The Fifers thrashed Shire 92-0 when the sides met in September, but Strachan was happy with the performance of his side against Howe, who scored the winning try five minutes from time to remain in third place in Championship B.
Strachan said: “It was a cracking game with the lead changing hands four times. We scored three tries to their four in what was an exciting, end-to-end game and James Patterson capped another fine display by scoring twice off a very solid forward platform.
“Our other try was a penalty try which was just reward for the packs dominance. We pushed them all the way and the players should be proud of their efforts.”
Following the defeat Shire remain in seventh place. Strachan and his players will switch their focus to the Caledonia Cup for the next two weeks before returning to league action on December 21 at Kirkcaldy.
