Arbroath’s hopes of automatic promotion were pretty much doomed with this solitary goal defeat at Ochilview on Saturday and, on this evidence, going up through the play-offs also looks beyond them.
With only one win this year, the Lichties are going through an alarming slump and had it not been for the impressive goalkeeper Marc McCallum on loan from Dundee United until the end of the term the margin of Shire’s victory could have been much greater.
The stopper, however, was helpless in the 25th minute when Kevin Nisbet, on loan from Partick, hit a scorcher from 25 yards that dipped in just under the bar for the striker’s fifth goal since joining up at Ochilview in January.
With a strong wind behind them the home side took the early initiative and David McKenna forced McCallum into a superb tip-over from the angle of the six-yard box.
McCallum had superbly tipped a David McKenna six-yard effort over before Nesbit’s strike and the Shire continued to press up to the break.
To be fair, the visitors had their fair share of the ball, but lacked threat and Scott McBride header from Bobby Linn’s corner that was scrambled off the line was the best they could muster.
The pattern remained the same after the interval and McCallum twice denied Nisbet with a brilliant brace of saves before Johnstone’s deflected shot at the other end spun inches the wrong side of the crossbar.
That and a vain penalty shout late on when sub Simon Murray went down in the box from a David Bates challenge was the only time home hearts fluttered and the Shire eased through to take the points.
“I thought I made a few good saves,” Forfar lad McCallum said.
“The result is the main thing though and we are all disappointed.
“We are not in a good place at the minute, but we will pick ourselves up and go again next week.”