RUTKIEWICZ AIMING HIGH Top spot in reach for Binos
Stirling Albion have the opportunity to go top of the cinch League Two table when they play Edinburgh City at Ainslie Park tonight.
The Binos beat Forfar Athletic 1-0 at Forthbank last weekend thanks to a late goal from substitute Dylan Bikey and are seeking a fourthstraight league win when they face Gary Naysmith’s men.
City have elected to play their home games on Friday nights this season to avoid clashing with Hearts and Hibs fixtures in the hope of attracting more supporters.
Stirling have won on their last three visits to Ainslie Park, including 3-2 and 1-0 victories last season, the most recent of which was in April when Dylan Mackin claimed the only goal.
City made a slow start to this campaign but have won three of their last four games, with Ouzy See grabbing a late goal to defeat Stranraer at Stair Park last time out.
Binos boss Kevin Rutkiewicz said: “It was an important win last week to keep the momentum against a good, experienced Forfar side who I expect to be there or thereabouts at the end of the season.
“That win has set up the last three games of the quarter against Edinburgh, Cowdenbeath and Elgin really well and it’s a big game against Edinburgh to start with. It’s a chance to go top and I don’t think we should hide from that but it’s not a pressure situation because we are only six or seven games in.
“It’s just a great incentive to be picking up a paper tomorrow and seeing your team at the top of the league. Kelty obviously play but it’s a chance for us to announce ourselves and show that we are a good team despite a couple of bad results last month.
“I think the league is still sorting itself out – once you’ve played between 11 and 14 games you usually see how things are shaping up and hopefully we can consolidate our place in the top four.
“We have had some good results at Ainslie Park in my time, but I’m not all that big on what has happened in the past. It’s a difficult place to go – Edinburgh have won their last couple of games and kept clean sheets and have the chance to move level with us.
“I don’t think playing on a Friday night will make much difference to the boys and it’s certainly not a problem for us. I’m a traditionalist and generally prefer 3pm on a Saturday but this will mean I have the chance to watch one of our upcoming opponents.”
Winger Nathan Flanagan is set to return to the squad after missing last week’s game but Daniel Scally will miss out after picking up a muscle injury, which saw him limp off early on against Forfar, and defender Paul McLean is a long-term absentee. Albion Lotto
Numbers drawn on September 15 for week 56 of the Stirling Albion Supporters Trust lottery were 4, 15, 20 and 26. There were no jackpot winners so next week’s jackpot is £1,220. Three lucky dip winners each receive £20. They are I Shields (Lichfield), B Mitchell (Stirling), W Drummond (Stirling). qualifying competition.
With World Mixed Doubles Champion Dodds unable to make the trip, that saw the previous weekend’s skips Morrison and Muirhead work together this time around, along with Gray and Sinclair, while Aitken and Wright teamed up again, playing with Smith and Duff this time.
The Aitken-led GB Blue line-up came through the round-robin section with a perfect 4-0 record, while three wins from four was enough to let their compatriots join them in the quarter-finals, where victories for both set up a battle of the Brits in the semi-finals.
A hard-fought encounter saw Aitken’s GB Blue lineup edge 3-2 ahead after six ends and a steal of two at the seventh was sufficient to take them into the final.
Up against local favourites Team Kovaleva, they looked on course to take the title when they held the hammer at the sixth end with the scores tied at 5-5, but a steal by the Russians shifted the momentum and, forced to gamble, they conceded a steal of a further three shots at the decisive seventh end.