Hampden stalemate once again for Binos
QUEEN’S PARK ......................... 1 STIRLING ALBION ................... 1 here in front of 500 or so (frozen) souls but especially when the previous fixture was the sold-out Betfred Cup final between Celtic and Rangers.
Albion showed two changes to the team dumped 4-2 by Brechin at Forthbank with Creaney and Kevin Nicoll replacing Cammy Thomson and David Wilson, as they sought revenge for a 1-0 defeat to Queen’s Park on the opening day.
Stirling struggled to create much in the opening half hour and the hosts showed a bit more purpose. They had a decent penalty shout waved away when top scorer Salim Kouider-Aissa went down under a challenge from Ross McGeachie then Ciaran Summers’ inswinging corner hit the bar.
Albion began to offer more in an attacking sense as the half wore on and were rewarded in 35 minutes when Sean Heaver crossed from the left and Dylan Mackin slid the ball home from six yards for his third goal of 2019/20. It might have been game over soon after when Dylan Bikey wriggled clear in the box but his shot came back off the post.
Paul McLean and Paul Willis combined to keep out a Tommy Block header from a corner right on half-time but the Binos were largely comfortable for much of the second period.
Heaver could have sealed a second away league win after being put clear by Mackin but sent his shot wide of the post then Willie Muir tipped Mackin’s fierce drive over the bar.
The equaliser came out of the blue with 11 minutes left when David Galt teed up Ryan Finnie and the former Annan fullback, signed last month after a spell in Sweden, cut inside and squeezed a low left-foot shot inside the post.
There was a let-off for Stirling when substitute Alfredo Agyeman scooped the ball over from a few yards then Creaney was sent packing for hauling back Galt when he had earlier been booked as it ended honours even on the south side of Glasgow.
Queen’s Park: Muir, Finnie, Summers, Foy, Jamieson, Clark (Purdue 63), Lidouren, Main (McGrory 83), Kouider-Aissa, Galt, Block (Agyeman 63). Subs not used: Heraghty (GK), Moore, Gibson, Mortimer.
Stirling Albion: Currie (Binnie 19), McGeachie, Creaney, Nicoll, McLean, McGregor, Jardine, Bikey (Thomson 77), Heaver (Peters 81), Mackin, Willis. Subs not used: Banner, Docherty, Duffy, Wright.