Arbroath manager Jim Weir praised his exhausted players for their battling qualities at the end of the hard-fought 1-1 draw with title-chasing Cowdenbeath on Saturday.
The Red Lichties still face an uphill struggle to avoid involvement in the relegation play-offs and will need results elsewhere to help their cause.
Injuries have restricted Weir’s selection options for a number of weeks now and yet more of his threadbare squad were in the wars at the weekend.
Steven Doris, Jamie Redmond and Marc McCulloch all had to be patched up during the game after receiving cuts to the head, but each one battled through the pain barrier.
Weir said, “It’s typical of these guys. They put their heads in where it hurts and they gave it everything.
“Steve Hislop has been ruled out for the rest of the season, Bryan Scott is the same, and Gerry McLaughlin was on the bench but needs a knee operation.
“We had to bring young Michael McIlravey back from the juniors because we didn’t have any striking options on the bench.
“I cannot praise my players enough for the effort they put in.
The Lichties made a bright start and Redman came close to scoring in the eighth minute when he latched onto a Doris cross, but his shot hit David Hay’s left hand post and went behind.
Cowden responded immediately and Gareth Wardlaw spurned a great opportunity, while a Darren McGregor header bounced off the top of the bar.
It was the home side who made the breakthrough four minutes before the interval when Keith Gibson side-stepped Joe Mbu before firing a powerful low drive beyond Hay to notch his first goal of the season.
The visitors failed to make any impression on the home defence for much of the second half and Arbroath seemed to be on course for a valuable three points.
But with 15 minutes remaining, Cowden drew level with a simple goal.
Arbroath goalkeeper Darren Hill brilliantly tipped a Mbu shot over the bar but McGregor headed the resultant corner into the path of Wardlaw who atoned for his earlier miss by touching the ball over the line.
Cowden manager Danny Lennon wasn’t entirely satisfied with the outcome. He said, “We had a lot of the ball but didn’t do too much with it.
Lennon would not be drawn into any discussion about his side’s title chances, preferring to focus on the more immediate target of securing a top four finishing position.
It’s an aim which has already been achieved barring some unlikely scorelines in the final few games, but Lennon wasn’t aware of that in the immediate aftermath of Saturday’s matches.
He said, “Were trying to make sure we make the play-off places. That’s got to be our first priority.
“We’re coming into four very difficult games, but the pleasing thing is that it’s in our own hands. We’ll dust ourselves down and go in again on Tuesday against Brechin.”
Only a highly improbable 22-goal swing in Dumbarton’s favour can, however, now prevent the Blue Brazil from finishing in the top four.Brechin v East FifeBrechin City took a step towards securing a play-offs spot after Kevin Byers played a vital role in defence and attack in their 1-0 victory over East Fife. The player was on hand to nick the second-half winner from close range after a Richard Walker thrown-in was given a double flick-on in the crowded penalty area by Rory McAllister and Mark Archdeacon.
He had already popped up on the City goal-line to clear a Lloyd Young header and was again on guard duty late in the second half when he denied David Muir, with keeper Craig Nelson beaten both times.
East Fife adapted more quickly to the windy conditions and fiery pitch and held the upper hand for most of the first half but failed to convert the half-chances which fell their way.
Paul McManus and Stuart Murdoch were both on the point of firing in shots from just inside the penalty area when Paul McLean slid in with perfectly timed blocking tackles and Nelson was at full stretch to parry a 25-yard volley from Murdoch.
They were to prove expensive misses because City came out with fresh spirit after the break. Keeper Michael Brown had already tipped over a Charlie King free-kick before Byers squeezed in the winner.
City kept up the pressure with Byers and McAllister the danger men but East Fife were always in with a chance and in the 81st minute their efforts were almost rewarded when the home defence stood still and failed to challenge Muir whose overhead kick come back off the woodwork.
Both sides had put in spirited displays but East Fife took nothing but frustration from the game.
“Overall I thought we played well without creating too many chances,” said the Fifers assistant manager Scott Crabbe. “You have got to score when you are on top.”
A delighted City manager Jim Duffy described the points as “vital, especially coming off a big defeat.
He added, “We showed there is a spine to the team. It was not a pretty game in the conditions but we rolled up our sleeves and scrapped out a win. The conditions made it very difficult and we were better in the second half.”Alloa v DumbartonThe destiny of the second division title slipped out of Alloa’s control as they lost at Recreation Park for the second week running, with Dumbarton triumphing 2-1.
Nerves looked to be affecting the Wasps and the Sons took the lead just after the half-hour mark when David Winters touched home a Mick Dunlop flick from an Andy Geggan corner.
To make matters worse for Alloa, their most consistent performer of the season, full-back David McClune, was dismissed before half-time after picking up two yellow cards.
Allan Maitland’s men got back into things when Declan McAvoy was pulled down in the box by Chris Smith on 54 minutes and Andy Scott drilled home the spot-kick.
Parity did not last long as Dennis Wyness shot home the winner midway through the second half .
Maitland said, “We had put ourselves into a great position. However, in the last two weeks we have not started playing until we have gone behind.”
Maitland appears to be disappointed by the lack of leadership on the pitch.
“You are looking for your experienced players to guide you through and not for one of them to be sent off. Their second goal was avoidable and if someone had taken charge of the situation the ball would have been cleared.”
With Stirling’s resurgence, Alloa have now to win their remaining games and wait for a slip-up from the Forthbank side in their two games in hand.
Maitland said, “It is fairly simple in terms of what we need to do. We need to win at Peterhead next Saturday and then defeat Cowdenbeath on the last day of the season and hope that Stirling Albion slip up. It is not as good a position as before but still a good position to be in”Stirling Albion v StenhousemuirAt kick-off last Saturday, Stirling Albion sat 15 points behind leaders Alloa.
However, the picture has dramatically changed after an excellent week for Allan Moore’s men that saw them pick up 10 points whilst the Wasps lost twice.
Two second half goals helped Stirling grab their third win in four games, in the space of eight days, as hosts Stenhousemuir were defeated 3-1.
Defender Andy Graham put Albion ahead at Ochilview when he forced in a Chris Aitken corner after 19 minutes. However, the Warriors levelled 15 minutes into the second period when Iain Diack headed home.
Ross Forsyth played a captain’s part by firing in with nine minutes left and the in-form Iain Russell scored for the fourth game running to seal the win with just three minutes left.
Moore said, “This was a hard-fought win and Stenhousemuir played really well and kept battling away. Ross Forsyth does not score many goals but I am delighted that he popped up with this one.”
Manager Moore also paid tribute to the fitness of his players, saying, “To play the games we have recently and score two late goals tells you a lot about our fitness levels. I believed as a player that I had to be fitter than my opponent so I trained hard and I have kept that going as a manager. Things are back in our own hands now and everyone has taken a boost from that.”Alloa v DumbartonThe destiny of the second division title slipped out of Alloa’s control as they lost at Recreation Park for the second week running, with Dumbarton triumphing 2-1.
Nerves looked to be affecting the Wasps and the Sons took the lead just after the half-hour mark when David Winters touched home a Mick Dunlop flick from an Andy Geggan corner.
To make matters worse for Alloa, their most consistent performer of the season, full-back David McClune, was dismissed before half-time after picking up two yellow cards.
Allan Maitland’s men got back into things when Declan McAvoy was pulled down in the box by Chris Smith on 54 minutes and Andy Scott drilled home the spot-kick.
Parity did not last long as Dennis Wyness shot home the winner midway through the second half .
Maitland said, “We had put ourselves into a great position. However, in the last two weeks we have not started playing until we have gone behind.”
Maitland appears to be disappointed by the lack of leadership on the pitch.
“You are looking for your experienced players to guide you through and not for one of them to be sent off. Their second goal was avoidable and if someone had taken charge of the situation the ball would have been cleared.”
With Stirling’s resurgence, Alloa have now to win their remaining games and wait for a slip-up from the Forthbank side in their two games in hand.
Maitland said, “It is fairly simple in terms of what we need to do. We need to win at Peterhead next Saturday and then defeat Cowdenbeath on the last day of the season and hope that Stirling Albion slip up. It is not as good a position as before but still a good position to be in”Stirling Albion v StenhousemuirAt kick-off last Saturday, Stirling Albion sat 15 points behind leaders Alloa.
However, the picture has dramatically changed after an excellent week for Allan Moore’s men that saw them pick up 10 points whilst the Wasps lost twice.
Two second half goals helped Stirling grab their third win in four games, in the space of eight days, as hosts Stenhousemuir were defeated 3-1.
Defender Andy Graham put Albion ahead at Ochilview when he forced in a Chris Aitken corner after 19 minutes. However, the Warriors levelled 15 minutes into the second period when Iain Diack headed home.
Ross Forsyth played a captain’s part by firing in with nine minutes left and the in-form Iain Russell scored for the fourth game running to seal the win with just three minutes left.
Moore said, “This was a hard-fought win and Stenhousemuir played really well and kept battling away. Ross Forsyth does not score many goals but I am delighted that he popped up with this one.”
Manager Moore also paid tribute to the fitness of his players, saying, “To play the games we have recently and score two late goals tells you a lot about our fitness levels. I believed as a player that I had to be fitter than my opponent so I trained hard and I have kept that going as a manager. Things are back in our own hands now and everyone has taken a boost from that.”