Albion draw out the agony

Oct 8 2008

STIRLING completed the first quarter of the campaign by notching up their favourite result – a draw – but once again it should have been more.

Successive fixtures against Raith, Peterhead and now Queen’s Park could easily have yielded nine points rather than three. In a tight league, Allan Moore’s men would have been close to the top of the pile rather than drifting along in sixth place.

It’s hardly a crisis given that the Binos are only four points shy of the play-offs but the first part of the season could have been more profitable. There has been some bad luck over the course of the last couple of months but Albion let themselves down in Glasgow.

Having taken the lead through Ian Harty midway through the first half, Stirling should have killed the contest by half-time. But they didn’t make their possession count and an insipid showing after the interval allowed the Spiders to nick a barely-deserved equaliser with five minutes left.

The visitors appeared to show a lack of ambition after the break, or perhaps felt that one goal would be enough. Certainly Gardner Speirs’ men rarely looked like scoring but Stirling’s record of just one shut-out all season does not allow them the comfort of sitting back.

Poorest

Queen’s Park are only a point behind Albion in the table but they looked the poorest side Stirling have come up against. In a dreary match, it should have been an away win but substitute Ian Watt headed home a Ricky Little cross to earn the hosts a point in the first league meeting between the clubs since 2003/04.

Stirling are now six matches unbeaten in Division Two and there is always some comfort to be taken in not losing, but this was two points needlessly spilled. In the past, Albion turned in some real Hampden horrow shows but they remain undefeated on this ground since a truly dreadful 3-0 drubbing eight years ago.

Restored

With John O’Neill injured, Moore gave a start to Chris Hamilton on the right of midfield, with Nathan Taggart moving to the opposite flank and Craig Molloy and Mark Docherty the central midfield pair. Martin Grehan was restored to the attack alongside Harty, with Moore feeling his side could use more of a physical threat up front.

But too many players had off-days. Harty was dangerous and industrious but the midfield didn’t get forward to support in sufficient numbers and Grehan struggled before being replaced by Steven Waddell just short of the hour mark.

But Albion didn’t look like adding to the lead provided by Harty on 23 minutes. David Lowing sent over a deep cross from the left and Hamilton’s miscued shot fell perfectly for the striker to convert his fourth goal of the season.

Harty was unlucky not to score again 10 minutes later when a terrific pass from Docherty allowed him space in the box but his shot cannoned back off the bar.

Queen’s Park had beaten Alloa in their last outing – somewhat fortunately suggesting by the remarks of their manager in the match programme – but they were devoid of much threat here and required a fine save from David Crawford to deny Taggart after the winger had raced into the area.

The weather improved in the second half but the football – never sparkling – took a turn for the worse. Passes were going astray all over the place but Stirling appeared to be holding out without much difficulty.

A youthful Queen’s Park took some encouragement from Albion’s earlier failure to find a second goal but on rare breaks forward they made poor decisions, not least when unmarked ex-Bino Robert Dunn was overlooked when a pass might have allowed him to equalise.

Neither keeper was being troubled but, out of nothing, the hosts salvaged a point when Watt squeezed a header inside the post despite the efforts of Myles Hogarth to prevent the ball crossing the line.

It was a depressing moment and those Albion fans who return to Hampden on Saturday for Scotland’s World Cup qualifier with Norway will be hoping for a more enjoyable afternoon.

Perhaps this was just a bad day at the office. Stirling are capable of much better but their failure to hold on to a lead this season, coupled with the damaging loss of another late goal, made it an afternoon to forget in Mount Florida.

Queen’s Park: Crawford, Little, Douglas, Agostini, Brough, Harkins, Dunlop (Dunn 65), Cairney, Quinn (Watt 73), Neill, Murray (Ronald 73). Subs (not used): Boslem, Cowie.

Albion: Hogarth, Graham, Lowing, Lawrie, Forsyth, Docherty, Hamilton (Murphy 81), Molloy (Corr 73), Harty, Grehan (Waddell 58), Taggart. Subs (not used): McKenna, Christie.

Referee: Craig Charleston