STENHOUSEMUIR 0 STIRLING ALBION 1 Abandoned – and one to forget for Mccracken
(Abandoned after 35 minutes due to frozen pitch)
This game had been moved from Forthbank to Ochilview earlier in the week to give it a better chance of going ahead.
Despite the best of plans, though, it ultimately failed to go the distance as referee Chris Graham called a halt to proceedings in the 35th minute with the pitch hardening, particularly in front of the stand.
For Stenhousemuir’s Adam Mccracken, making his league debut, it was unfortunate that the game hadn’t been stopped earlier as he was involved in a sickening collision with another Stenhousemuir player and was stretchered into an ambulance on the pitch.
It was during his treatment that the match officials had a conversation before ending the match.
The injury to Mccracken, though, was a football injury rather than one caused by the pitch.
Stenhousemuir had started the game the better of the two teams, but had fallen behind in the 14th minute when Dominic Docherty had taken advantage of a throw-in not being dealt with properly, though there was a touch of good fortune as his shot took a deflection to help it into the net.
This gave visitors Stirling a lift and they began to take control of the game, with Andy Ryan in particular causing problems, and he struck the crossbar in the 20th minute.
However, there will be few that disagreed with the official’s decision and the eventual abandonment of the game.
Then Andy Stirling’s corner-kick almost caught out Annan goalkeeper Mitchell.
The Blues managed to continue that momentum after the interval and it took a fine Mitchell save to deny Orr on the hour mark after Ayrton Sonkur’s long ball.
However, Mitchell could do nothing about Orr’s next effort on 64 minutes as he collected Darryl Duffy’s through ball and smashed home at the near post.
Things then went from bad to worse for the visitors.
On 72 minutes, Moxon was red-carded for an off-the-ball incident, before Paton smashed home from the penalty spot five minutes later after-shirt pulling in the box.