SHIRE 2 STRANRAER 0

Shire managed to stay level on points with Livingston after a hard-fought match with Stranraer at Ochilview.

Both teams did their best to gain supremacy in a close encounter but, just when it seemed as though neither defence would be beaten, two goals in three minutes from Andy Rodgers and Simon Lynch brought Shire their sixth successive league win, the first time that has happened since 1962/63 season.

Shire kept the changes to a minimum after the 1-0 win at Montrose. Ten of the starting eleven remained, the only switch saw Simon Lynch take the place of Stephen McGuire up front.

Jim McInally stuck with the same 4-4-2 formation and that meant Craig Donaldson continuing at right-back and Ryan Harding and Paul Hay in midfield.

Skipper Craig Tully was again ruled out through injury and there was a shake up on the substitutes bench. Marc McKenzie and David Dunn were ruled out and Paul Weaver was brought back into the squad after missing the Montrose game.

Scott Johnstone was recalled from junior side Forfar West End to give the side some forward momentum from the bench.

It did not take Shire long to get onto the front foot and after two minutes some decent work from Jamie Stevenson down the right hand side won a corner which he took himself.

The flag kick failed to beat the front post defender but broke to Paul Hay 20 yards from goal and he cracked in a shot that David Mitchell had to dive full length to tip round the post.

Stranraer responded with some decent play down the left that ended with a Scott Agnew cross that was just too long for Armand One. However the striker collected the ball and funnelled it back to McGeough who shot against his own man and the danger was gone.

After 20 minutes Lynch tried his luck from long-range but the ball went just wide of Mitchell’s right-hand post. That signalled a decent attacking spell for the home team. The best effort came on 24 minutes when Andy Rodgers’ diving header produced a great diving save from Mitchell.

Two minutes later Lynch was fouled outside the box by Murray Henderson and Stevenson hit the resulting free-kick off the outside of the post.

The last fifteen minutes of the first period produced only two decent chances both for Stranraer. First, Stuart McColm crossed for Henderson to head goalwards but his effort was hooked off the line by Donaldson. And a minute before the break Agnew’s corner found Armand One unmarked in the penalty box but he could not direct the header on target and the ball looped harmlessly over the bar.

Shire made a tactical switch at half-time, going to 3-5-2 with Harding moving into the back line and Donaldson and Richardson getting into more advanced positions.

After 49 minutes a Derek Ure corner was headed towards goal by Michael Bolochowewckyj and Mitchell was at full stretch to tip the ball over bar for what turned out to be a less productive effort from Stevenson.

But Stranraer showed they had attacking intent and McColm was again at the centre of it on 53 minutes with a shot from 20 yards out that had Jamie Barclay scrambling across his goal to push the ball wide for a corner kick.

Two minutes later the ball broke to McGeough and he hit another long ranger that Barclay this time touched over the bar at full stretch.

The Shire coach made two tactical switches on 61 minutes taking off Ure and Donaldson and bringing on Stephen McGuire and Paul Weaver.

Within a minute of making his entrance McGuire might have given Shire the lead but he was thwarted by a great blocking save from Mitchell on the line.

The longer the game wore on the more it seemed as though Shire would be frustrated and have to settle for a share of the spoils. But a moment of quality fifteen minutes from the end changed that.

A dynamic run from Lynch from deep took him past three Stranraer defenders into the penalty box with enough time and space for a cutback across the face of goal to Rodgers who was waiting to steer the ball past the exposed keeper.

Two minutes later Forrest came to Shire’s rescue, blocking a McColm shot that squirmed under Barclay’s body. The centre-half then launched a huge clearance which the visiting keeper came to his 18 yard line to meet.

But Mitchell mis-judged it totally and the ball went over his head to Lynch who tapped into an empty net.

It should have been 3-0 moments later but Dean Richardson was unlucky to see his effort ripple the side netting after a flowing move had put him in the clear in the inside left channel.

SHIRE ; Barclay, Harding, Richardson, Forrest, Bolochoweckyj, Hay, Donaldson(Weaver 61), Stevenson, Lynch, Ure(McGuire 61), Rodgers(Johnstone 80).

STRANRAER : David Mitchell, G. Mitchell, Sharp, Noble, Henderson, McGeough, One, Danny Mitchell, McColm, Nicholl, Agnew.

REFEREE : S. Finne.

ATTENDANCE : 348.