Stenhousemuir tumbled back into League Two just one season after winning promotion, dumped down a division by Annan after losing a playoff semi-final. It was an encounter in which they were outmuscled, which will be a particular disappointment as this attribute is what they built their side around.
They started the campaign under the stewardship of Brown Ferguson but in truth the side that had won the playoffs last season was found to be out of its depth. Players like Mark Ferry and Sean Dickson simply were not good enough to compete consistently at this level, and while they boasted the very dangerous Mark McGuigan in attack – giving them a chance in most games – they simply were not good enough in any aspect of their play to compete for a prolonged period.
Ferguson lasted until November, at which point he was jettisoned and Colin McMenamin promoted from the playing staff to take charge of the side. There was a definite improvement, marked by the Scottish Cup win over Falkirk which was subsequently followed by a 0-0 draw at Premiership side Aberdeen.
McMenamin managed to reinforce the team by switching to a 3-5-2 formation and adding David Marsh and Connor McBrearty to the ranks to provide physicality. Greg Hurst, meanwhile, was added to provide something of a foil for McGuigan late in the campaign.
It proved to be too late, though. Stenhousemuir lacked the creativity to profit from games they dominated, notably fixtures against Brechin in which their opponents were left short-handed by red cards only to draw both.
While they did not necessarily lose many games in the latter part of the season – only five of their last 17 – they certainly did not win as many as they might have done, which cost them.
In the playoffs, they faced opponents little better than them but with more confidence and they were ultimately swept away. Another rebuild is required.
