Early shift for County

Feb 13 2009 by Alan Rennie, Stirling Observer Friday

WITH the Paris international at 3pm, Stirling County and Lenzie have agreed that tomorrow’s cup-tie at Viewfield Park will kick off at 1pm.

It will make a change for County to start a match this season as surefire favourites but, even with a weakened side, they should carry too much power for a club which plays in National League Division Three.

Coach Ian Jardine is using the match as an opportunity to blood one or two younger players but his starting line-up is still quite strong. It is as follows:–

Hope; Bryce, Addison, Gilmour, Aitken; Archibald, Calder; Davies, Moffat, Mountford, McFarlane, Deacons, Clarke, Eadie and Hill.

On the right wing is teenager Glenn Bryce (right), brother of Kevin and the latest son of forwards coach Jocky Bryce to break through into the top team.

Jardine intends to experiment with a brand-new half-back partnership of Gordon McRorie and Stuart Edwards at some point during the game.

They are named on the bench alongside Johnny Graham, Craig Black and a new face, Australian Ben Fleming, who arrived at Bridgehaugh a few weeks ago and has impressed at flanker in the 2nd XV.

Aged 25, Fleming met County centre Alan Auld while playing rugby in Canada a couple of years ago.

He has switched codes from rugby league, having previously been with the professional Cronulla Sharks club south of Sydney.

The winner of tomorrow’s game is at home in the fifth round on February 21 to the winner of the Trinity Accies v Ellon tie.

That’s likely to be ambitious Aberdeenshire club Ellon who are in Premiership Three.

Missing from the County side are Robbie McGowan (in France with Scotland under-20s), Grant Gilchrist (training with Scotland under-19), Graham Lindsay (in Paris as a fan), Mark Hunter (studying for university exams in England) and Paul Wilson (foot injury).

Travelling fans should note there’s an 11.53am train from Stirling that gets into Lenzie station, which isn’t far from the ground, at 12.17pm.