My first glimpse of the new-look Warriors team, in Friday's friendly against Fleetwood Town, proved to be an ultimately satisfactory one. Previous pre-season tours have seen something approaching a full-strength Stenny team in the first half of each game, followed by a raft of substitutions after the interval; this time, however, substitutions were kept to a minimum, a decision which undoubtedly helped the flow of the game. Although there were a few notable absences in midfield and attack - with neither Brazil nor Tyrrell featuring, and Dalziel only on the bench - the defence was near enough full strength: pre-season friendly or not, the Warriors were not taking this one lightly.
The match itself was well contested and refreshingly competitive: Fleetwood proved themselves to be extremely capable opponents, who should, on this showing, expect to be one of the stronger teams at their level this season. Their attacking endeavour presented a challenge to the Warriors backline, but our defence remained solid throughout, with Jordan Smith excelling alongside the equally impressive John Ovenstone. Defence was perhaps the most impressive aspect of our performance - perhaps unsurprisingly given the notable absentees in other areas of the park - but the attacking players also put in a good shift. Kevin Haynes made a worthy contribution, and put the Warriors ahead on the stroke of half-time with a well-taken header. Whether or not he signs a contract might depend on how desparate he is for first-team football. With competition from Dalziel, Brazil, Hampshire and Love, nobody can be guaranteed a start, but he might prove to be a useful addition.
The key battleground was in the midfield, where the Warriors won the battle in central areas. Fleetwood made more of an attempt to attack down the wings, with some success, but Steven Ferguson's masterful performance was a joy to behold for the travelling support. Both Desmond and Motion had their moments, and I would be interested to see them play in a formation which allowed them to roam up and down the flanks a bit more. Brand, meanwhile - although quiet for spells of the game - showed some lovely touches. Fleetwood's headed equaliser, with around 15 minutes to go, failed to dampen the spirits or spoil what had unquestionably been a useful workout for both sides, and a deserved draw.
There followed the obligatory trip to the bar, where a few lucky Warriors were treated to complimentary pies and chips by our hosts: a few found it difficult to grasp that it was possible for a Stenhousemuir fan to live in Blackpool, but I had fun trying to explain. Fleetwood's club president, meanwhile, evidently shared our appreciation of Ferguson's performance: he approached me in the bar and asked to be informed of the finer points of our captain's career history! I was pleased to get a chance to meet John Coughlin for the first time (courtesy of my Dad, who is helping to sort out training arrangements for the weekend), and he shared the fans' view of the game: a good-spirited encounter, and ideal preparation for the season ahead.
STENHOUSEMUIR (4-3-1-2): 17 Renton - 2 McEwan, 3 Lyle, 4 Smith, 5 Ovenstone - 6 Desmond, 8 Ferguson, 11 Motion - 7 Brand - 9 Haynes, 10 Gibson.
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