Perfectly good goal should have earned us a point at Arbroath, says Stenhousmuir boss Gary Naysmith

Stenhousemuir boss Gary Naysmith (Photo: Michael Gillen)

Stenhousmuir manager Gary Naysmith was left perplexed after his side were denied a late leveller against Arbroath last Saturday.

The Warriors, who now sit fourth in the William Hill League One table, lost 1-0 at Gayfield but they had a last-gasp equaliser ruled out by referee Alastair Grieve for an infringement in the box.

"I am not one to berate referees, but I have watched it back nine/ten times and we have a perfectly good goal chopped off in the 93rd minute,” former Scotland full-back Naysmith said. “Scott (Tomlinson) puts in a great ball for Kyle Banner to score.

"We should be going down the road with a point and I feel for the players – it was a terrible call and simply not a foul. We should be on a high.”

Stenhousemuir ace Michael Anderson battles in midfield (Photo: Alan Murray)

The boss did however admit his team’s poor start to the match was a real disappointment. Fraser Taylor slotted home the winner for the hosts after 12 minutes.

Naysmith added: “If we are being honest, we didn’t start the match how we normally would as a team.

"The first 30 minutes was poor and we gave them chances to break on us. Second half we changed the shape a little bit and Scott had a big impact. We went for it at the end.

"But we need to acknowledge that we could have did things better; we went a bit too direct and panicked a little bit.

Meanwhile, Stenhousemuir fans’ favourite Michael Anderson signed a new one-year contract extension last week.

The midfielder, 24, was a key part of the Warriors’ League Two title success last term.

“I am delighted that Michael has agreed to extend his contract with the club until the end of next season,” boss Naysmith said.

"I think it shows how highly Michael is regarded by everyone at Stenhousemuir and also how happy Michael is to remain at the club.

“Michael’s new contract is thoroughly well deserved. Since I came to the club he has started nearly every game and has continuously improved all aspects of his game and is someone who is hugely respected by his team-mates.

"He is still only 24 and will continue to improve in the coming years and I am delighted that that will be at Stenhousemuir.”