By Chris Toner
Albion Rovers slumped to a third consecutive cinch League Two defeat as they fell 2-1 to Stirling Albion at Forthbank Stadium.
Kurtis Roberts opened the scoring for the home side just after the hour mark, with a Dale Carrick penalty cancelling out Charlie Riley’s equaliser for Rovers. The loss sees Rovers drop to 8th in the table.
Rovers started out the more threatening of the two teams in front of goal. David Wilson had a long-range effort tipped round the post by Blair Currie in the Stirling goal and Ryan Stevenson’s shot from the edge of the box went just wide.
Stirling then got into the game as Dylan Mackin had a volley go wide. Mackin later assisted Carrick, who slotted past Rovers keeper Cammie Binnie, but the linesman’s flag was up for offside. Stirling were unlucky not to go into the half with the lead as Ciaran Summers had a shot from the left rattle off the crossbar.
The teams traded efforts early in the second half. Wilson once again forced Currie into a save with an effort from outside the box and Jack Leitch fired over from inside the box.
But it was the home side who broke the deadlock after an hour when the ball fell to Roberts after Rovers couldn’t properly clear a corner, whose shot beat Binnie. Brian Reid and the Rovers sideline were furious as they believed that there was a handball at the other end of the park that the referee didn’t give in the lead-up to the corner.
Rovers got back into the game when Wilson set up Reilly. His attempted to pass Stevenson came back into his path and he slotting home from close range. Rovers weren’t level for long though, as minutes later Carrick was judged to have been fouled in the box, who picked himself up and sent Binnie the wrong way.
Stirling had chances to seal the victory towards the end through chances from second half substitutes Sean Heaver and Kieran Moore, but their efforts failed to trouble Binnie – before Heaver completely mishit the ball at the death, but it was job done for the Binos.
Brian Reid’s reaction:
