Match Report - By John Hoey

Brechin City 1 Stenhousemuir 0

Brechin City recorded their fifth win from six games with a vital victory over Stenhousemuir at Glebe Park.

The result means that City, although still bottom of the table, have narrowed the points gap between themselves and seventh placed Stenny to just three, and remain on the same points total as Forfar Athletic who beat Peterhead by 2-0 at Station Park with eighth placed Cowdenbeath who defeated Ayr United by 1-0 just two points ahead.

With four games remaining, it looks like being a nail-biting finish to the league campaign for all four sides but from City's point of view, the commitment, work-rate, effort and sheer endeavour that the players displayed yet again must stand them in good stead for the vital fixtures ahead.

The winning goal, coming four minutes into the second-half was a goal fit to grace any match and one that City supporters will be talking about for a long, long time.

Having been awarded a free-kick on the right side of midfield, Liam Watt stepped forward to flight a pin-point cross into the Warriors box for Andy Jackson who back headed the ball into a tight space where Robert Thomson with his back to the goal executed a superb overhead kick which soared into the roof of the net with visitors keeper Colin McNab clutching at thin air. It was an absolutely magnificent finish from the big striker which brought the whole ground (Stenny supporters justifiably excepted) to their feet and Robert nearly scored again just four minutes later when he chased a long ball from defence and fired in a drive which McNab just managed to turn onto the post.

City certainly rode their luck in the closing stages when the Warriors piled on the pressure with Colin McMenamin uncharacteristically scorning two good opportunities and the match ended on a sour note in the closing minutes when City's Jonathan Tiffoney and the Warriors' Summers both receiving their second yellow cards.

However, despite the disappointing conclusion to the match, no-one could deny that City deserved their victory and with four vital matches remaining, Cowdenbeath (a), Peterhead (h), Stranraer (h) and Forfar (a), City's destiny lies firmly in their own hands.

The Warriors created the first opportunity of the match after six minutes when they broke quickly from defence into attack with Mark Gilhaney making ground wide on the left but when his cross came into the City box there were no takers and James Dale cleared the ball away.

City had a half-chance four minutes later when Lewis Spence picked up a short pass from Robert Thomson and tried a shot from 30 yards which whizzed narrowly last Colin McCabe's right-hand post.

City keeper Graeme Smith was called into action for the first time a couple of minutes later when he dived to his left to gather a Stuart Malcolm shot from the edge of the box.

A good move from City almost brought the opening goal in the 23rd minute when the ball was played out in the left to Andy Jackson who crossed into the Stenny box for Thomson who swiftly released Jonathan Tiffoney who drilled in a low drive which missed the target by inches and four minutes later a Thomson header from a Liam Watt cross from the right was held on the line by McCabe.

City were pushing forward and McCabe was called into action again in the 33rd minute when Jackson played a good one-two with Thomson whose shot was smothered by the keeper, and Thomson was in the thick of things again seven minutes before the break when his header from a Tiffoney cross was deflected for a corner.

City began the second-half on the offensive and the broke the deadlock with an outstanding goal four minutes into the half.

The hosts won a free-kick half-way into their opponents half and Watt stepped up to flight a great cross into the box for Jackson who back headed the ball into the space behind him and Thomson quickly turned and with his back to the goal executed a magnificent overhead drive which soared into the roof of the net. It was a remarkable goal which brought the City supporters to their feet, and four minutes later the big striker almost scored his second goal of the afternoon when he chased a long ball from defence and pushed forward into the Warriors box before firing in a drive which McCabe, at full stretch, just managed to push on to the far post.

City were trying hard to add to their tally and in the 68th minute, Tiffoney picked up the ball on the right and played a short pass to Thomson 30 yards from goal who tried a shot but it was well over the bar.

Stenny then began to exert pressure on the home defence and substitute Fraser Eddington came very close to grabbing the equaliser in the 74th minute when his shot from just within the box crept agonisingly inches past Smith's right-hand post.

The City defence had another very narrow escape just four minutes later when they were caught flat-footed with the ball being played through to Colin McMenamin, but the striker, normally so deadly in front of goal steered the ball past the post and he again came close in the 81st minute when he fired in a shot which went inches past.

However, the last opportunity of the match fell to City in the 83rd minute when a Spence drive went narrowly past.

The game, which despite being fiercely competitive, was marred in the closing stages when City's Jonathan Tiffoney and Stenny's Ciaran Summers both received second yellow cards for an off the ball incident.

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