Albion’s long haul north goes south
Disappointment in Elgin for travelling fans
ELGIN CITY 3 STIRLING ALBION 0
Stirling suffered a comprehensive defeat at Brough Briggs in their third Betfred Cup Group C outing on Saturday.
Kevin Rutkiewicz’s team had kicked off with a hugely impressive 1-1 draw against Hibernian at Forthbank but slumped 6-1 at home to Arbroath last Wednesday and it was another bad day at the office as Gavin Price’s men ran out worthy winners.
The Binos conceded a firstminute goal in midweek and there was another early setback here when Shane Sutherland pounced after just seven minutes. Kane Hester quickly added a stunning second and not too much happened before Sutherland added a late third goal for the Moray men.
Stirling completed their Betfred Cup fixtures at Alloa last night (Tuesday) and will have this weekend off before starting their Ladbrokes League 2 campaign against Queen’s Park at Forthbank on Saturday, August 3.
Binos boss Rutkiewicz had always planned to make full use of his squad in the Betfred Cup and there were no fewer than eight changes for the long haul north. Cammy Thomson was rested and skipper Ross McGeachie joined Kevin Nicoll and James Creaney on the injury list.
Jordan McGregor captained the team and there was a debut for former Edinburgh City centre-half Gareth Rodger but he was at fault for the opening goal. Goalkeeper Blair Currie should have dealt better with a routine clearance then Rodger was robbed by Hester – he teed up Sutherland and it was a simple finish for the forward who returned from Peterhead in the summer.
Albion lost 3-2 at this venue on their last visit in February, having been 2-1 up, and the travelling fans who made the six-hour round trip witnessed another defeat.
The loss of the second goal, after just 13 minutes, was a decisive moment in the contest. Stirling were guilty of giving the ball away far too often and were punished when ex-Arbroath hitman Hester thundered a 30-yarder into the top corner.
It was a brilliant goal and it always looked a long way back from there for a much-changed visiting team. They did create some openings but Rodger missed a decent chance and winger Sean Heaver fired over but home keeper Thomas McHale didn’t have much to do.
It probably summed up Stirling’s day when David Wilson – who scored a sumptuous equaliser against Hibs – tried his luck from distance only to see the ball land in the circus behind the ground.
Midfielder Paul Willis showed some quality on the ball and Albion enjoyed plenty possession in the second half but City – who had drawn their last game 3-3 with Alloa before winning on penalties – had the better chances. Former St Mirren winger Conor O’Keefe was thwarted by Currie when clean through then Sutherland stabbed wide from close range.
However, Sutherland’s quality is obvious and he conjured up the clincher with 10 minutes left, turning Rodger and arrowing a finish low across Currie and into the far corner.