Shields fires out Rovers’ derby cry
ALBION ROVERS attacker Connor Shields has called upon his team-mates to prove they have what it takes to compete in League One against local rivals Airdrie in the Monklands Derby today.
The Cliftonhill side will be going up against full-time opposition, and Shields believes they have what it takes to get the better of them on the day.
But he knows that talk is cheap, and it is up to Brian Kerr’s new recruits to show on the field that they are contenders in this division.
“For me, it’s been a good start,” he said.
“Three goals so far is great for me and hopefully I can keep my place in the team for the derby.
“Against Ayr it was a bad result but I thought we showed we can pass the ball well and had some good spells.
“I got my goals and we had a few more chances. After a slow start we showed against Queen’s Park what we can do.
“It’s a new batch of players this season so they will all want to prove themselves to the fans.
“Now it’s just a matter of kicking on against Airdrie. We showed last season that we can match them but they have a lot of talented full-time players.”
Shields doesn’t think that Airdrie’s off-field problems will have an effect on the game.
“As players it doesn’t matter to us about any issues they might have off the pitch,” he said. “We know they will gives us a good game. You have to be at your best against your rivals.”
Motherwell youngsters Luke Watt and Jake Hastie may debut for Airdrie after joining the club on-loan yesterday.