Reds confident of seeing off Spiders

Dec 19 2008

STIRLING Albion go into their crucial home game with Queen’s Park tomorrow (Saturday) knowing they could end the day in joint-fourth place if results go their way.

Allan Moore’s men go into the match full of confidence after a fine 1-0 win at East Fife and are three points behind the Fifers and Peterhead in the play-off race. The Blue Toon are at home to high-flying Ayr United while East Fife make the long haul to bottom club Stranraer.

Stirling have only managed back-to-back wins once this season – when they defeated Arbroath and Alloa three months ago – and assistant boss John O’Neill admits the Binos must show more consistency if they are to claim a top-four finish.

He said: “We spoke to the boys at training on Tuesday night and told them that we have to push on after winning at East Fife. Getting three points has boosted confidence and we are capable of beating anyone in this league if we keep producing that type of performance.

“I don’t think 1-0 did us justice, to be honest. I thought we gave them a battering and it was just frustrating that we didn’t take more of our chances because at 1-0 the opposition can throw caution to the wind and there is always the risk that a long ball into the box can lead to an equaliser.

“I thought we defended well on the whole and they didn’t have many chances. It was great to get a win but we need to kick on. If we win ugly on Saturday then that will do fine, although I expect us to put in another good performance.

“When we started this quarter of fixtures the aim was to reach fourth place and we are not far away from that now,” added O’Neill of a campaign that will reach the halfway stage for Stirling away to in-form Arbroath on December 27.

Albion have won only two of pre-Christmas fixtures this millennium – both against Ayr United – but will be favourites against a Spiders’ outfit who are four points below them in the table.

Gardner Speirs’ side hit back for a 1-1 draw when the clubs clashed at Hampden in October in a yet another game where Albion failed to make the most of their opportunities but O’Neill said: “I really think that we are going to score a few goals in a game soon given the chances we are creating.”

Queen’s Park drew 0-0 on their last league visit to Forthbank in March 2004 and will be tough opponents tomorrow, having lost only to a last-minute goal at home to Raith Rovers on Saturday.

In addition, they won 3-1 on Alloa’s plastic pitch in their most recent away game and will move to within a point of the Binos should they triumph at Forthbank.

All those involved in the victory at East Fife came through training on Tuesday so Moore could name a rare unchanged selection for the first of four home games between now and January 17, with Alloa, Raith and Ayr all due at Forthbank on consecutive Saturdays in early 2009.

Andy Graham, Ross Forsyth and Nathan Taggart will again miss out but Graham could return for the trip to Arbroath. Goalkeeper Scott Christie, who was replaced by Myles Hogarth at New Bayview, is expected to be fit for the weekend.

Meanwhile, on-loan Falkirk defender Scott Gibb will remain at Forthbank until the middle of January after extending his stay for another four weeks – a big boost given the centre-half’s impressive displays so far.

Midfielder Craig Molloy, on loan from St Mirren, completes his 93-day emergency loan after Saturday’s match and will return to Love Street unless a deal can be struck between the clubs for the player who is out of contract in the summer.

Victory for Stirling would be a massive boost but any victory in Division Two must be hard-earned and you have to go back to April 2007 for the last time Albion managed to keep successive clean sheets in the league.