Stenhousemuir boss Ferguson looking for response against Dumbarton

The Warriors went down 2-0 at Forfar last Saturday - and a disappointed Ferguson admitted afterwards that his side hadn’t deserved to take anything from the game.

He said: “It was the first time this season I felt we weren’t at it. It was a poor performance in all aspects and we deserved to lose the game.

“I’ve been pretty pleased with the way everyone has performed over the course of the season so far.

“They’ve shown a real appetite for games and I feel as though we maybe should have more points than we’ve currently got.

“That’s been through a number of reasons - some inspired goalkeeping, decisions going against us and maybe just a lack of fortune in front of goal.

“But Saturday wasn’t good enough, individually and collectively.

“Hopefully it was just a bad day at the office, which we’ve all had. But it was a bad day for too many of our players on the same day.”

Ferguson now hopes the players can use the lessons learned at Station Park and get back on track against Dumbarton at Ochilview this Saturday.

He said: “On the other side of it, Saturday demonstrated what we’re looking for going forward.

“The players know they’ve let themselves down so we’re looking for that positive reaction come the weekend.

“You’re hoping the players who are given the opportunity to start the game do so in such a manner that they prove a point that last week was just a one-off and get back to the way in which we’ve been performing for the vast majority of our games.

“The most important thing is to try and get more points on the board, which is the key focus.

“The reaction we’re looking for is a more positive approach to our play, that there’s a greater sharpness to our play mentally.”

Warriors are still likely to be without injured midfielders Mark Ferry and Nicki Paterson for Saturday’s match.

However Stenhousemuir have a bounce game against Cowdenbeath next Thursday and if they come through a run-out in that one they could be in contention for the next competitive outing at Stranraer on September 15.

Meanwhile defender Kyle Johnston has joined Lowland League side Gretna 20o8 on loan until January.

Ferguson said: “It’s great for him to go out and experience first team football.

“He’s a longer term project for us. He’s with us for two years and we want him to get up to speed with the demands of the senior game.”