Stenhousemuir FC boss Gary Naysmith: Montrose loss was self inflicted

Playing into a strong first half wind at Ochilview, Stenny went three goals down to Montrose goals via Callum Sandilands’ rebound strike after home keeper Darren Jamieson had spilled a free-kick; Owen Stirton’s neat left footed finish and Sandilands’ tap in second a minute into first half stoppage time.

Although the home team pulled two goals back courtesy of Blair Alston’s prodded 66th-minute finish after a free-kick hadn’t been properly cleared and Matty Aitken’s 87th-minute header following Euan O’Reilly’s brilliant cross from the right, they couldn’t find a leveller and now sit third in the table on 49 points from 31 matches.

“I’m disappointed,” Naysmith told Warriors TV post match. “Montrose had the wind first half and they used it well.

"I’m not trying to be disrespectful but I think that we beat ourselves today.

"The three goals that we gave away were poor. But a couple of them you can sort of understand as the wind was really, really bad.

"But the third goal’s the one that’s killed us. At 2-0 down we need to get in at half-time and let us regroup and try and change a few things.

"And we did change in the second half and it had an effect. But it’s very, very difficult to come back from 3-0.

"We gave it a go. We had a lot of attacking players on the pitch at the end. We ended up with two wingers as wing backs, we had Blair (Alston), Matty (Aitken), Matty (Yates) and Corey (O’Donnell) and we were pushing.

"We have to learn as a team that there are certain moments in games where you just have to manage them for two or three minutes.

"I don’t think there was really too much in the game in the first half and we found ourselves 2-0 down.

"Against a strong wind I thought the boys actually did OK in an attacking sense without really creating too many clear cut chances.

"It was always maybe just that final pass that’s let us down."

On the first half goals conceded by his team, Naysmith added: “The free-kick at the edge of the box goes under the wall, Darren makes a good save and we don’t follow in so it’s 1-0.

"The second goal, the second ball was played in behind us too easily, 2-0.

"They were bad enough but we just had to get to half-time, that’s the real frustration that I’ve got.

"Corey had a big, big chance at 81 or 82 minutes to make it 3-2 and we really needed that to go.

"We got the second goal on 86, 87 minutes and I thought Matty played well today.

"Then we had an offside goal and we were huffing and puffing and I think if the game goes another five or 10 minutes I think we would have got the equaliser.

"That brings you back to the frustration of that third goal. That was the key moment in the game for me.”

Stenhousemuir continue their league campaign in a home fixture against fifth-placed Alloa Athletic – who are eight points behind the Warriors – which kicks off at 3pm this Saturday.