SFL Div 2, Ochilview Park, 15/10/11.

You may have picked up from my mentioning a pub in Cambridge two posts ago that I’ve been away. As a result of being knackered by the driving I hadn’t intended to go to this one but Onebrow said he would if I would and so I went.

I wish I hadn’t.

I now know what the poor home fans at The Rock have had to suffer. It was the bad Dumbarton that turned up for this one. We were appalling.

Stenhousemuir were much more up for it. Scott Agnew wasn’t given a moment’s peace. Two Stenny players were snapping at his heels every time he got the ball and so he couldn’t make any play. Mark Gilhaney tended to wander infield and lose the ball, Martin McNiff had a dreadful game after a not bad start. James Creaney again looked better with Ross McKinnon in front of him but their third goal came from his side. Pat Walker gets pass marks for effort.

The first goal was offside. I was in line when the pass was played forward, the linesman was ten yards upfield of the back four and couldn’t see the offence. The second, a more or less free header from a corner just before the half-time whistle killed the game.

We did get the ball in the net early in the second half but Pat Walker was given offside (by the same sodding linesman) as being in front of the play when Gilhaney shot. We might have made a game of it if that had counted but I doubt it. Stenhousemuir were better in all departments.

Their third was a totally free header by their centre half when the ball came back in after a corner had not been cleared thoroughly.

Scott Agnew’s late free kick was beautifully placed but not much consolation for a poor afternoon.

I also forgot my camera – which was in any case loaded with pictures from my trip away – so there’ll be no photos of Ochilview from this visit.

Next up, on Tuesday night, we’re at home (no points there yet) against an Albion Rovers side stuffed full of ex-Sons. Even though they’re below us and have scored only eight goals I’m fearing the outcome.

SFL Div 2, Station Park, 24/9/11.

A welcome win. But… Something weird is going on.

We haven’t won (or even drawn) at home in the league. Yet away, we’ve won two, drawn one (and lost one.)

We had marginally the better of the early exchanges here though neither side looked likely to score until a run through led to a good save by the Forfar keeper and Brian Prunty just missed the rebound; in the stramash Mark Gilhaney’s blocked shot came back to him and he smashed it against the bar but Prunty was offside and his tap-in didn’t count.

We soon lost the hard running Pat Walker to injury but the sub David Winters scored when the Forfar defence stood still at a Scott Agnew free kick. In oceans of space and with his back to goal Winters fashioned a kind of horizontal bicycle bick to slot the opener.

All through the game Forfar played neat and tidy stuff and tried to pass the ball but generally looked curiously out of sorts. They had several half-chances but no clear cut opportunities.

Forfar’s keeper had at least three good saves though, one from Mark Gilhaney squirmed onto the post before bouncing out.

Our second came when a bit of dig from Scott Agnew in midfileld won him the ball and he despatched Gihaney whose cross was killed by Prunty to set up a volley which he thumped into the net.

Then came the most ridiculous sending off. A nothing situation gave us a throw in on the halfway line and a Forfar player pushed David Winters who fended him off with his hands. The ref scurried over flashing a red card. The Forfar guy escaped with only a yellow.

We managed to hold out without too much torment – though I was looking at my watch a lot – and we seemed quite well organised at the back. Paul Nugent was solid at right back. Loanee Ross McKinnon was okay at left mid but may not be quite match fit.

Apart from the win the most noteworthy occurence was Stephen Grindlay came for and held several cross balls!!!! That’s been missing from his game for too long. (He did miss one later on though.)