Students set play completes the double over Borderers
CAMBUSBARRON ROVERS ......................... 1 WESTERLANDS .............................................. 2
Rovers suffered their first league defeat of the season on Saturday but it was a deserved win for the visitors as the home side turned in their poorest performance so far in the last game of 2019.
There were chances at both ends in the first half with Chris Hendry, Gavin Anderson and Declan Valentine coming close for Rovers but it was the visitors who took the lead in the 40th minute.
Rovers had a couple of chances early in the second half through Hendry and Kyle Allison and it was all uphill for them when Westerlands made it 2-0 in the 63rd minute.
Cambusbarron made a couple of changes and with 15 minutes to go, Hendry headed home to give them a bit of hope.
Ross Weir forced a great save from the away keeper from a header with five minutes remaining but despite completely dominating the final minutes the Rovers couldn’t conjure up the equalising goal they craved.
You wouldn’t have to be a top tipster to have predicted the outcome of this game. Both meetings at Hampden last season ended all square and Saturday’s contest in miserable conditions added another draw to the growing collection.
Both managers were left frustrated at only picking up a point – Mark Roberts felt his side were denied a clear penalty early on and that the ball was over the line when they almost equalised in first-half stoppage time.
Binos boss Kevin Rutkiewicz bemoaned his team’s inability to put the game to bed after going 1-0 up and Stirling remain bottom of the table in terms of goals scored this term.
In the overall Ladbrokes League 2 standings, the Binos sit seventh in an increasingly congested bottom half. Back-toback wins for Brechin – the first of them at Forthbank 11 days ago – mean the six teams from Elgin City down are separated by only half a dozen points.
A win would have been a big boost for Stirling but it was arguably more important not to lose and the result was probably fair enough in the end. Albion lost goalkeeper Blair Currie to a muscle injury 20 minutes in and had left-back James Creaney sent off for a second yellow card in the last minute as the Spiders finished strongly.
It was an appalling afternoon for a game of football, with an icy wind whipping the rain round this vast stadium. It’s always an eerie experience watching
STIRLING UNIVERSITY .......................... 1 BERWICK RANGERS ............................... 0
Kieran Hall’s late goal was the difference as the students picked up a valuable three points.
The 1-0 win at Forthbank on Saturday meant Stirling recorded the league double over the Borderers, having won the away encounter 2-1 back in August.
The winning goal was the result of a well-rehearsed free kick routine. Craig Brown played the ball to the back post where defender Matty Burrows headed across goal and striker Hall arrived to scramble the ball over the line.
It was the only one in a game of few clear cut chances, as the visitors struggled to find any composure in-front of goal.
Stirling manager Chris Geddes was delighted to get the victory. He said: “We deserved something from the game. Berwick will be disappointed because they put a lot into the game as well. On a day like today it is likely to be one goal that nicks it and, thankfully, we got it.
“It was good to go in 0-0 at half time – Berwick had a lot of shots but none really troubled our keeper Ben Fry in goal. Berwick had a lot of opportunities in the second half too, but Ben probably only had one save to make.
“The boys were working on their free kicks in training, and it paid off. Matty laid it across the box for Kieran and he’s knocked it in to win the game.”
Stirling started well, and after a period of pressure, Jason Jarvis’s powerful close range shot was well saved by Sean Brennan. This was Stirling’s best chance in a half where both sides struggled to test the either goalkeeper.
After 35 minutes, Berwick midfielder Euan Smith did well to create an angle for a shot only 10 yards from goal. However, Fry was not troubled, as the ball passed harmlessly over the bar.
Berwick kicked off the second half and their best chance of the game came within 10 seconds of the re-start. Cammy Lumsden received the ball and split the students’ defence with a run through the middle of the pitch. He managed to get a shot away but, much to the relief of Stirling, it hit the post and went out of play.
The fast start to the half from Berwick buoyed the visitors, as they piled pressure on the Stirling defence. However, the defensive partnership of Angus Mailer and Ben Quigley did well to ensure Fry was not busy.
Gradually, Stirling came more into the game, and the additions of Conor Doan and Calum Heath gave the side more of an attacking threat. Indeed, it was Heath who looked to be in behind the Berwick defence and was brought down which lead to Stirling’s crucial free kick.
It was the 82nd minute when Heath won the free kick just outside the opposition box. Three Stirling players stood over the ball, as Doan rolled the ball to Heath. The substitute then controlled the ball for Brown, whose delivery led to the vital goal.
Stirling travel to Dalbeattie Star this Saturday.
Stirling University: Fry, Burrows, Quigley, Mailer, Downie, Cowley (Doan 64), Berry, Jarvis, Hall (Penker 84), McGale (Heath 69), Brown.