Stenhousemuir need Hampden heroes in survival battle

Warriors got the victory they needed to keep their survival fight going and face a similar challenge against Queen’s Park this week in their penultimate fixture of the season.

And Ferguson believes the weay his side handled the pressure at Peterhead can stand them in good stead for another potentially nerve-wracking 90 minutes at Hampden.

He said: “In the opening 10 minutes Peterhead had the better part of it and we scored possibly a little bit against the run of play, but from that point forward we were very comfortable.

“The work rate, the application and just the general attitude from them was what’s need at this particular time and I was really pleased with every single one of them.”

All four league and cup games with Queen’s this season have ended in away wins - three for the Glasgow side and a 3-0 success for Stenny at Hampden in October.

But with Queen’s still hoping for a promotion play-off - indeed League 1 is so tight that both Albion Rovers and Stranraer could still either be promoted or relegated - Ferguson knows it will be tough.

He said: “The next two games we’ve got to go and look to win regardless of what’s happening elsewhere; it doesn’t change the mindset within the game and that’s how we need to do it.

“Queen’s Park are a good team and they have to win on Saturday as well. It’s game where both teams need to go and perform and perform well.

“We went there the last time and won 3-0 and kept a good clean sheet. At the weekend there we were away from home playing against a team that needed to win and we kept a clean sheet and these are really, really big factors and it’s something the players should take confidence from.

“Queen’s Park have turned us over a couple of times this season; they are a good team and it will be tough.

“But I’m pleased with where we are. We showed at Peterhead that we can go and win and hopefully keep clean sheets, create chances and work as hard as they did - that mentality we need to take into the match.”