SHIRE CLOSE THE GAP

Jim McInally has admitted if he had his way Stephen McGuire would not have been on the pitch to score his two second half goals that helped Shire to a 3-2 win over Berwick Rangers.

The coach has owned up and claimed he was getting ready to substitute McGuire just as he struck in the 64th minute to give Shire a 2-1 lead. He then went back on his decision and left McGuire on and just three minutes later the striker hit his second of the match.

"I decided that we would put Derek Ure on just to change things and also to give him an opportunity to show us what he could do," said Jim. "But before we could get Derek on , Squire scored so we just decided to leave him out there.

"I can't say I  had the best of days in the dug out," Jim joked afterwards. "Because when we got the free-kick that Jamie Stevenson scored for the first goal, I  was shouting from the touchline for him to leave it and let Ryan Harding hit it."

But, apart from a nervy closing few minutes following Berwick's second goal, the coach was delighted with the team.

"After we scored the second I  thought we played some lovely football and we really should have taken some of the other chances that came our way but we had to hang on a bit at the end."

The coach was not sure whether the substitutions he did make had an impact on letting Berwick back into the game. He took off Andy Rodgers and Paul Weaver and replaced them with Derek Ure and Craig Tully.

"It wasn't so much a case of trying to shut up shop, I  was thinking more about giving some players a rest and others a game bearing in mind we have a match on Wednesday.Their second goal changed things a bit and you could see some of our players getting on to each other but we saw it out in the end."

Jim was full of praise for his own players' efforts and paid tribute to Berwick too.

"It was just two teams going at each other and there were plenty of chances at both ends. I  thought it was just a great game of football which could have ended 6-5 or something like that. Berwick's front players both had good games and gave our defence more problems to deal with than they have had in weeks. But then they are still a very good team."

Winning seven games on the bounce was made more enjoyable when news came through from Forfar that leaders Livingston had been forced to settle for a 2-2 draw there.

"We are in a really decent position now, just a point behind with a game in hand. Putting a run of seven wins together is a difficult thing to do but we have to just keep trying to keep the run going."