Stenhousemuir bow out of Irn-Bru Cup to Queens

Stenny make it at half-time with the scores level

The decision to bring on Stephen Dobbie with a little over half an hour left completely turned the game in favour of the visitors.

This came after a pretty tight first half with no shots on target for either side - even if the Warriors did come close on a number of occasions.

The first of those occasions came on ten minutes when Alan Cook’s whipped in free-kick found Bobby Vaughan. He managed to get a slight touch on the oncoming ball but his effort edged just wide of the mark.

But three goals in quick succession means they bow out of the Irn-Bru Cup

Cook was at the centre of things ten minutes later when he picked up a loose ball before smashing a low driven effort agonisingly past the post.

The start of the second half mirrored the entirety of the first, with both teams struggling to get a real foothold on the match.

This soon changed however with the introduction of Stephen Dobbie.

It proved to be an inspired substitution as he opened the scoring with what must have been his first touch of the ball. He latched onto Scott Mercer’s excellent delivery and slotted it home at the first time of asking.

St Johnstone manager Tommy Wright was in attendanc

Stenny conceded yet another just minutes later - Mercer again with the cross ball across the face of goal and this time Lyndon Dykes converting with a neat flick.

Dobbie got his second of the match on 66 minutes. The ball fell nicely for the striker and he struck an effort past a hapless Graeme Smith and into the bottom corner.

Afterwards, Stenny boss Brown Ferguson rued a lack of cutting edge in the final third.

“I felt we were the better team in the first half and we did control a lot of the play,” said Ferguson.

“My only gripe with the first half is that we didn’t create enough and lacked a wee bit of edge.

“They brought on good players and punished us.”