The Shire: From The Bottom

Anyone familiar with the world of Scottish football will be familiar with the club who, more often than not, find themselves in, and around, the bottom of the entire Scottish league system - East Stirlingshire FC. Since the year 2000, they've spent every season in the 4th tier of Scottish football, finishing 3rd twice, 7th twice, 8th twice, 9th twice and 10th - very last in the entire league system - seven times, including in five consecutive seasons. In the 2003-04 season, they picked up just 8 points in the whole 36 game campaign. In the entire history, East Stirling have never won a major honour, never even reached the final of any national cup competition, have just a solitary lower league title to their name, and have only ever spent 2 seasons, in the early sixties, in the top flight of Scottish football. They do not have their own stadium, and with reconstruction bringing for the first time the possibility of relegation from the 4th tier, they look like they might be one of the prime candidates to drop out of the national leagues and face a struggle to ever return.

But all that is to change. It is time that East Stirlingshire were no longer the perennial bottom club, and instead became an ambitious club looking at pushing up the league, building its own stadium and getting back to the promised land of the top flight, and maybe even getting that first ever major honour.

The club, as previously mentioned, do not own their own stadium, and instead play at Ochilview park, owned by local rivals Stenhousemuir. They have average training facilities, adequate youth facilities and a fairly basic youth recruitment. They are also realistic about what can be achieved this season, and as you can see, finances are limited.

The first thing which I noticed which was crying out for change was that the club completely lacked any sort of scouting network. This is crucial, without scouts it is that much more difficult to find a good player and build the team, so was something i set about immediately addressing, and I found my first scout in Sean Rennie. I also terminated the contracts of Shaw, WIlliamson and Murray as they simply weren't good enough at their jobs for the level which I aspire to reach. Dougie Aitken was brought in as my assisstant manager, while Ewen Fairgreave became my new physio. I had wanted to bring in another coach, but board restrictions prevented this from taking place unfortunately.

A good pre-season, just the one lost against top flight opposition in the form of Kilmarnock. Mainly playing against Weaker opponents, but a win against Championship Alloa and a draw with Rangers are positive signs for the season to come. My season will kick off away in the Challenge Cup, against Montrose, before a trip to fiercest rivals Falkirk in the League Cup before we finally get the League season under way, also away to Montrose. This season should be a real test, I certainly don't foresee promotion on the cards just yet, but continuing to build towards it is the main thing. One final thing that shows how unlikely a title for us is, the bookies have made us 300/1 to win the title this season...Oh dear. Anyway, you have to start somewhere so here we go, Up the Shire!

The season began with a challenge cup tie, as it always does for lower league clubs. While we have no real hope of winning this competition, with a few of the bigger clubs including Rangers involved this season it did nevertheless provide a chance of a tie against one of them and a financial wind fall which could help the club massively long term. Before any thought of that, however, we needed to make sure we were in the next round by overcoming Montrose. We managed to hold on until full time against them, in a match which they dominated, before in injury time we struck. Loanee Luke Donnelly struck a lovely long range strike into the corner and we progressed, unconvincingly, but we're in the hat and that's what counts. The next round does not provide a game against any of the big boys but instead another trip to Angus, as we face League 1 side Forfar.

Next up was a big match in the League Cup against Fiercest rivals Falkirk. A game which we were huge underdogs in, and it showed in the first half where they exploited the gulf in class to extend a 4-0 lead at half time. We fought back and restored some pride by scoring twice without reply in the second half but we were never really going to win this one. Take the prize money and move on.

The League finally got underway with another trip up to Montrose. Unfortunately, there was to be no repeat of the Challenge Cup victory and we lost 1-0 after failing to properly clear a corner and they scored when the ball was played back in. A setback, but there's still 35 games to go.

We then had to dust ourselves off and head up to Forfar for the Challenge Cup second round. All the pre-match talk listed Forfar, plying their trade a division above ourselves, as the favourites, and so to watch this match was a joy. We dominated from start to finish, barely gave them a sniff at goal (it took until the 85th minute for them to get a shot on target) and were well worth our 4-0 victory. Onwards to the next round, where we got perhaps the worst possible draw. Dumbarton away. Will probably beat us as they are a class above ourselves but not a big enough team to really get a good payday out of it. Oh well.

After this, I finally got my first "home" game, with Elgin being the visitors for the occasion. Bouyed by the anticipation of a new managerial reign and the thrashing of Forfar midweek, an absolutely gargantuan crowd of 321 turned up for it. They were to leave disappointed, as we could not turn our domination and chances into 3 points, with Elgin's only real attack leading to an equaliser after another Donnelly goal had given us an early lead.

A trip across the border to English based Berwick Rangers was up next, and we having gotten our first points of the season just before we were seeking to take our first league win back up the road with us. After falling behind to a goal which was borderline offside, we managed to restore parity with a quick counter attack where Lerou Tahin got off the mark for the season just before half time. We fell behind again with some very suspect defending, but a great free kick by Greenhill saw us strike back almost immediately after their keeper had handled outside the box. We were under the cosh for the rest of the game, soaking up heavy pressure, being forced to defend and punting long aimless balls for Tahin to chase before just after the 90 minutes were up we got a corner, and a delivery to the near post saw Greene get to the ball first and head home the winner. Job done, our trip to a small town in England saw us leave with the first league win of my reign.

Next up were recently relegated East Fife, again away from home, who had endured a torrid start to the season, with no wins from their first 3. We really needed to win this one and try to build some momentum to put us in a really good position to avoid bottom, or even to challenge for a playoff spot, this season. We were, however, unable to do so, losing 1-0 in an utterly forgettable encounter, their goal being the only highlight. One of those days where both teams were equally bad, but they scored and we didn't so there you go.

In between this match and my Challenge cup game against Dumbarton, I decided to make another signing: 18 year old Gavin Mitchell on a free transfer from divisional rivals Queens Park. Due to them being amateur, I was able to get him without paying a penny and he looks to have bags of potential and can play in a couple of positions so that's definitely a good thing in my squad.

In the match itself, we should have been behind within 10 seconds, having to clear off the line, and then again after 4 minutes which was surely a sign of things to come. As it was, it took until just the 20th minute for them to break the deadlock, and then double that advantage on the 29th minute. After this, clearly comfortable they took their foot off the gas and saw out a comfortable win, outwith a late consolation goal from McKenna, to end our Challenge Cup run. Still, we were the last fourth tier side in the competition so we can be proud of our performance.

Next up were Clyde at home, a team who were made the favourites for the title. They were unable to break down our defence though, and while we offered little going forward it was at least a solid display to grind out a 0-0, even with finishing with ten men through injury.

The draw for the Scottish cup also took place, and gave us a home tie (our first one in any of our 5 cup games so far this season) against Junior side LInlithgow Rose. An interesting tie, and a decent chance at progression I would hope.

Back to League business, we had Annan next, and with a couple of players who would normally be starters missing through injury we again failed to get that first home win, making it 3 draws from 3 in front of our own fans. We took the lead after a scrap in the box saw the ball fall to Greene who made no mistake. The linesman and Ally Brown came to our rescue in the second half with a goal chalked off and a couple of great saves, but unfortunately a rebound fell to Annan striker Peter Weatherston and they were level with just 2 minutes left.

A trip to Coatbrigde side Albion Rovers up next, and we were simply outplayed by a superior team. We held on alright until giving away a stupid penalty in the 37th minute, and then imploded conceding again in the 39th. Albion should have made it 3 just 2 minutes into the second half, Brown making a great save. We pulled one back with a penalty but we were never really in with a shout of anything in this game.

Another cup game next, that Scottish cup match with Linlithgow Rose. Despite being heavy favourites, we actually fell behind to the Junior side in the 4th minute and were lucky not to be 2 down when they struck the bar. Despite this, we managed to fight back to a 2-1 lead at half time. A 68th minute Max Wright header was disallowed which would have made it 3-1, but we still managed to get through this one in the end. We face a trip to Fife and another Championship team away in the next round - Raith Rovers.

We another home draw against Queens Park after this, infuriatingly so as we bossed the game but had to split the points with the bottom side in the division. Away to the league leaders Arbroath rounded off this quarter of the season, and the first half of this was the worst of the season so far. Totally, totally outclassed, and very lucky to only be two goals down at half time. We rallied a bit in the second half, and pulled one back through Greenhill's penalty before Brisbane was unlucky not to get an equaliser, hitting the post, and they required a great save to prevent Tahin scoring just after this. Tahin then had one chopped off for offside as we pushed desperately for an equaliser, but unfortunately it wasn't to be and that shambolic first half cost us in the end to leave us bottom of the league after 9 games.

So, we'd had it tough in the first half of the season, just 3 league wins and a couple of humiliations thrown in there for good measure, but that's just part and parcel of business for East Stirlingshire. Still, we were hopeful that the second half would be more productive and we could push up the table a bit away from danger of the drop. Our efforts to start this mission got off to a poor start when we were defeated 2-0 away to Berwick to make sure we couldn't take 6 points from our trips to England this season, but no complaints in this one as were outplayed.

Next up was the big one. Montrose. Away. A win against the Angus side would be absolutely massive in terms of securing our survival. We went with high hopes, having already beaten them twice this season. After an even first half, things turned for the worse when they went 1-0 up and you'd forgive us if our heads went down given the run of form we were on, but Lerou Tahin didn't read that script and instead brought us level and then ahead! 2-1 up and we should be looking to push on, but alas they then replied within 3 minutes... The match then looked destined for a draw, but with just 4 minutes left we managed to get ahead, with McKenna's cross deflected in by the Montrose defender, and we then survived a late scare to claim 3 priceless points!

Cruelly, rather than a winnable game and a chance to build up momentum, we were scheduled to play runaway leaders Annan next, and rather than roll over and take a beating as we had done on occasion this season we put up a very good fight and were unlucky to lose to a last minute goal.. We lost our next match, against East Fife, by the same scoreline with the good doctor Kenny Deuchar getting two goals to secure the win for the Fifers.

We managed, however, to scrap our way to a credible 2-1 win against Clyde in our next match for a valuable 3 points, with David McKenna getting both goals, once from the spot and once with a bizarre goal where the opposition keeper attempted a clearance and it rebounded off him into an empty net. Still, they all count and we were delighted with the 3 points which, temporarily at least, moved us into eighth.

The next game against Arbroath was a strange one. We took the lead very early, after just 56 seconds, and for the first half, we never looked back, doubling our lead to have a 2-0 half time advantage. After the interval, however, we through all this good early work out the window and conceded 2 goals in 2 minutes to restore parity with them. We then had to hold onto this for most of the match, a brilliant save by Brown keeping us in it, until we were awarded a late penalty which allowed McKenna a chance at the hat trick, which he took, and us a chance at the lead, which we took. You'd be forgiven for thinking this was the end of matters but no, there was still time for another goal for McKenna making it 4-2 after he tapped in the rebound from MacGregor's free kick.

That win had meant that in just 5 games we'd managed as many league wins as we had in the first 19 games of the season, could this be a sign that perhaps our luck was changing? A game against Elgin City, immediately above us in the league was to be the game where this hypothesis was tested. They had also had a game midweek, and this was a good chance to exploit any tiredness in their team, Unfortunately, it wasn't to be, and despite chances at either end, the game fizzled out into a 0-0 draw.

Next up were Albion Rovers, who went down to ten men after just 16 minutes, and we managed to take full advantage, even if we made hard work of it. Luke Donnelly gave us the lead with an absolute screamer from range, before Mark McGuigan brought them level before the break. We passed up a host of chances to take the lead throughout the second half, before finally we took the lead through loanee Kjeld McIntyre's goal, and his second of the game put it beyond all doubt as we went to 4 games unbeaten and by a country mile our best form since I took charge!

We rounded out the quarter by facing Queen's Park, who we were now 3 points ahead of in light of the recent good run of form! We took the lead through an own goal in the first half and looked to be coasting it until a red card for Graeme MacGregor reduced us to 10 men. After this, the tide turned and Queens were on top and eventually got the goal they frankly deserved after 81 minutes. We were able to limit the damage and escape with a draw to remain unbeaten so overall not the worst result in the circumstances.

This has been a much improved spell for the club, and means that we sit 8th, not 9th, and have moved now 15 points off bottom spot with just 9 games left this season! It's looking like we may just achieve our goal of not finishing bottom!

Before we got down to any matches in this quarter, the first thing to deal with was the youth intake, which was on the whole disappointing with only Goalkeeper Darren Kelly looking like he could go on to play a big part in my future with 4 star potential.

Our recent good form also came to a halt at the hands of Clyde, who beat us very soundly 2-0. Not an ideal start to the run in, but still, it would take a monumental collapse and a huge upturn in form at Montrose for us to finish bottom now...

Our development off the park continued as the board granted my request to bring in another coach, and this time I chose to bring in a goalkeeping coach, in the form of 32 year old Mark Peat. A thoroughly decent goalkeeping coach, he should be a good addition to the backroom staff.

On the pitch, however, our form had abandoned us as we slumped to a 2-1 defeat at home to East Fife, which was even more disappointing as we'd been in the lead. Still, a loss for Montrose meant it was still 15 points, and they had just 7 games to make that up now, and with just 3 wins all season it seemed unlikely.

Next up were Champions elect, and runaway leaders Annan, away, and we had another trip to the borders on our hands. We had been soundly beaten last time we faced them on their own patch but this time we managed to go 3 up by half time, and despite conceding a second half goal to make it 3-1, we finished the job and came back with a surprise 3 points. This result was huge, it meant that if we avoided defeat in any one of our final 6 games, or Montrose failed to win any of theirs we'd be mathematically safe.

We lost our next game 1-0 against Arbroath, but thankfully we were gifted safety as Montrose failed to defeat East Fife. A huge relief, job done, we'll still be in the division next year and don't need to worry about the playoff!

I managed to persuade 16 year old Bryan Watt to join the club at this stage, and the bit about him which excites me the most is the line about his 4 star potential, along side 3 and a half star current ability. Not bad for a 16 year old. I also signed up 15 year old John Anderson, another who looks like he could go on to have a big role in the club's future.

Next up were Elgin, and it was here that I chose to give Anderson and Watt their debuts, Anderson starting the match and Watt coming into it later on, and it proved to be a winning debut as goals from McIntyre and two from McKenna saw us defeat the highlanders 3-1, and leave us 5 points behind them with 4 games to go...

Next up were Montrose, who were by now guaranteed to be taking part in a playoff to stay in the division after losing to Queens Park. I decided to bring young Kelly into the fray for this one, and indeed the remaining games, in order to give him a taste of first team action and aid his development in that way, as well as giving Watt his first start for the club, and he proved his worth by providing a great assist for the equaliser after we'd fallen behind via the penalty spot. That was how it ended unfortunately, a very poor result given the calibre of the opposition and the fact that they had nothing to play for.

We followed this up with a dull 0-0 affair against Berwick Rangers, where we were certainly lucky to get a point with young Kelly making a coupe of good saves on route to his first clean sheet, and then we faced Queens Park, knowing that a victory would secure that we finished the season in at least 8th, but alas it wasn't to be and we lost 1-0 to the Glasgow side.

Our season closed with a game against Albion Rovers, and it was a disappointing end of season affair, with us losing 2-0, to mean that we ended the season in 9th postion.



It was disappointing to fall away at the end there as it really looked like we might be able to sneak into 8th, or even 7th at one point, and take the extra prize money that comes with that, but overall the season has be looked at, at the very least, as one where we have achieved our ambitions. Safety, not just hanging on, but a huge 17 points off bottom place is a great achievement considering all the pre-season talk was of us going down and the way we started the season, but that spell in the end of January through February really was the one that made the difference and kept us up. Its a big summer ahead as I'm looking to push up the league next season and maybe challenge for a playoff spot and with quite a few players out of contract it'll be a big summer of change at the club, but I relish the challenge. Mon the Shire!

First things first, I'll tell you the changes that have happened and the 3 new teams in the league this season. Firstly, obviously, Annan Athletic were promoted as champions, and they were also joined by Arbroath who got promoted via the playoff. They were replaced by Stenhousemuir (fierce rivals of ours) and Stirling Albion. Alongside this, the relegation playoff saw Dalbeattie Star get promoted in place of bottom of the league Montrose for the new season.

Now, onto the squad. There was a great deal of change around the squad, as some of last season's squad were punted due to either not being good enough, being on too high a wage for the level of ability they had, not wanting to stay or a combination of all three.


If I'm being brutally honest, the only one of them I'm disappointed to see leave is Tahin, and he was asking for too much money and was, ultimately, utterly replaceable. Alongside this was the fact that both Kjeld McIntyre and Luke Donelly's loan spells at the club ended, so it was clear to see that I had a number of players I needed to replace, and hopefully improve upon, in order to take my team further up the table than we had achieved last season.

My first piece of business was to bring back Kjeld McIntyre, this time on a permanent basis after he had been released by Dumbarton. Already familiar with the club, I hope he can have a big role to play in any successes we have this season. Next up, I felt I had to address the problem position of right midfield which had been a relative weak spot for the team all of last season. To fill this position, I brought in 23 year old Dan Orsi, on a free. He looks a very solid player for this level, unspectacular, but he'll do a good job for the team.

At this point I noticed that the players leaving had left me with only one recognised striker - David McKenna. I thought that I needed firstly cover for the position and also probably someone better than McKenna to come in and make the position their own. It was to this end that I signed both 33 year old David Winters and 19 year old Chris Dillon. It is my intention for Dillon to be my main striker this season, with McKenna second choice and Winters providing cover. As Winters can also play attacking midfield roles he will be useful for covering that position as well.

Next in were Kerr Young, a 21 year old centre back, Keiran Gibbons, a 20 year old central midfielder, and also brought in 17 year old Greig McNaughton, a centre back, on loan from Dundee United. These signings meant that it looked as if I was going to have a very solid spine to my team this season, hopefully a good sign as we look to push up the league table.

That was it as far as signings go so far, may bring in one or two more before the end of the window depending on who becomes available.

Anyway, onto the pre-season friendly regiment, and this season I really looked on these as a money making exercise rather than playing a bunch of teams who I felt confident of beating, I've instead played a series of away fixtures in order to bring in some much needed finance...

I also had a match away against Rangers, which I lost 2-0, but for whatever reason that isn't being counted as being this season. Mainly losses, but like I said the whole point of these games was to get the club to a more secure financial footing, and I've managed to do exactly that...



A much healthier balance, and means that over the course of the season we should see a profit of some kind which is excellent as to really grow as a club, we need to be financially prosperous. It also means that eventually, I should be able to afford to build my own stadium as that's one of the things I really want to achieve as I feel that every club should have its own place to call home and sharing with Stenhousemuir has it's problems.

Onto the season, we've been handed a game away to Brechin, from the League 1, to kick us off in the Challenge Cup, before Hibernian come visiting in the League Cup. The board aren't being too ambitious with what we can achieve this season, again tasking me with a job of not being outclassed too often, and the media are predicting that we'll remain 9th this season, with only new boys Dalbeattie Star below us. Lets prove them wrong and have a successful season! Mon the Shire!