Legend says County season is over
Mackay’s battle cry as they face Montrose
Stirling County legend Kevin McKenzie has issued a damning assessment of the state of play at Bridgehaugh as the season enters its festive break.
Country’s trip to Boroughmuir was put in the deep freeze at the weekend, as the sub-zero temperatures turned Meggetland into the Arctic and led to the final BT Premiership fixture of the year being called off.
But the championship winning hooker, who garnered 14-caps for Scotland, was in no mood to pull his punches as he rapped that:
Stirling Albion boss Dave Mackay is hoping his side can recapture the form that saw them beat Montrose 3-1 at Links Park in September when they host the league leaders on Saturday.
The Binos drew 1-1 away to in-form Annan Athletic at the weekend and have slipped seven points behind the Gable Endies, who ran out 3-0 winners against Elgin City.
Albion are without a win in their last four outings since beating Edinburgh City 2-1 at Ainslie Park on November 4 but have the chance to close the gap at the top this weekend.
Binos boss Mackay said: “It’s certainly not a game we can afford to lose and go 10 points behind but if you win the game you go four points behind with a game in hand.
“We are certainly not playing anywhere near as well as we can but I’ve every confidence we will hit form again and the first 45 minutes at Annan was definitely an improved performance on the last couple of games.
“It was a very good performance when we played up at Montrose and we deservedly won that game but in my opinion they are the team
County’s campaign is effectively over before Santa comes down the chimney.
The Bridgehaugh boys are easily bullied.
They lack the strong leadership needed to close out games when they have built themselves a winning position.
Shoot-from-the-lip Kev said: “You have to be realistic and admit that the season is, in effect, over.
“The bottom line is that competitive rugby is all about winning and there is a certain amount of pragmatism that must be applied to get over the finishing line and this County to beat. I know it’s easy saying that when they are top of the league – Peterhead have a game in hand but at the moment I’d say Montrose are the stronger of the two.
“Whether they can sustain the form they are in only time will tell but they are a team that don’t concede many goals at all and they are starting to add goals to their game. The job Stewart Petrie has done in the last year is incredible – taking them from the bottom of the league to the top.”
Looking back on Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Annan, which saw Liam Caddis’s early goal cancelled out late on by Brandon Luke, Mackay said: “I thought it was a fair result in the end because they have hit the woodwork a couple of times but it’s disappointing to lose the goal so late in the game.
“I felt we played pretty well in the first half and defended OK, other than at set-plays, but in the second half the pitch was frozen and as spectacle it became poor but at 1-0 up you want it to continue.
“I think Annan manager Peter Murphy was wanting the game called off at half-time and some of the players on both teams were struggling to keep their feet.”
Mackay opted for change in formation to a back three at Galabank, with Ewan McNeil team lack that.
“I was at the Watsonians game a fortnight back for a reunion with the title-winning team of 1995 and that was, for me, the season in microcosm. It really showed up everything that’s wrong within one 80 minutes of rugby.
“At 19-3 up we have built a winning lead and now we must close down the game, manage it, and give the opposition no encouragement to get back into the match.
With January’s card boasting fixtures with three of the top four clubs in Ayr, Melrose and Currie, McKenzie has voiced his views that a lack of leadership and a soft underbelly will mean that more misery is around the corner in 2018.
The former Scotland international fired: “Back in my day we had go-to men, strong leaders in abundance in the likes of Ian Jardine, my brother Mark at 10 and of course Stewart Hamilton, our skipper.
“But right now County get bullied, surrender the gain line and allow the opposition to control them. I’m sorry to say it, but for me, unless County learn how to manage the game and develop a ruthless streak, I think the rest of the campaign could be a painful one.” and Cammy Thomson acting as wing-backs, and he said: “It’s something I’ve thought about before and on occasions it something we might use – we had a good shape in the first half and from open play we didn’t give them too many chances.
“It also allowed Liam Caddis to play a bit further forward and he got the goal but we didn’t get him on the ball enough and he was one of those who struggled on the surface.”
Midfielder Andy Black will again miss out due to suspension and the Montrose game could come too soon for left-back Steven Noble, although he is set to return to training this week. On-loan Hearts winger Callumn Morrison didn’t feature against Annan due to a knee knock but played for the Tynecastle club’s U20 side on Monday and should be available this weekend.
Montrose were 3-1 winners at Forthbank when the teams met in the IRN-BRU Cup but Stirling won by the same score at Links Park thanks to a Morrison double and a Sean Dickson goal.
Admission prices for Albion’s final home game of 2017 are £13 for adults, £9 for seniors and students, £5 for U16s and free for U12s. Kick-off is the usual 3pm. Kevin didn’t hold back in his playing days with Stirling County and Scotland - and doesn’t now