Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Rovers sink further into mire
Mark Pirie The undoubted star man of Albion Rovers season. An ever-present in the side throughout the season, the attacking midfielder has been at the heart of Rovers attacking force this term and is the top scorer with an astounding 28 goals.
Impressive for a side languishing at the foot of the table. The skipper this term has battled through injury to attempt to help his side avoid the drop.
The former Kilmarnock midfielder has been industrious in the heart of midfield and has even been asked to play as a full-back at times. Always notable when not in the starting eleven. The veteran of lower league football has been the only constant feature of an injury-hit Rovers backline this season. The 34-year-old moved from League Two Clyde last summer where he was featuring as a defensive midfielder. However Brian Kerr switched him to full-back and he has played almost every game this season. Victoria made the step up to League One from Lowland League East Kilbride last summer and has enjoyed a run in the team since the departure of Connor Shields to Sunderland. He has chipped in with six goals in the league as well as four assists.
Quietly effective throughout the season. The Rangers loan kid has made a problem position his own this season. The Coatbridge outfit have struggled to find a star man between the sticks but the January signing of the Scotland under-19 keeper bolstered the struggling backline.
Notably a big miss while on international duty last month. Albion Rovers ......... 0 Forfar ...................... 1 Albion Rovers’fight for survival took another unfortunate plot twist on Saturday as Forfar stole all three points in the dying moments of the game.
Josh Peters netted in injury time to leave the Cliftonhill club level on points with Queens Park with only three games remaining.
The match was largely dominated by Forfar with the visitors amassing 11 shots on goal; eight on target to the hosts’two.
New signing Scott McLean, formerly of Kilmarnock, made his first start for Rovers but the tricky winger wasn’t able to influence proceedings in the way he’d have hoped.
Forfar started brightly and carved out several opportunities with Mark Millar and Michael Travis coming close in quick succession.
An uneventful first-half played in rain of biblical proportions was called to a halt with Rovers aiming to regroup and give a better account of themselves in the second period.
But Forfar again seized the initiative and could have gone in front after a goal mouth scramble shortly after the re-start.
Both teams were then limited to fairly long range efforts in a game which failed to produce much quality, until Peters turned his man in the box in the dying moments to clinch the points for Forfar.