BRING ON THE BULLY WEE
Robertson relishing having a crack at Clyde
Stirling Albion skipper Willie Robertson is relishing the visit of in-form Clyde to Forthbank tomorrow as the Binos chase a fifth straight win.
Dave Mackay’s men claimed an emphatic 3-0 victory over Annan Athletic last Saturday and following the Bully Wee’s visit, Edinburgh City are at Forthbank on Tuesday.
Clyde, who have taken four points out of six against Stirling despite a poor start to 2017/18, have been rejuvenated under Danny Lennon and his assistant Allan Moore and have won five games on the bounce, with top scorer David Goodwillie netting seven goals in the same period.
Robertson has been in fine form of late after shaking off the injury problems that dogged him earlier in the campaign and will be a key player in Stirling’s promotion push.
The former Dundee United and Alloa midfielder (below) said: “It’s two teams in good form and they have done really well under their new manager but if we keep doing what we are doing I’m confident we can beat any team in this league.
“I feel as if I’m playing well and at the same time I’m getting a lot fitter. I don’t think I’ve had a run of games for a while and that’s me played six or seven on the bounce. Even the gaffer was saying at the end of the Annan game that I made a run from their box to our box to try and defend — four games ago I couldn’t have done that.
“It’s good just to get back playing and enjoying the football. The team went through a bad spell but it’s about how you come back from it and that’s four wins in a row now. Even the games we lost before that against Montrose and Peterhead, we still played well but crucial moments cost us.
“Our main target is to be in the playoffs and not worry about anything else. Confidence plays a big part; when you’ve got it, you do things instantly in games and when you are low on confidence you start taking two or three touches and that’s when we look terrible. We need to be doing things quickly and pressing high up the pitch.
“We did well against Annan last week and could have scored more goals. They had a few chances but most of them came when the game was dead and buried. It was 0-0 at half-time but the gaffer just told us to be patient and move the ball quickly and chances will come and that’s what happened.”
Robertson has been on the end of a few heavy tackles of late and has had his share of red cards in the past but reckons he has cooled his sometimes fiery temper.
He added: “Maybe in the past I might have reacted and got a booking but I feel as if I’ve matured. I love tackling and 5050s. When I was younger, I hated tackling and was scared, so I don’t know what’s happened!”
The referee for tomorrow’s game against Clyde is Chris Graham and kick-off is the usual 3pm. Admission is £13 for adults, £9 for seniors and students, £5 for U16s and free for U12s.
●Stirling Albion are back in action again on Tuesday, February 27, when they welcome Edinburgh City to Forthbank for a rearranged fixture, kick-off 7.45pm. Meanwhile, Stirling Albion’s U20 side beat Cowdenbeath 5-3 at Central Park in the SPFL Development League East on Wednesday despite trailing 2-0 at the break. Top scorer Reg McLaren (2), Kyle Banner, Liam Caddis and Alberto Vezza were all on target for Andy Todd’s team in the second half.