Binos second chance to crack Rovers

Jan 20 2010 by Donald Morton, Stirling Observer Wednesday

STIRLING Albion will attempt to secure a place in the last 16 of the Active Nation Scottish Cup when they take on Albion Rovers in a fourth-round replay at Forthbank this evening (Wednesday).

Allan Moore’s men were held to a 0-0 draw by the Third Division side at Cliftonhill on Monday night in a game of few chances and now face a second match in the space of three days after spending five weeks idle because of the freezing winter weather.

A trip to Ross County awaits the winners on February 6 - the day the Binos are due to host Arbroath in Division Two – and Stirling go into the replay as favourites, although their only home win since September was against Auchinleck Talbot in the previous round.

Moore admits his side were not at their best against a Rovers outfit who were Scottish Cup runners-up way back in 1920.

Better

He said: “A draw was a fair result. We didn’t do enough to win the game and neither did Albion Rovers. I felt we were better in the second half and David O’Brien started to cause them a few problems. In the first half we hit too many long balls and didn’t pass it well enough. Martin Grehan had two good chances in the second half but he didn’t take them.

“The pitch made it difficult for both teams to play flowing football so hopefully at home we can move the ball a bit better. It’s good to get back after such a long time without a game but obviously it’s disappointing not to win because we have a big game coming up against East Fife in the league on Saturday and we need three points from that one.

“We can make changes for the replay if required. Martin Grehan has been struggling with a hamstring problem and Andy Graham needs to see the doctor about his knee so we will see how they are on Tuesday.

“But we have a few options. Young Liam Corr wasn’t in the squad on Monday, Craig Young didn’t get on and the likes of Stewart Devine and Nathan Taggart came on as subs. We can freshen things up and we can do that again for Saturday because Chris Aitken and Craig McKeown will be available for the league game.

“We knew we would get a hard game against Albion Rovers. They are well organised – it wasn’t much of a spectacle for the fans but neither team has played for several weeks. Parts of the pitch were hard before the game and it got worse as the game went on but it was certainly playable and we have no complaints in that respect.

“The games are piling up for us now but we could still do with another defender and a cup run might help in terms of finances. The league is the priority this season and I have been looking to strengthen at the back for a while. I’ll be speaking to the chairman to see what we can do.”

Cliftonhill gaffer Paul Martin said: “I thought we defended well and we certainly deserve another chance. It’s not over yet – we believe there is more to come from us in the final third and we can pass the ball better than we did. Stirling are a good team and physical as well but we matched them and that was our aim. A draw was definitely a fair result.”

Cup progress is the immediate priority but on Saturday Albion host East Fife looking to keep the pressure on leaders Cowdenbeath, who are three points clear after drawing 2-2 at New Bayview at the weekend.