IT'S SIMPLE FOR SIMON

Shire striker Simon Lynch netted a hat-trick as the team bounced back from recent disappointments with a 4-0 victory over Forfar Athletic at Ochilview.

Simon scored twice in the space of a few first half minutes to put Shire 2-0 to the good at the interval. The team had to cope with a Forfar fightback after the break but Andy Rodgers made it 3-0 on 82 minutes and Lynch completed his treble three minutes later.

The win stops a run of three straight defeats and afterwards coach Jim McInally was both delighted anbd relieved.

"Before the game there was a tension, but a good tension," he said. "There was a concentration that wasn't there the other night  and that was the best we have started a game for a wee while.

"Technically, we didn't do a lot with the ball but we fought hard and it was just a terrific attitude."

He reserved special praise for hat-trick hero, Simon Lynch.

"I have said to them all along that if they battle their corner we have special players who will get us goals and I  thought two of Simon's goals were special.

"He has been working so hard for us over the past number of weeks aznd even though he was ill on Tuesday night he was the one that kept going and that 90 minutes did him a lot of good when it came to day's game."

As well as pinpointing the contribution of the man who scored three goal, Jim was quick to highlight the contribution of keeper Jamie Barclay during the second half spell when Forfar were on top.

"Jamie made three fantastic saves," he said. "You have to be aware that you are playing a team that has not lost in something like ten games and wee knew they would not give in.

"When you are in that situation your keeper needs to make great saves, your defenders need to win their headers, the midfield must keep battling and the strikers must get you a goal. That was the combination which worked for us today."

And before the match Jim was not even sure who would play with so many players laid low with a sickness bug.

"We decided we would just have to start with the eleven fittest players," he said. "We shouldn't have played (Ryan) Harding but we went with him because we needed his height and I thought he stuck in fantastically well."

The win reduces the gap to leaders Livingston to just four points. Shire visit Almondvale on Tuesday in a re-arranged match.