Brechin 1-1 Stranraer - Match Report
[galleryurl id=v/0607Pics/stranraer2/]Brechin 1-1 Stranraer - Pictures[/galleryurl]
City players celebrate opener against Stranraer.
After the 1-1 draw against Stranraer on Saturday, Michael O’Neill was a disappointed man after his side failed to pick up three points for the third game on the trot.
Speaking to the Courier, Michael said: “I had hoped the players would have learned from what happened last week, but they clearly hadn’t.
“We should have killed off the game when we were a goal up and Stranraer were a man down but we didn’t.
“At 1-0 Stranraer were always in the game and always a threat from set pieces and when we missed the penalty it seemed to change our mind-set.
“We should have won the game, and won it quite comfortably but Stranraer hung in there and snatched a point.
“We have been throwing points away in recent games and that has to stop because as we get closer to the play-off stages we want to be going in on the back of a run of good results, not poor ones.”
David Murie was sent off mid-way through the second half for deliberate handball on the line, and this added to a shocking record of 4 red cards in the last 3 matches for City. This is something Michael O’Neill will be hopeful of sorting out as the suspensions have been piling up and the club could be hit by a heavy fine at the end of the season if the discipline doesn’t improve.
In total there have been 7 red cards brandished in the last three games City have been involved in, as well as 16 bookings.
One positive to take from Saturday’s game is the continued excellent form of Iain Russell. ‘Beany’ scored a spectacular opener to add to his impressive tally of 19 goals in the league, and 20 in all competitions.
Next up for City is Raith Rovers at Glebe Park on Saturday. The Fifers have been progressing very well under John McGlynn and their recent form has taken them up to 4th place in the table, just a solitary point behind Brechin.
Fortunately for City both Craig Nelson and Darren Smith will return from suspension for the match although David Murie will be banned after his dismissal on Saturday.
