Stephen Swift: 'First half at Forthbank was the best I've seen us'

The Warriors came into the match after a two-week break but started on the front foot and took the game to the home side forcing an early own goal from Adam Cummings after a dangerous cross from Michael Miller.

Striker Thomas Orr then turned his man in the box and placed a smart finish into the far corner to make it two.

Ross Forbes then pocketed the ball and found Darren Christie in the box who expertly finished to make it 3-0 just after the half hour mark.

Dylan Bikey’s second half goal acted only as a consolation as Swift’s side picked up three points.

Swift was delighted with the application of his team, saying: “We had a good look at them last week and we had a plan going into the game. It’s one thing making it up though, the players have to go and execute it and they did that down to a tee. It was a brilliant performance all in.”

“First half was the best we have played since I’ve been at the club. The vision as such that I have in my mind for how we want to play was exactly what I got from my players in the first half.

“Ross Forbes and Nat Wedderburn were brilliant in the middle of the park and all my forward players contributed to the attack and we were intense with how we attacked throughout.”

Orr started up front in the continued absence of Robert Thomson who is likely to be out injured until at least December, and Swift was pleased with his efforts.

“It was a great finish for the goal and it was interesting because at training and in a bounce game we had with Bo’ness I didn’t think he looked sharp in front of goal and I spent half an hour with him working on his touch and turn in the box.

“In that sense it was great to see it pay off and he had a good game outwith scoring the goal. We have Christie and O’Reilly out wide who can chip in too.”

Stenhousemuir now face an on-form Albion Rovers side on Tuesday night at Ochilview. Brian Reid’s outfit stunned Edinburgh City on Friday night with a 4-0 victory, leaving them one point ahead of the Warriors in the table.

Swift says he already knows what they will bring to the table.

“It didn’t surprise me as much as you might have imagined. Brian has them set up to play in a way that if it comes off, you can be really dangerous. The two strikers play off the back and they get wide players to support the attack.

“They go straight for goal and they are direct. Our defenders will need to be sharp or they will punish us on the second ball.

“We want to keep this run going and we know we can take the three points which would put us in a decent position.”