clean sheet in our 2-0 win. We now face a difficult three road matches to close out the season, including a trip to Morton who clinched the Division 2 title today. All three Playoff teams are decided as Raith, Partick and us all clinched the spots today- but how we finish standings wise is yet to be decided.

[Loeffle]

Originally posted by Faramir:

7.4.07

East Stirling (2) Stirling (0)

Our Firs Park faithful were very pleased when we closed out our last home match of the season with an opportunistic 2-0 win over Stirling. Lee Wilson gave us the early lead when Ryan Carr didn't see him in front of the Stirling net and gave him a perfect pass to drive past Danny Herring. We moved ahead 2-0 when Danny Black scored his 1st goal of the season on a sizzling 25 yard free kick. There were numerous chances to add to the lead, but again we were inconsistent with our play in close on them. Steven van der Deyl had an easy time posting another clean sheet in our 2-0 win. We now face a difficult three road matches to close out the season, including a trip to Morton who clinched the Division 2 title today. All three Playoff teams are decided as Raith, Partick and us all clinched the spots today- but how we finish standings wise is yet to be decided.

Congrats on the playoffs Hope you are as lucky as I were in Italy last night ...

[Faramir]

Loeffle- Thanks much

***

14.4.07

Stranraer (0) East Stirling (3)

We took care of business very nicely in our easiest of the three road tilts left as we dominated Stranraer and came away with a convincing 3-0 win. John Voigt deserved a hat-trick and the only reason he didn't get one is because the scorer chose to credit Stephen MacDonald with an own-goal when we took the lead. On the play, Keeper Jim Evans had missed the ball and Voigt had cruised in behind him with an open net. MacDonald, desperately trying to slide and knock Voigt's shot away, instead hooked it into the net and we had a lead in the opening moments of play. Voigt was quick to add to that lead with his first 'official' goal of the match when Steve McDonald slid a pass across the edge of the six-yard box and Voigt hammered a shot past Evans. Voigt made it a brace when we caught Stranraer pressing forward to begin the second half and Kenny McLean- who earned MOM honours- drilled a long cross that Voigt deflected inside the right post. Our backline offered a very steady match in support of Steven van der Deyl, who chalked up another clean sheet. We now face difficult trips to Morton and Partick to close out the season.

[Faramir]

21.4.07

Morton (3) East Stirling (0)

There were chances for us to end Morton's 21-match unbeaten streak as we played them to a scoreless first half. They took full advantage of their second half chances and we failed to and that led to a 3-0 loss that was closer than the scoreline indicates. In the opening moments of the second half Darren Carter raced onto a long pass- a step ahead of Danny Blakc and Mark Gourlay and drilled a shot past Steven van der Deyl into the far left side of the net. It looked like we would even things up twice- but twice Steve McDonald missed sitters in front of their net- both times shooting over the net. Chris Templeman subbed on for Derek Lilly and finished us off with a brace of late goals as our tired backline seemed to collapse in the latter stages of the second half. The loss, coupled with Raith's 2-0 win over Partick, means that Raith will finish 2nd and Partick must beat us in the final match to overtake us for 3rd.

[Faramir]

28.4.07

Partick (2) East Stirling (1)

A two minute span in the second half ruined us as two terrible defensive plays by Adrian Nevins allowed Partick to fightback and beat us 2-1. We held the halftime lead when Steve McDonald capped a dizzying sequence of saves by Kenny Arthur by knocking in a rebound. The second half started fine for us as we were still applying pressure on Partick, but the wheels came off when an awful clearance by Nevins went right to Nark Stewart and he whipped it past Steven van der Deyl for the equalizer. Less than two minutes later Nevins got skinned of the ball and then seemed to give up on trying to close down Shaun Fagan as he blasted a shot past van der Deyl for the eventual match winner. Arthur was brilliant for Partick as he stopped both McDonald and Iain Diack from close-in to preserve the win and a 3rd place finish for them as we suffered a bitter loss that drops us to 4th going into the Playoffs. Our whole club seemed a bit down after the loss of Lee Sichi at the end of the first half and the news was bad on the injury as he will be out until the beginning of next season with a hip injury. The only positive news on the day was that our Under-19 squad captured the Under-19 Championship. We received 85K for finishing 4th, which puts our bottom line in the black to the tune of just under 400K- a significant achievement as we have managed to stay within our wage budget all season.

[Faramir]

1.5.07

Queen of the South, the 9th place team in Division 1 will be our opponent in the Semifinals of the Playoff for Promotion. Raith and Partick face off in the other Semifinal, so I am really not too displeased with the matchup. QotS will be difficult- especially with our nemesis Anton Smith at forward- but I also think our chances are decent at getting to face either Partick or Raith. The loss of two key players- James Flood and now Lee Sichi is weighing heavily on me as we prepare for the matchup.

***

5.5.07

East Stirling (0) Queen of the South (0) Division 1 Relegation Playoff Semifinal Leg 1

We outplayed Queen of the South by a large margin as we limited them to two shots on goal for the match, but we dearly missed the finishing of James Flood today as both Derek Ure and Michele Lombardi, who came on for Ure, missed excellent scoring chances without troubling keeper Barry Marchena to make a save. QotS kept a tight rein on Steve McDonald, so we were depending on the off-striker to gain chances and we did get them- but couldn't convert them into a needed goal. Steven van der Deyl had an easy clean sheet in the match. Ross O'Donoghue went out injured and will now miss the rest of the season with a calf injury. Our task in the 2nd leg is simple- score and win the match. In the other Semifinal, Raith battled Partick to a 1-1 draw.

[Faramir]

8.5.07

Queen of the South (0) East Stirling (3) Division 1 Relegation Playoff Semifinal Leg 2- East Stirling advances on 3-0 aggregate

It was a taut start to the match as both sides struggled to find some offensive rhythym. After seeing Andrew Reilly throw away 4 easy passes in a row, it was an early substitution as I brought in Kieran Lee. It turned out splendidly when Lee scored his 1st goal for us by slipping his marker on a free kick and then driving a blistering shot past Barry Marchena midway through the first half. We should have led by more going to halftime, but had hit the post twice and the crossbar once in a series of good chances. I told the boys we needed to be aggressive to start the second half as I didn't think one goal would be enough. QotS then gifted us with a 2nd goal as Stewart Devine just beat John Voigt to the ball and hurried a backpass to the keeper- only to send it past the despondant Marchena inside the right post. With a 2-0 lead, I brought on John Adam for Voigt and we settled into a defensive mode to make them try and come at us. We put out the lights on the season at Palmerston Park when Kevin Barkey slipped a pass across to Steve McDonald and the unmarked McDonald buried his shot past Marchena to send us to the finals against Partick, which advanced over Raith on away goals as the clubs played to a wild 3-3 draw in Raith. A sour note is that we will be without Carl Laurie in the Final, as he earned a yellow card and will be suspended for the match.

***

9.5.07

Roma defeated Porto 2=0 to capture the Euro Cup title.

***

12.5.07

Hearts defeated St.Mirren 2-1 on a late goal to win the Scottish Cup.

[Faramir]

13.5.07

Stenhousemuir survived their Relegation Playoff to remain in Division 2 thanks to their 1-0 win over Ayr in the Final.

***

15.5.07

I was very pleased when I received notice that Five of our players had been selected in the starting lineup of the Division 2 Players Team of the Year. The five included:

Danny Black, Adrian Nevins, Mark Gourlay, Lee Sichi and Steve McDonald.

Stephen O'Donnell of Morton was selected Player of the Year, with Ross Hamilton of Alloa as runner-up and Lee Sichi finished in 3rd place in the selection.

***

16.5.07

Partick (2) East Stirling (1) 1st Division Playoff Final- Hampden Park

It was a bitter loss to close out the season and our dream of promotion as we fell to Partick 2-1. It could have turned out much better for us, but after we missed two golden chances in the first half when John Voigt just wouldn't take the ball to the net. They scored shortly after the 2nd time on a 30 yard shot from Shaun Fagan after Fagan skinned Kevin Barkey and just like our last match seemed to have Steven van der Deyl's number from distance. We fought back to even the match at 1-1 when John Adam came on to finally knock a rebound past Kenny Arthur after he made two dazzling saves in the sequence. The telling blow and match winning goal came on a throw-in play where we blew the coverage and Andy Gibson snuck into the area unmarked before firing a shot past Steven van der Deyl for his 1st goal of the season. They played very good defensively after that and we never did get another really good scoring chance. The loss of James Flood hounded me in this match as Voigt wasn't nearly aggressive enough when he had the chances and has likely seen his last match at East Stirling. It will be another season in Division 2 for us.

[Faramir]

3.6.07

The opening of the transfer window for the summer allowed us to complete two minor transfer purchases. We added 21 year old MRC Paul Weaver on free transfer from Ayr. Though our fans are worried at Weaver's addition, I think he has a chance to help us. At the first sign of trouble though- he could find himself on the transfer list. Joining us for 1K from Airdrie is 23 year old AM/FC Gary Twigg. Twigg's addition gives us another left footer at forward and will take some of the pressure off of Steve McDonald. Lee Wilson remains, but I consider him a reserve.

***

4.6.07

We started picking and choosing among youngsters released from more established clubs. Today we completed signing 21 year old MC Peter Sale who was released from the Arsenal youth program. Also signing on free transfer was 17 year old DRC David Harris who was released from Dundee United. I don't view either of them as key contributors at present, but they could both develop enough to make an impact on our future plans.

[Faramir]

5.6.07

Today we signed 17 year old ML Tommy Beckford released from the Rangers youth program. Beckford will work on either the Under-19 or Reserves- depending on how the roster works out. Beckford, Sale and Harris were all signed for very nominal weekly fees of 15 and their addition won't strain the wage budget much. Also signing with us was 17 year old DC Stuart Skinner for 20/week. We had scouted Skinner heavily before Kilmarnock released him and I was very pleased to get him under contract as I think he will help us in the future. Skinner's addition means that I will transfer list unhappy Graham McWilliam and see if I can garner some interest in him.

***

6.6.07

Another young midfielder joined us as 18 year old Andrew Jobes signed on free transfer. Jobes a left footed MC- something we had a need of- and joined us after being released from the Arsenal youth program. Jobes agreed to a 65/week contract.

***

7.6.07

A significant free transfer signing for us was 19 year old MRC Adam Tiran after his release from the Chelsea youth program. Tiran's signing and a couple other possible signings mean that I will try to sell Kevin Barkey, because his 250 a week contract is the richest in the club and I think we now have the quality to absorb his loss. I am also finally getting somewhere in the possible sale of John Voigt. Voigt has the talent to be very, very good- but he really isn't succeeding in our attacking system. I put him on the transfer list and offered him to clubs. I accepted quite a few bids- 2K type- which is what I had him listed for, when out of the blue Macclesfield came in with a whopping bid for him. I have to hope that John accepts their contract, because it would easily eclipse our largest transfer sale to date- that of Mark Batty.

[Faramir]

11.6.07

We completed the 1K sale of Graham McWilliam to Dumbarton. He was pleased to go and I was pleased that we could move his contract that quickly. Graham may well develop into a fine defender, but clearly our first choices are Danny Black and Adrian nevins, with Kevin Gaughan and possibly Chris Robertson providing cover for both of them until Stuart Skinner can assist.

***

14.6.07

Kevin Barkey is deciding which of his 7 suitors (clubs I accepted bids from) will be the best for him. As soon as that happens- probably shortly- we will have a large wage off of the scale for us. I like Kevin a lot and he should be successful in anyplace he goes- but I have to admit he was a bit miscast as the creative midfielder for us. Ross O'Donoghue and newly acquired Adam Tiran will battle it out for the role, though I won't count out one of our youth program players- Stephen Blair- or another new acquistion- Peter Sale.

Voigt did decide that Macclesfield had the best offer, which cheered me to no end. Though they won't be putting up any immediate funds- over the course of time they will pay us 130K for John. That is superb money for us- much better than the 2K I initially aimed for

***

19.6.07

Barkey decided Gretna was the place for him to be, so we receive 2K up front and another 3K after he plays 10 matches for them. The transfer fee is a bonus compared to paring his salary.

The reason I decided to transfer list Voigt and his obvious talent is that we managed to get a transfer bid accepted on 16 year old SC Steve Lewis (17 in August). Lewis joins us from Cowdenbeath and is one of the most talented youngsters my scouts have been able to identify. If Lewis keeps growing he will soon be an explosive striker and I like his chances of becoming an impact player for us.

[Faramir]

20.6.07

It was no surprise that Steve McDonald was announced as the fans' selection as the East Stirlingshire Player of the Year for last season. Steve was our best player and almost carried us up to promotion without his strike partner James Flood.

The Board told me they hoped for a safe mid-table position this season. I can understand their views on consolidating our gains, but privately I am hoping to be butting heads with Raith for the top spot this season.

***

21.6.07

We managed to sell another extra player today as Moor Green paid us 2K for DR Steven Noble. Noble has the physical tools to be very successful, but he was passed by Daniel Simpson and Carl Laurie and I couldn't see continuing to pay him a healthy salary for playing on the Reserve side.

***

21.6.07

We have a challenging slate of friendlies scheduled as we ready the club for the season. It starting with a road tilt at St.Mirren, followed by home friendlies against Blackpool and Motherwell, and finishes up with two more road matches against Gretna and Falkirk. I don't expect us to win any of these, but I do want our players playing against quicker competition to give us a good tuning up to start the season.

[Faramir]

3.7.07

Only Lee Sichi came back to training injured. Fortunately, he is almost ready to go again after his lengthy injury and recovery.

We added two more displaced youth players on free transfer. 19 year old versatile Mitchell Murphy had already heard good things from the others that had joined us from Arsenal- so he joined the exodus to East Stirling. Murphy will help us with another left foot and is suited to play forward. I was really pleased to be able to sign 17 year old Keeper Scott Gallacher after Rangers released him. We had scouted him quite a bit and he was one of the better young keepers my scouts had come across. For now, he will play on our Reserve side, but with Mark Peat growing restless about his lack of starting time- I may have to move him and then Gallacher will become the main backup for Steven van der Deyl.

***

5.7.07

I had been searching for another rightwinger to add depth to the club and finally found one that was willing to come to East Stirling in the person of 20 year old Marc Cameron. Cameron was a player we had heavily scouted at Kilmarnock and when they released him we immediately contacted his agent and got a contract done.

Going into the friendlies, it is a bit strange. We have our entire core club back from last season, but pretty much an entirely new level of depth behind them- mostly the talented youngsters we have been signing on free transfer. I pushed hard to try and add some established players that both my scouts and I liked, but none were willing to come here- so we are forced to do what we have been doing- stocking up on promising youngsters and hoping to catch lightning in a bottle.

[Faramir]

7.7.07

Our financial situation remains good as we come close to our friendlies. Our weekly wage budget remains 1K under the Board's initial budgeted amount and we have 28K remaining in our transfer fund. I will continue to add youngsters if I see some worth adding, but overall I am happy enough with the club and its depth as we begin to prepare in earnest for the season.

***

9.7.07

Our first friendly started out great as James Flood scored in the 1st minute of play. It didn't continue though as St.Mirren put our backline to the rack and hammered in 3 goals past Steven van der Deyl. The second half was quiet and it was still 3-1 at the final.

***

13.7.07

We lost to Blackpool in our 2nd friendly when they scored in second half injury time to edge us 3-2. Our goals came from James Flood and Mitchell Murphy. It was a better performance, but our backline is still lacking cohesiveness.

[Faramir]

17.7.07

We really didn't need another forward, but I found it very difficult to turn down the chance to sign 19 year old James Frayne on free transfer. Frayne had been released from the Liverpool youth program and we had scouted him enough to know he was a very promising youngster. His arrival may mean the departure of another forward, but it may take some time to decide.

***

18.7.07

We surprised visiting Motherwell as we beat them 3-1 in our last home friendly. It was a much better showing defensively and our goals came from Mick O'Brien, Paul Weaver and Gary Twigg.

***

22.7.07

Gretna certainly showed us we aren't ready for the beginning of the season as they easily handled us 3-0. Steven van der Deyl handed them an own goal and also missed a 30 yard shot in what can only be called a poor effort. I did see a few things worth noting and one of those was the fluid play of Steve Lewis with the ball. I won't be featuring him much until he is 17 and I can fix up a contract for him- but I have seen the future impact forward for our club.

[Faramir]

23.7.07

Another new addition off the free transfer list is 25 year old DC Steven Rennie. It was impossible to turn down a chance to add the veteran central defender for a nominal weekly wage and he brings a solid presence to the clubhouse.

***

25.7.07

We closed out our friendlies with a 2-1 loss to Falkirk in a match that really wasn't as close as the scoreline would indicate. Only a late goal from Lee Wilson really made things close as we didn't play too well- but I was playing mostly youngsters in this match and wasn't too concerned about the result.

***

26.7.07

As we head into our matchup against Partick to open the Challenge Cup, I have settled on this lineup to start with:

GK- Mark Peat (Steven van der Deyl hurt)

DR- Daniel Simpson (Carl Laurie suspended)

DL- Mark Gourlay

DC- Adrian Nevins

DC- Danny Black

MR- Kenny McLean

ML- Lee Sichi

MC- Paul Weaver

MC- Mick O'Brien

SC- James Flood

SC- Steve McDonald

Sub-Gary Twigg

Sub-Kieran Lee

Sub-Adam Tiran

Sub-Kevin Gaughan

Sub-Stuart Gallacher

[Faramir]

27.7.07

Our last signing before the season starts is 19 year old DL Ryan Carr. Carr had been released by St.Mirren and we had scouted him enough to make him a decent signing to get some cover at leftback (where we were thin).

***

28.7.07

East Stirling (4) Partick (2) Challenge Cup 1st Round

I have to admit, this was a bit of a grudge match between us and the club that kept us from promotion and both our clubs knew it going in. We received a nice break early when Referee Cammy Melville called Gary Wood for holding Lee Sichi in the area and Steve McDonald converted the penalty kick to give us a quick 1-0 lead. As if the message wasn't clear from the first call- the Referee whistled Willie Gibson for a trip in the area and McDonald converted his 2nd penalty to give us a 2-0 lead at 13 minutes. Partick tried to rally and draw a goal back before half, but Mark Peat was steady in net and we went to the dressing room ahead 2-0. I warned the boys it would be more of the same to start the second half and Partick kept me true to my word. Kevin Gaughan, on for slightly injured Danny Black, drew the ire of the Ref and a yellow card for tripping Pavel Malcharek in the area and Partick got one back as Tony Grant whipped the penalty past Peat. Less than three minutes later it was back to 2-2 as Derek Carcary was in the right place to knock in a rebound after Peat's brilliant stop on Malcharek for the equalizer. It was a good test of the mettle of our club, as Black, McDonald and Kenny McLean had all come out due to minor injuries and we were still able to right the ship. Paul Weaver, who had a fine debut, was the architect as we retook the lead. Weaver's deft pass picked out James Flood and Flood zipped a shot past Kenny Arthur inside the right post. Referee Melville wasn't done with his cards yet and Wood earned a yellow for tripping Gary Twigg in the area. Flood stepped up and fired the penalty past Arthur to add a nice exclamation point on our 4-2 win as we closed out with a strong defensive effort to broom Partick out of the competition.

[Faramir]

29.7.07

We remain impeded on gaining quality players, as our Part-time Semi-pro club status and our low top end wage limits continue to crimp my acquisition efforts. Fortunately, we did attract enough decent youth players that we have a much deeper club depth-wise as we head into the Division 2 season.

We have a true Derby matchup in the 2nd round of the Challenge Cup as we will host Falkirk. Our draw drew instant press coverage as they recognized this was likely to be a fierce match and one of the most interesting of the 2nd round.

***

30.7.07

It was no surprise to see that Raith was made favorite to win the 2nd Division this season.

Division 2 Odds- Skybet

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">

Raith 4-5

Queen of the Sth Evens

Hamilton Evens

East Stirling 5-2

Stranraer 3-1

Alloa 16-1

</pre>

[Faramir]

4.8.07

Hamilton (1) East Stirling (1)

We were one botched corner away from upsetting Hamilton in a difficult road match to open the season. The first half saw them more in control of play, but we headed into the dressing room with the lead. Adam Tiran did a superb job of anticipating a goal kick and stepped in front Jamie McQuilken and took the ball down the pitch. Tiran unselfishly made the pass in the six yard box and picked out Steve McDonald who pushed the ball into the open net behind Peter Shaw. Mark Peat played brilliantly in the first half, but he couldn't save James McArthur's low shot after he broke in free. The chance had come on a corner of ours, but Adrian Nevins missed a tackle and they had a 2 on 1 counterattack to set McArthur free. Both sides tried to win the match, but neither had good scoring chances after the equalizer and had to settle for the 1-1 draw.

[Faramir]

7.8.07

East Stirling (1) Cowdenbeath (1) League Cup 1st Round- Cowdenbeath advances on Penalties

It was pure frustration to go to the 9th round of penalties and finally come up short. It would be fair to say we should have won this match before then, but you have only to look at the performance of Cowdenbeath keeper Ian McCaldon to see the reason we weren't able to finish it before. Mark Peat also gave a superlative performance in our net, as we could also have easily lost in regulation. Our main problem today was a plague of minor injuries in the fairly rough match. Kevin Gaughan had to leave early, as did Ryan Carr and Carl Laurie (who came on for Gaughan), Marc Cameron, Daniel Simpson and Steve Lewis all had to play with minor injuries through all of extra-time- which meant an exhausted club at the end. We swamped the visitors in the first half, but came away with nothing for a lot of good chances. They scored early in the second half as our 3-man backline (we were forced into it when Carr had to leave) missed marking Shaun Miller and he flicked a header past Peat. We answered when Steve Lewis, who earned MOM honours in his debut, drilled a shot inside the left post after a good pass from Andrew Jobes. Both sides had chances to win in regular time and also in Extra-time, but it wound up going to penalties. Our young side was at a disadvantage, since most of our best penalty takers weren't playing. McCaldon was the hero again for them as he saved three in a row after both sides missed on their 5th turn at penalties. I was proud of the effort, but anguished at the final result.

[Faramir]

11.8.07

East Stirling (1) Peterhead (0)

Our fans had to applaud the selection of Peterhead keeper Paddy Gamble as MOM, as he was clearly the reason the visitors managed to stay in the match against us. Fortunately, we found a way to get one past him and that was enough to earn us a 1-0 win in a match we dominated. We outshot the visitors 16-5 and many of ours forced Gamble to come up with acrobatic saves. The match winner came on a corner as Mark Gourlay found Paul Weaver lurking just outside the area and he blasted a 20 yard missle past Gamble in the 81st minute. Peterhead tried to rally, but we played solidly in helping Steven van der Deyl earn a clean sheet in his first match back from injury.

[Faramir]

12.8.07

I must admit it is frustrating to watch how other clubs can seemingly add at will to their depth- while we have trouble convincing players to come play at East Stirling. Raith managed to add promising rightback Callum McDonald and loaned keeper Peter Alexiou from Motherwell. Peterhead added rightback Alan Lowing- a player I dearly wanted, but wasn't interested in playing for us. I am not discouraged about our club, but clearly I have been seeking better, more experienced players and have had to settle for those I could convince to sign on with us. Maybe that will change in the future as we continue to build on our bottom line, but for the moment we will keep making do with what is available.

***

18.8.07

Stranraer (1) East Stirling (1)

I wanted a better result from this match, but I guess in the end I am satisfied that we managed to survive with a 1-1 draw. It was a difficult match in that the Referee seemed very intimidated by the home crowd. We wound up with 6 yellow cards and 24 fouls to Stranraer's 6 fouls and no cards- which also meant that they were tackling with abandon and that helped short circuit our offense. They scored early in the first half when John Hamsher snuck in to deflect a corner past Steven van der Deyl. Because of their fanatic tackling, we were getting the ball up the pitch but could not finish a pass anywhere in their area before being tackled. We warned the boys to keep their cool in the second half and keep working. That paid off when Paul Weaver knocked in the equalizer at 60 minutes. It appeared we would grab the lead when awarded a penalty kick (the Ref couldn't overlook the trip in the area), but James Flood's penalty was saved by Jim Evans. Flood had a frustrating day as he also hit the crossbar and missed a match winner as he struck a sitter wide in the last few minutes. Considering that they outshot us 19-9, the draw was a worthwhile result for all the scrabbling we had to do to gain it.

[Faramir]

25.8.07

East Stirling (4) Alloa (1)

After our last match, I was a bit worried coming into this one as we had seen little of the good play from our wingers that helped us to last season's success. This match we finally got to see it as Lee Sichi and Kenny McLean gave great performances and helped key us to an easy 4-1 win over visiting Alloa. Alloa struck first in the match as Carl Laurie was called for a trip in the area and Graeme Brown converted the penalty kick past Steven van der Deyl at 11 minutes. We didn't wait long to answer as James Flood drilled a volley on a good pass from McLean to equalize moments later. We moved ahead midway through the first half when Flood ran down a ball on the left side of the pitch and crossed smartly to McLean- and he rapped the ball inside the right post for his 1st goal this season. I was worried that we might come out in the second half with less effort, but I needn't have worried. Gary Twigg displayed the abilities that made him an attractive signing as he took a one-touch pass from Sichi and stepped around young Milan Barjaktarevic- making his debut after just arriving from Sweden- and snapped a shot into the open net. Twigg then made it a brace as he capped off the scoring by flicking a header in on a short, sharp cross from Flood to make the final scoreline 4-1. We face Falkirk in Challenge Cup derby match next and I will have to think about what kind of lineup to feature against them.

[Faramir]

25.8.07

Great news for us tonight as we finally managed to get Steve Lewis under a long-term contract now that he had turned 17. I won't mind featuring him now and he will get to start in the Falkirk match as I need to rest a few of the 1st line players due to our road match at 1st place Queens Park on the weekend after this midweek tilt.

***

28.8.07

East Stirling (0) Falkirk (1) Challenge Cup 2nd Round

They called it a 'deserved win' for Falkirk, but it could have been our win. We gave them all they could handle today and after David Robertson was sent off midway through the first half I thought our chances were pretty good. Moments after Steve Lewis scored a brilliant goal, our fans and I were in agony at the late offside call on Lewis. It certainly looked like he was onside, but the goal was waved off. Less than 2 minutes later Danny Black made an error in our end and his bad pass resulted in Pedro Moutinho scoring on a rebound after Mark Peat stopped a sizzling shot from Sam Morrow. Falkirk seemed better organized to handle the missing man in the second half and their pace advantage and hard work in the defensive end blunted many of our attacks. The final whistle found us discouraged at being on the short end of the 1-0 score.

[Faramir]

30.8.07

We only made one addition before the transfer deadline as I purchased 28 year old AMC John Paul McBride from Stirling for 1K. McBride, who has capped on the National Under-21 side, brings another veteran midfield presence that we will work into the lineup as the season progresses. I don't think he will displace Paul Weaver, who has played well, but Ross O'Donoghue may lose playing time as he has performed poorly so far this season.

***

1.9.07

It was nice to see Danny Black and Paul Weaver get some national recognition. Black was the Young Player of the Month for August and Weaver was 3rd in the balloting.

***

8.9.07

Queens Park (0) East Stirling (1)

We certainly didn't expect to win this closely played match the way we did, but we put in a good effort and were rewarded with a break in the closing moments. Both sides were playing terrific defensive ball and good scoring chances were scarce in the match. Our backline, led by MOM Adrian Nevins, was rock solid today and did an excellent job clearing away the numerous crosses that Queens Park threw into our area. Their backline did a nice job- especially in the first half- in closing down quickly and not giving us any manuevering room. We had a bit the better of the play in the second half, but Gary Twigg missed three good scoring chances- never hitting the net with any of the three. James Frayne, on for a winded James Flood, wound up the hero today. He pressured keeper Craig Smith on a backpass from Mark Quinn as we moved into second half injury time. The play turned disastrous for the homeside as Smith lost control of the ball and hard charging Frayne took the ball past him before blasting it into the open goal for a match winner in his 1st goal at East Stirling. The win handed Queens Park their first loss of the season and it was an important one for us as we survived a testing match.

[Faramir]

15.9.07

East Stirling (3) Stenhousemuir (0)

Steve Lewis continues to demonstrate that he might be a sensational find for us as he put the Stenhousemuir backline to the sword as we crushed them 3-0 in our derby match. Lewis turned on the jets and raced past Alex McColl to fire home a flicked on header from Lee Wilson as we took the early lead in the first half. It could have been more, but we settled for a 1-0 lead at half. I told the boys we needed to keep the pressure up on them in the second half- since they are in last place for a reason- and I thought they might crack. It worked a charm as Lewis added his 2nd goal of the match when Wilson sent a snappy cross that he deflected in. Lewis then capped off his hat-trick when his quick reactions allowed him to push his own rebound past Nick Baxter after Baxter got his hand on his first shot. We closed out strongly in helping Mark Peat to a clean sheet in the win.

[Faramir]

19.9.07

Stirling (1) East Stirling (0)

Stirling handed us our first loss of the season as they managed to edge us 1-0 despite the fact we outplayed them by a wide margin. The difference in the match was Stirling keeper Martin Kearney. Kearney made 7 one-on-one saves when it appeared we might score, he was simply brilliant in the match and we couldn't find a way to stretch the twine behind him. We outshot the home side 14-4 in the match, with few wasted shots on our part, but lost when we allowed Scott Gemmill to sneak in behind the wall on a free kick and he snapped a shot past Steven van der Deyl into the right side of the net. James Flood was the most frustrated of our players as he had chance after chance, but kept seeing Kearney come up with the telling save. Sometimes you just can't beat a hot keeper and today was one of those days.

[Faramir]

22.9.07

East Stirling (0) Raith (1)

Another match of frustration for us as we again failed to take advantage of good opportunities and saw our opponents score on a lapse on our part. The only goal in the match can be laid at the feet of Steven van der Deyl- who played well otherwise. It was a bad choice on a goal kick as he van der Deyl tried to give it to Danny Black, with Paul McLeod right next to him. McLeod managed to outmuscle Black and then took the ball in and put it past van der Deyl into the left side of the net. On the other end, it was French keeper Fabien Dubourdeau who was causing us grief this time. Dubourdeau stopped Steve Lewis and Lee Wilson twice each and then made two great saves on James Frayne after he came on for Wilson. It could well have been a win if we had finished better, but instead it was another bitter loss to a club that we have problems taking points from.