Returning home...

The first few weeks of the "Irons Age" have been nothing if not eventful. We have claimed a few good victories, and - perhaps most notably of all - the defence has looked much tighter once again. (The two notable exceptions to this were the defeats to Alloa and Stranraer, both of which were characterised by shambolic defending - but on this we shall not dwell...)

The most impressive performance of the lot was undoubtedly that against Airdrie United, in a match which we dominated with the help of a certain Eric Paton. Paton's return to the club after almost thirteen years away - albeit only as a trialist - provided us with terrific spark in midfield, remeniscent of JP McBride at his best. This got me thinking about what has become the main subject of this article - the select group of players to have played for Stenny in two separate spells:

LINDSAY HAMILTON returned to Ochilview in 1998 at the age of 867, having previously made his name at Stenny several centuries previously. A commanding goalkeeper, his form in his first spell was sufficient to earn him a transfer to Rangers, whilst his second was equally successful as he helped us to promotion in 1998-99.

EUAN DONALDSON was sold to St Johnstone for a record fee of £75,000 in 1995, after his outstanding form for us in the famous Scottish Cup run. Having played at left-full back (albeit an overlapping one) in his first spell under Terry Christie, he returned in 2001 as an attacking wing-back under Brian Fairley. His second spell came to a premature end when Fairley was replaced by Jimmy Bone, who immediately disposed of all our quality players in an (ulimately unsuccessful) attempt to get us relegated. Donaldson, however, is fondly remembered.

GARETH HUTCHISON earned legendary status as a pacy goalscorer (and thoroughly good guy) in his first spell at the club, which lasted throughout the mid-90s. He starred alongside Donaldson in the aforesaid Scottish Cup run, and was still around the following year when our club enjoyed its finest hour, with the victory over Dundee United in the Challenge Cup Final. After moving on for spells at Falkirk, Alloa and Berwick, he returned in 2006 under the management of Des McKeown. Whilst he stilled showed flashes of his old sparkle, he had difficulty settling into a Stenny side which was - to put it mildly - in a 'transitional phase.' His name is nevertheless one which frequently crops up in "All-time Stenny XIs."

ROSS HAMILTON went down in history after scoring our winner against Brechin City in 1999, in the match which clinched promotion for us. A right-winger with lighning pace, he left for Alloa soon afterwards before returning in 2007 under Campbell Money. Notwithstanding a few memorable performances in his second spell (most notably in a home victory over East Fife), he failed to settle, and left soon after the arrival of John Coughlin as manager.

STEVIE FALLON is the only player in this series whose second spell at the club was longer in duration than his first. We first saw him in 2001, when he joined on a month's loan from Dundee United, playing just three matches at left back before returning to his parent club. His second spell was wholly more fruitful: he enjoyed an outstanding season in 2004-05 (having been converted into a right back), before his spell was curtailed by injury.

At present it looks unlikely that Paton himself will be added to this list - following his trial game last week, he went on to play for Stirling Albion in a bounce game on Tuesday (never a wise move, but there we go). In the meantime, then, we must content ourselves with what we have, and look forward to this afternoon's game at Ayr.

Let's get Ironing...

Traditionally, of course, New Year’s Day is a time for looking forward. In view of the recent changes at Ochilview this is especially appropriate. I must begin, however, with a tribute to our recently departed (and in my view legendary) manager John Coughlin. When JC joined us in 2007, we were second from bottom of the Third Division, and generally in crisis. Notwithstanding our recent rough patch, he leaves us in a wholly more positive position - in a higher division, and with a talented squad of players in place - one which is more than capable of hauling us to safety in 2011.

After a few weeks of intrigue, of course, we now know the identity of the man who will be leading the team for the battles ahead - Davie Irons has arrived at the club, and I hope he receives a warm welcome at Ochilview tomorrow. He has clearly impressed the Board, having emerged successful from an extensive interview process (nine candidates, apparently, made it to the interview stage). Prior to his appointment I wasn’t aware that he had applied, so - when the announcement was made - it was necessary to conduct some hasty internet research, in an attempt to ascertain what style of football he favours, etc.. The fruits of said research were the following:

• In a Q&A session soon after taking over at Cappielow, he stated that he had no particular preference for a given formation per se, but that he would choose the formation to fit the players he had, not vice versa. This led him to play 3-5-2 after taking over in 2007-08, before using 4-4-2 at times during 2008-09 (his one full season).
• In comparison to the teams around them in the middle of the First Division - Irons' Morton team both scored and conceded fewer goals (40 of each during the 2008-09 season) - this suggests a defensive mindset.
• Another useful indicator as to the style of football is whether or a manager uses a six-foot-plus striker. For what it's worth, it appears to me that Irons did not.

Before I sign off, a quick word for Kevin McGoldrick and Graeme Robertson, who spent a spectacularly uneventful spell in caretaker charge (three weeks, eight million feet of snow, no matches) prior to Davie’s appointment - at least they were unbeaten! Whilst Graeme has returned to his role as Head of Youth, Kevin will now be combining his U19 duties with the Assistant Manager role - here’s hoping he and Davie enjoy a fruitful partnership.