Stirling still top after epic victory
First-half goal feast puts Binos on route to win
Peterhead ............. 2 Stirling Albion ...... 4 Stirling Albion’s sparkling start to the season continued with a superb victory over the Ladbrokes League 2 title favourites on Saturday.
Dave Mackay’s men remain two points clear of Montrose at the top of the table following a remarkable first half at Balmoor.
Paul Cairney gave the Blue Toon an early lead but four goals in a fantastic 18-minute spell from Darren Smith (2), Callumn Morrison and Ross Kavanagh had the points all but wrapped up by half-time.
Rory McAllister pulled one back with a penalty, then Peter MacDonald saw his spot-kick saved, but the dismissal of defender Scott Ross 17 minutes from the end effectively ended home hopes of a comeback.
It was the eighth red card of his career and Peterhead manager Jim McInally said: “Going out to start the second half, my last words to Scott were ‘Don’t get sent off .’ That will cost him dearly because as long as I’m here, he won’t play.”
In contrast, this was a memorable afternoon for Stirling which had parallels with their visit in April 2014 when they thumped the Blue Toon 4-0 en route to promotion via the play-offs on the day McInally’s men received the League 2 trophy.
Stirling will hope this season ends in another promotion and the early
signs are good. Peterhead couldn’t live with the movement and pace of Albion’s attacking players in a thrilling first half and Darren Smith and Kavanagh have now both scored in each of the four League 2 victories this season.
MacDonald might still be waiting for his first league goal since joining from Clyde but he provides a vital focal point while Morrison, on loan from Hearts, has both goals and guile to his game.
Mackay named an unchanged team to the one that beat Edinburgh City 2-0 the previous week but within five minutes the home side were in front when Cairney’s mis-hit shot managed to deceive Cammy Binnie.
Stirling were level on 18 minutes when Morrison followed up to slam the ball home after Greg Fleming had done well to claw away a shot on the turn from Darren Smith then Smith himself swept Albion into the lead, with a crisp first-time finish into the bottom corner after Liam Caddis had delivered a ball in from the right.
It was 3-1 when Ewan McNeil’s cross broke to Ross Kavanagh and the travelling fans who had the made the 150-mile journey north were soon cheering again when Smith grabbed his eighth goal of the season in all competitions with another tidy finish.
The hosts didn’t offer much at the start of the second half but gave themselves hope when a cross struck the arm of Ross Smith and referee Gavin Ross pointed to the spot. McAllister made a perfect job of the penalty, lashing the ball into the net.
Stirling then had the chance to restore their three-goal advantage when Caddis danced away from a defender outside the box and fired in a shot which was blocked by the arm of Jason Brown but Fleming diverted MacDonald’s penalty on to the crossbar.
That miss made the second half a bit more tense than it might have been but Cammy Binnie didn’t have too many saves to make, although McAllister and winger Willie Gibson, a player who has tormented Stirling in the past but was kept quiet on Saturday, both came close.
A bad day for Peterhead was compounded when Ross, already on a yellow card, swung an elbow at MacDonald, and was sent off. Darren Smith had a chance to complete his hat-trick after breaking into the box, only to fire over, but it didn’t really matter and a stylish victory was already secure.