Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Reid: Make most of home double header
Albion Rovers boss Brian Reid has urged his side to get their season off to a good start after being given an unexpected home double-header.
Rovers were due to travel to Edinburgh City for their League Two opener on July 31, but Reid says continued redevelopment work at Meadowbank and an issue with Ainslie Park means the game will be switched to Cliftonhill.
With Stenhousemuir due in Coatbridge seven days later, Reid says he wants his side to hit the ground running.
He said: “Edinburgh are a decent team, they finished quite high up in the league and they’ve got an experienced manager.
“They look as if they’re making a few changes and bringing in some decent players.
“It was meant to be an away game, but I think they’ve flipped it because of the situation at Meadowbank and Ainslie Park, so we have two home games and we need to take advantage of that.
“You’ve just got to take what you get with the fixtures and it’s fair enough.
“We’ve got Edinburgh City and Stenhousemuir to start with, we know them well, and they will be tough games – as everyone is – but we’re looking forward to that.
“Hopefully we can get off to a winning front foot and take it from there.
“But that’s a wee bit away, there are a few games to be played before then, and we’ll take care of them as they come.”
Rovers are taking part in the North Lanarkshire Cup at Broadwood and clash with hosts Clyde on July 3, before kicking off their Premier Sports Cup campaign at home to Ayr on July 10.
Clashes with Falkirk, Edinburgh City and Hamilton Accies follow, before the big league kick-off.
Reid says he will use the run-up to that Broadwood tournament purely to make sure his squad is as fit as possible.
He said: “We’re using two weeks of pre-season just to get ourselves back into it.
“We’re not going to have any games for two weeks and I felt that was important, to get the players together and get the physical work done into their legs. The football will be an addition to the pre-season, that’s when you’re trying to get your match fitness coming in.”