Stenny switch helped me thrive after my dose of the Blues
Goal-hungry striker Mark firing on all cylinders
Mark McGuigan admits he is enjoying a new lease of life at Stenhousemuir after bagging 10 goals in 13 games since his summer switch from Stranraer.
The 28-year-old, from Newlandsmuir, is top of the League Two scoring charts with nine goals and two assists and his performances have helped the Warriors climb to second in the table, four points behind leaders Stirling Albion.
It’s a far cry from the frustration of last season when the striker struggled to work his way into Stevie Farrell’s plans at Stair Park. He managed just five goals in 35 appearances – with many of those run-outs coming from the bench – but he has been revitalised under Brown Ferguson.
Last week he scooped the League Two player of the month prize, while his gaffer picked up manager of the month.
And McGuigan admits he can’t quite believe his stunning start to life at Ochilview.
He told the News: “Everything has been great since the move from Stranraer.
“Joining Stenny has really paid off.
“You want a manager you want to play for, so that has helped, and the boys here have all been first class.
“When there’s a combination of enjoying your football and playing regularly, performances tend to look after themselves.
“You need game time to find your best form.
“Last season was frustrating for me. It’s no use to any player when you play three or four games and are taken out of the team for a while.
“You don’t get the chance to build momentum or match fitness.
“A change of scenery can help and things have clicked into place for me.
“The big thing is playing regularly. It breeds confidence.
“I said at the start of the season I wanted to get to double figures, so I’ve surprised myself with how quickly I’ve got there. But I’m not going to put myself under any pressure to hit any particular target now.
“I just want to maintain the standard I’ve been showing, keep scoring and see what happens.”
In September McGuigan’s contribution helped Stenny take 10 points from a possible 12 and they are now within touching distance of leaders Stirling who they face at the end of the month.
The former Partick Thistle and Albion Rovers star is in the form of his life and hopes the impressive start to the campaign has provided the building blocks to push for an immediate return to League One.
He said: “It’s very encouraging for us. We play Stirling soon, so it will be interesting to see how we match up to them.
“A lot of folk have been commenting on our form but it took us a wee while to get going.
“It’s a new team and there’s only something like three players who were here last season.
“But now we are going strong.
“The last couple of games we have been ruthless and killed teams off.
“We’ve had a good start and we want to use the last few weeks as a foundation for a good season.”