Arbroath and East Fife face a nervous 90 minutes on Saturday as automatic relegation from League 1 will be decided this weekend. The Red Lichties are a point behind the Fifers however they have a substantially better goal difference but as far as anyone in maroon is concerned, they simply have to win and see where things take them.
For Gayfield player/ manager Paul Sheerin the day has shades of a similar shoot out 7 years ago when he was a St Johnstone player and the prize was a place in Scotland’s top flight.
However unlike that day Sheerin does not want to suffer any heartbreak.
The Perth side had chased big spending Gretna throughout that campaign and a run of 5 wins in 6 games took them to within a point of the Raydale side with just one game to go. Gretna had seen a handsome advantage slip and having secured just one win in 6 games there nerves at both New Douglas Park and Victoria Park.
St Johnstone defeated Hamilton 4-3 and had one foot in the Premier League for a while until James Grady hit home an injury time winner in Dingwall to give Gretna a 3-2 win and the title.
Sheerin said: “That day with St Johnstone was very painful indeed. We had played at Hamilton and won however the Gretna game with Ross County had been delayed by 8 minutes. We had done our job but just had to wait there until the Gretna game had ended.”
“I always remember Stevie Milne’s face. He was not playing that day but he had sat with a pair of headphones on listening to the game at Dingwall. The colour just drained from him and he did not need to say anything as we knew what had happened.”
The momentum had been with the Saints as Sheerin explained: “We had really fought back from a hopeless position that season as we had been 21 points behind at one stage. We had given ourselves an opportunity and a bit like Arbroath this weekend we had to win and hope that something would go elsewhere.”
“We knew that it would be a real kick in the teeth if we had lost and then came off to find out Gretna had lost. That would have been a terrible way to lose the title, mind you the way we did lose it was sore.”
Seven years later it is still raw with Sheerin saying: “It was probably my worst day in football and you could not get anyone to write the script. There is just a feeling of helplessness as you cannot influence what happens in a game somewhere else. We waited and hoped that Ross County would win or draw.”
“That hope was strong as County had plenty to play for. What is often forgotten about in that story is that they were relegated at the end of the game. They had to win to get into the play-offs however they lost out on that day as well.”
“It turned out that a point would not have saved them or even a win however they started the game looking for the three points.”
Sheerin continued: “The fans had taken over Hamilton’s Stadium and just waited there. Our manager Owen Coyle took us into the changing room and we sat there hoping to celebrate and that is where Stevie Milne heard about the goal.”
It was not just the players and Milne who were flattened with Sheerin saying: “Our families were waiting in the Main Stand at New Douglas Park hoping for a celebration as well. They were sat beside Billy Dodds who was commentating on our game for the BBC. In the same manner as what happened with ‘Savo’ Milne the families could tell by his face what had happened. That was probably fortunate as Billy did not know what to say to them.”
The pain was felt long after that late goal with Sheerin saying: “We had a good experienced side with the likes of Martin Hardie, Kevin Rutkiewicz and Goran Stanic there but that result affected us all. It set us back the next season and we never really got going again.”
“Derek McInnes was not there that day as a player but he was in place when we started the next season and he took over as manager from Owen when he went to Burnley in the autumn. Derek kicked us on from there and 24 months after that horrible day we were promoted.”
As for this weekend Sheerin said: “I do not want to experience another day like that again. We simply have to take care of our own business and if East Fife win there is nothing we can do.”
“Our form has been good but we have not deserved the results that we have been due. That has cost us badly but we have improved a lot from the second quarter of the season. That period has hurt us.”
“We have been much better in the second half of the season but it is frustrating not to have picked up all the points our performances have deserved.”
Sheerin refreshed his squad in January and two of the figures he brought in have helped extend their fight against relegation to this stage.
“Kevin Nicoll has been great since he came in from Albion Rovers,” said Sheerin before adding, “And whilst he gives us the physical presence that we were needing, he is also a very good footballer. He is viewed as a ball –winner, and we needed that, but he has more to his game than just that.”
“When he became available, I moved for him quite quickly and he has exceeded my expectations.”
A former St Johnstone colleague came out of retirement to help grab goals with Sheerin saying: “Kenny Deuchar has done really well for us in his spell and proven to be a good signing. Callum Morris who is a really good player with Dunfermline got a real education from Kenny in last week’s game between the two. He has probably not learnt as much in any game this season.”
“Kenny of course was with Gretna at the time of the 2007 game however he had been shipped off on loan to Northampton Town by then. He also played for East Fife and helped bring them up from Division Three in 2003 and hopefully he can play a part in sending them down in 2014.”
Sheerin knows that his side face a very difficult challenge to win as they face an in-form Airdrie side who have climbed the table in recent weeks.
The Gayfield boss said: “Airdrie are on an excellent run under Gary Bollan. Our first visit of the season to their place was typical of the frustrating time we were having then. A win would have moved us 8 points clear and in the first half we were excellent. We took the lead and were well in control but we missed chances and they hit back to win 2-1.”
“Gary has turned them around brilliantly and they can enjoy this game which might work against us. All we can do is go out and try to win the game. That is the bottom line, nothing else matters and there is no point in trying to be clever and saying okay all we need now is a point so let’s change tactics.”
Outside influences will be kept outside with Sheerin saying: “You cannot rely too much on the crowd reaction as we thought on Saturday that East Fife were winning but that was not the case. It is hard to gauge what is going on elsewhere so we will just concentrate on ourselves. We don’t really need to know what is happening elsewhere.”
“If we win I will ask the East Fife score quicker than if we draw. If we lose I will not even be asking their score.”
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