Stenhousemuir have been consigned to League Two after a desperately disappointing season in which they spent only brief periods off bottom spot. Brown Ferguson’s men actually had their fate in their own hands going into the final weekend of the season, but they were held to a 1-1 draw away to Brechin, costing them their place. Stennie actually played their best football at the climax of the campaign, losing only one of their last five matches – and that was to champions Livingston. While they showed some late spirit, what had gone before had simply not been up to standard. Over the course of the season, their biggest headache was their defensive line. While it could spend much of the match looking compact and solid, it was prone to terrible errors that cost them goals. Fraser Kerr was the only player in the back four that had a hint of solidarity about him, with David Marsh prone to bad mistakes or red cards. This soft underbelly was not helped by a goalkeeping situation that was arguably worse. Colin McCabe was a weak link for much of the season and was replaced by David Crawford after he suffered from appendicitis. However, Crawford then sustained a hamstring problem, having looked somewhat more reliable, forcing the club to draft in Graham Bowman from Falkirk, though he was unimpressive. It simply added to the state of calamity in the rearguard. In the midfield, Stenhousemuir were robust enough, with Vinny Berry and Kieran Millar both tireless and impressive performers, while out on the wing Alan Cook was perhaps their standout player this season, even if he was a little erratic. Meanwhile, Willis Furtado was excellent at times on the right but just as prone to being hopeless. At the forefront of the attack, a lack of creativity behind them did not help the forwards, with Colin McMenamin starting to look his age. It was always likely to be a tricky season for Stennie in light of their financial problems, but they appear to have gotten over these somewhat and should be a stronger force next time around in League Two.
