Binos prove their point in league match
Important victory for squad
remain unbeaten on the road in League 2 after an earlier draw at Stenhousemuir and a win at Brechin.
There were three changes to the team that lost to Elgin, with Paul Mclean returning from injury in place of skipper Ross Mcgeachie. Kieran Moore replaced injured midfielder David Wilson while Dylan Mackin got the nod ahead of Declan Byrne alongside Ryan in attack. Sean Heaver returned to the squad but goalkeeper Callum Law and midfielder Dom Docherty were still sidelined.
Overhead conditions were perfect but the pitch looked heavy and uneven, after Rovers had trained on it earlier in the week, as the Binos made their first visit to the Reigart Stadium since a 3-0 victory in January, when Darryl Duffy bagged a first-half hat-trick.
They scored early again but not before Binnie had pulled off a terrific save to push away a shot from defender Lewis Wilson. That was only 60 seconds before Ryan gave the visitors the lead with a cool finish in off the post after he took advantage of some hesitant defending and moved the ball on to his left foot to beat keeper Ryan Goodfellow for his fourth goal of the campaign.
The Coatbridge club had already lost at home to Stenhousemuir and Brechin in League 2 but they didn’t buckle, enjoyed plenty of the ball and had a penalty appeal waved away in a first half of few clear-cut opportunities at either end.
Stirling came out firing in the second half and a number of chances came and went, with Jack Leitch’s deliveries causing problems for the home defence, which was leading a charmed life at times. A mix-up almost let in Moore and Mackin headed just wide as the Binos pressed for a second goal.
There was a big moment in the contest when Binnie made an excellent stop from Matthew Aitken with 20 minutes left and Wilson blazed wide from the corner that followed. Almost immediately, Ryan was denied a second goal when his angled shot came down off the underside of the bar and was cleared.
In the end, the ex-airdrie forward’s ninth-minute strike proved enough for a Stirling side who have suffered just one away league defeat in 2020 – an impressive run even allowing for the early finish to last season and the late start to this one because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Albion Rovers: Goodfellow, Lynas, Ecrepont, Glover, Wilson,
Allan, Wilson, Fotheringham (Jamieson 78), Baker (Leslie 78), Aitken, Doherty. Subs (not used): Henry (GK), Moore, Burke, Moran, Dolan.
Stirling Albion: Binnie, Mclean, Banner, El-zubaidi, Mcgregor, K Roberts, Ryan, Moore (Creaney 85), Mackin (Byrne 73), Leitch, S Roberts (R Mcgeachie 66). Subs (not used): Currie (GK), Thomson, Magee, Johnston, Heaver.
Referee: Scott Lambie