Mackay miffed by Binos’poor performance in their defeat to Annan
Stirling Albion manager Dave Mackay admits his side were nowhere near good enough as they went down 2–1 to Annan Athletic at Forthbank on Saturday.
The Binos were seeking a third straight victory in Ladbrokes League Two but turned in a lacklustre performance against the fourth–placed side and need to bounce back against bottom club Albion Rovers at Cliftonhill this weekend.
Stirling won 2–0 on their last visit to Coatbridge in April 2014 en route to promotion via the play–offs but Mackay’s men find themselves in seventh spot after five defeats out of seven.
He said: “We have to make sure we are ready for Albion Rovers because they are a team who are desperate to win games. They got a draw at the weekend and we need to make sure their first win is not against us.
“We need a reaction because that wasn’t good enough against Annan. You say to guys to go out and make my job difficult but I could drop any of the 10 outfield players because not one of them could say they did well. I’m sure there will be changes next week.
“It’s a tough pitch to play on and if we don’t go there prepared for a fight, then we’ll lose that one as well. We need to get back to what we had been doing in the previous two games.”
Reflecting on Saturday’s match, the Binos boss added: “Annan were the better team. They over–ran us at times and looked hungrier than us. We were second to every ball and the level of performance dropped massively from the last couple of weeks.
“Maybe that’s the problem, you win two games and players think they have become a great team and they stop doing the things they did well. The reason we won against Elgin and Queen’s Park is because we were so difficult to play against – we were in teams’ faces. We were pressing well and were organised, whereas this looked like a totally different team.
“We were missing players but I don’t think that’s an excuse because it’s pretty much the same team that played in the last two games. It makes you wonder if those two performances were an anomaly and they were playing above their level. I don’t think it is but when you see performances like that it makes you question yourself and I hope the players are doing the same.
“We asked for a reaction at halftime but we were probably even worse in the second half. We had some chances but Annan had plenty as well and every time we attacked they just countered on us and within 10 seconds had a shot at our goal. We weren’t organised at the back or in the middle.”
Willie Robertson could be in line for a return to the side following an ankle problem, whilst Darren Smith, Darren Barr and Lee Hamilton look set to miss out.
The Binos were this week paired with League Two rivals Queen’s Park when the draw for the second round of the Scottish Cup was made. The tie will be played at Forthbank on Saturday October 20.