McLaughlin the saviour
Last-gasp equaliser for Binos
Club notes Albion Lotto Last week’s Albion Lotto numbers were 7, 8, 9, 25. There was no jackpot winner so jackpot today (Wednesday) rises to £2600! Five players matched three numbers to win £50 each. You can play online at www.safclotto.co.uk Paul McStay No1 St Ninians Celtic Lucky letters were S, N and Q. No winners. Jackpot up to £200. Names for Scottish Cup semi-final to 07762 967512. Dance money to be paid by this weekend.
Edinburgh City...2 Stirling Albion ...2
David Ogilvie Neil McLaughlin scrambled a 95th-minute equaliser at Ainslie Park as Albion took another step towards sealing a play-off place on Saturday.
This result – Stirling’s first draw since a 1-1 stalemate at Annan on December 16 – and Elgin’s surprise defeat at bottom club Cowdenbeath meant Dave Mackay’s men travelled to Borough Briggs last night (Tuesday) with a nine-point advantage over the fifth-placed Moray men.
A draw was probably fair after a match played on a bitterly cold afternoon in the capital with gusting easterly winds and snow flurries making life a misery for players and fans alike. It was the sort of day when even Arctic explorers might have thought twice about stepping out.
It was never going to be a classic at the home of Lowland League title hopefuls Spartans and it didn’t feel like a match of four goals – other than that very little happened in either penalty area. It was a contest to endure rather than enjoy but at least this fixture went ahead unlike the February 27 meeting at Forthbank which was postponed due to snow when it was due to kick off.
City have now lost only three of 11 games in 2018 and this was a fourth match in a row without loss for James McDonaugh’s men, who recently beat Elgin 4-0 and won 3-2 at Annan. Stirling had won six out of seven going into this one but won’t be unhappy with the draw.
Binos boss Dave Mackay made three changes to the team that beat Berwick 1-0 in midweek. Sean Dickson made his first start since the New Year defeat at Stenhousemuir, McLaughlin was drafted into the side and Peter MacDonald was recalled as Ross Kavanagh, Andy Little and injured top scorer Darren Smith dropped out.
MacDonald sent a header narrowly over after being picked out by Dickson but it was City who went ahead in 24 minutes. Former Albion loanee Scott Shepherd latched on to a long pass from Craig Thomson and got in behind the defence to lob the ball over keeper Cammy Binnie. It was a cool finish from the on-loan Falkirk forward under pressure from Darren Barr.
It took the visitors only eight minutes to equalise. McLaughlin was the provider with an excellent run down the left. He laid the ball into the path of on-loan St Johnstone midfielder Danny Jardine, who drove a low shot beyond Calum Antell and into the bottom corner from 18 yards for his first senior goal.
Jardine has impressed in his spell at Forthbank and it was a sweet strike but the Binos were unable to gain any momentum in a scrappy clash and the second period produced almost nothing of note for long spells.
McLaughlin had a half-hearted penalty appeal waved away and Dickson fired over from 18 yards while at the other end Binnie gratefully gathered a corner from which City had threatened.
The game looked to be drifting towards a 1-1 conclusion as both teams struggled with the conditions but Edinburgh went ahead 12 minutes from the end. An inswinging corner from the left hung in the wind under the crossbar and Stirling failed to clear their lines, allowing former St Johnstone man Gareth Rodger to ram the ball home from a couple of yards out.
Stirling’s play had lacked fluency but it was a game noone really deserved to lose and they got their reward deep into stoppage-time. More than four minutes of additional time had been played by referee Alan Newlands when full-back Ewan McNeil delivered a low corner from the left that caused panic in the home defence before being forced over the line by McLaughlin.
It was the on-loan Partick Thistle forward’s second goal for Stirling and moves them five points clear in third spot, with fourth-placed Stenhousemuir idle after their trip to Berwick was postponed.
Stirling Albion: Binnie, McGeachie, Hamilton (R Smith 77) McNeil, Barr, Moon (Kavanagh 74), McLaughlin, Jardine, MacDonald (Little 79), Robertson, Dickson. Subs (not used): Noble, Caddis, Banner, Wight (GK).