BERWICK RANGERS 0 SHIRE 1

The win was all that mattered in the end. Simon Lynch got the all-important only goal in a tight 1-0 victory over Berwick Rangers.

It was a battle, there was often little in the way of goalmouth action but that mattered little to Shire, who celebrated going second in the league. There was also the added bonus with the news that leaders Livingston had lost at home to Forfar.

Shire arrived at Shielfield where the biggest concern was the fog. A pea souper in the town, but there was enough of a view at pitchside to allow the game to go ahead.

Jim McInally eased any fears over the fitness of skipper Crtaig Tully and Jamie Stevenson by including both in the starting eleven. That meant the same starting eleven that had beaten Montrose the previous Sunday. Even the subs bench remained the same, with Ryan Harding again among the replacements.

The early momentum was with Shire and after a couple of  early corners they should have taken the lead after five minutes. A superb ball from Tully  sent Andy Rodgers clear, he rounded Mark Peat and shot for goal from inside the box but the ball flew wide of the net.

But that turned out to be the high point for Shire’s early dominance and Berwick came right back with a flurry of their own corner kicks and a fierce drive from MacLaren forced Jamie Barclay into a smart save.

A bad pass back from McLean put Stevenson through not long after but Peat raced from his goal to clear in the nick of time.

The match resembled the previous encounter between the teams which was nip-and-tuck at Ochilview. Paul Currie responded after 25 minutes with a shot from the edge of the box which Barclay had to get down to save.

A lovely piece of play down Shire’s right after 36 minutes allowed Craig Donaldson to cross for Rodgers who collected the ball but got stuck under his feet and his shot was poor and easily cleared.

Two minutes before the break Rodgers wasted a great chance after a cross from the left. The ball was laid into his path by Simon Lynch but despite being just eight yards out he managed to fire well over the bar.

Shire started the second period positively and were close to breaking the deadlock after 49 minutes when Tully’s header from Stevenson’s free-kick from wide on the right.

After 55 minutes Michael Bolochoweckyj saved Shire’s bacon clearing McLaren’s netbound header from Callaghan’s corner kick. And a minute later, at the other end, Rodgers swung over a cross which Lynched fired goalward only for Peat to pull off a great save. It wouldn’t have counted, though, because the linesman already had his flag up for an earlier infringement.

But the Shire striker would not be denied for long. Some decent midfield sniping from Stevenson won the ball back and it was quickly shuttled forward to Lynch. He raced into the box and fired an unstoppable shot past Peat from about 12 yards.

It was no surprise, though, that Berwick would come fighting back into the game and they created a number of decent opportunities. The visiting defence had to be alert and there was an element of good fortune too.

Andy McLean sent a looping header onto the top of Barclay’s crossbar from Callaghan’s corner kick and there were other narrow escapes too. Both the dangerous MacLaren and David Greenhill flashed shots across the face of goal and wide when well-placed.

But Barclay, who hadn’t a lot to do otherwise, proved his worth with a brilliant  save just a minute from time. Notman’s through ball released MacLaren in the inside-right position, the former Gretna man unleashed a shot which tried to beat the Shire keeper at the near post, but he arched his back to produce a superb fingertip save.

Shire were still a threat when they got the ball in the Berwick danger area and a brilliant cross from Derek Ure was met by a powerful header from substitute Stephen McGuire but his effort flew just wide of the target.

Berwick threw everyone forward, quite literally, in a bid to salvage something with keeper Peat finding his way into the Shire penalty box at a late corner. He actually helped Callaghan’s flag kick into the path of MacLaren but the Berwick man shot wide.

BERWICK RANGERS : Peat, Notman, Smith, Ewart, McLean, Callaghan, MacLaren, Currie, Brazil(Little 11), Radzynski, Greenhill(McMullan 77).

SHIRE : Barclay, Tully, Richardson, Forrest, Bolochoweckyj, Weaver, Donaldson, Stevenson(McKenzie 75), Lynch(McGuire 72), Ure, Rodgers(Harding 81).

REFEREE : M. Tumility.

ATTENDANCE : 428.