Mackay’s men to play seven games in 22 days
Stirling Albion welcome Ladbrokes League 2 leaders Peterhead to Forthbank on Saturday as they begin a hectic spell of seven matches in 22 days.
Dave Mackay’s men were due to play Berwick at the weekend but Shielfield, like much of the UK, was under a blanket of snow. Then last night’s trip to Elgin was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch at Borough Briggs.
The Binos will now head for Berwick on Tuesday, March 13, and the journey to Elgin has been rescheduled for the following midweek. The home match against Edinburgh City, postponed just before kick-off on February 27, now goes ahead on Tuesday, March 27.
It means that Stirling will play almost a fifth of their season in the space of three weeks but Mackay isn’t fazed about the challenging schedule facing his side.
He said: “If I was a player I’d rather be playing than training so I don’t see it as a big problem. The league wanted the games played as soon as possible in case there is more bad weather and it just happens we have more than most to catch up on.
“We’ve got a strong squad and they are a fit bunch so I’m not worried about that aspect. We’ve had a fairly settled team recently but we have options if we feel we need to make changes.
“Andy Black is likely to be out for potentially the rest of the season after breaking his collarbone and Sean Dickson is still a bit away from a return but we’ll see if Willie Robertson can train this week.
“George Stanger did very well in his absence against Clyde and I know he is also doing well at Hamilton Accies, having spoken to Martin Canning.”
Stirling go into Saturday’s match against Peterhead on a run of five straight wins and are looking good for the play-offs but they trail the new leaders by 10 points, albeit with two games in hand.
The Blue Toon beat Clyde last midweek to go above Montrose on goal difference at the top and were 4-3 winners against Albion at a gale-lashed Balmoor in January.
Mackay said: “Our main aim recently has been to try and cement a play-off place and we still have work to do but we’ve managed to open up a bit of a gap on Elgin and Stenhousemuir.
“If we are being realistic, Saturday is a game we probably need to win if we want to claw back Peterhead. There wasn’t much between the teams the last time but the weather made it a farce and most of the goals were the result of mistakes.
“Peterhead have come through a bit of a sticky spell but we’re on a great run and we want to keep the momentum going into this busy run of matches.
“The games being off recently weren’t ideal but we got plenty of notice and we are looking forward to a full week’s training before the Peterhead match.
“It was a struggle to find indoor facilities but I know the guys were clearing the plastic pitch at Forthbank on Monday so we should be fine to train this week and the forecast is looking OK for Saturday’s game.”
March fixtures: Saturday, March 10 – Peterhead (H); Tuesday, March 13 – Berwick Rangers (A); Saturday, March 17 – Edinburgh City (A); Tuesday, March 20 – Elgin City (A); Saturday, March 24 – Cowdenbeath (H); Tuesday, March 27 – Edinburgh City (H); Saturday, March 31 - Elgin City (A).