Misery in Meadowbank as City send Binos to the bottom of LeagueTwo
Edinburgh City...2 Stirling Albion ...0
David Ogilvie Stirling Albion’s season hit a new low on Saturday when they slumped to the foot of the Ladbrokes League Two table after being soundly beaten at Meadowbank Stadium.
Edinburgh City claimed a deserved win in the capital thanks to goals from Ouzy See and Dougie Gair to leave the Binos two points adrift of Montrose, who moved off the bottom by beating Clyde.
Stirling went into the week with hopes of defeating Berwick and City and pushing on towards the top half but instead they are now involved in a fight to retain their SPFL status come May.
There might still be more than half a season to go but the forthcoming games against Annan, Montrose and Cowdenbeath are crucial and this result and performance is a real concern.
Albion were beaten by a hungrier and better organised team. They offered little going forward and yet again conceded two goals. The 3-2 defeat at Berwick on Tuesday had some redeeming features, and a couple of decisions went against them, but the poverty of this display was a shock.
In contrast, City might have lost nine straight games in league and cup before nicking a 1-1 draw at Forthbank in September but they have improved hugely since then and have given themselves every chance of remaining in the division. On this showing, you genuinely fear for Stirling.
Mackay made four changes from midweek — Ross Forsyth, Ross Smith, Sean Dickson and Marc McKenzie replaced Scott Davidson, Darren Petrie (suspended), Ross Kavanagh and Willie Robertson, who had played the maximum three games permitted as a trialist.
Stirling’s last visit to this venue exactly a decade earlier brought a 1-0 win in a Scottish Cup tie when the result was much better than the performance from a team who went on to gain promotion to the First Division but simply surviving a potential play-off to stay up is now the only target.
The first half wasn’t a great spectacle but City made the breakthrough in 28 minutes when a good move saw the ball played to former Selkirk striker See and he guided a low shot into the far corner.
McKenzie was unlucky not to equalise with a 30-yard free kick that crashed back off the post and French forward Dylan Nguene Bikey fired over but the ex-Dieppe forward, who scored twice at Berwick, was generally kept quiet by a resolute home defence.
Mackay switched to a 4-4- 2 formation for the second half but Gary Jardine’s team always looked the more cohesive unit. They carried more menace and keeper Andrew Stobie had little to do, with barely a chance of note created by the visitors after the interval.
Meanwhile, Chris Smith, Albion’s best player this season, denied Mark McConnell, Aaron Dunsmore, Marc Laird and See before Gair latched on to a superb through ball to find the net with an emphatic finish from 20 yards as City extended their good run to just one defeat in 10 league and cup games. EDINBURGH CITY: Stobie, Dunsmore, Donaldson, Mbu, Porteous, Laird, McKee, McFarland, See, Cummings, McConnell (Gair 81). Subs not used: Guthrie, Harrison, Muhsin, Caddow, Allum, Antell (GK) STIRLING ALBION: C Smith, McGeachie, McMillan, R Smith, Forsyth, Colquhoun, Beith, Dickson (Ferns 68) McKenzie (D Smith 68), Nguene Bikey, Henderson (Kavanagh 62). Subs not used: Scott Davidson, Hodge, Verlaque, Binnie (GK) Referee: Mike Roncone