NEWCOMER NICKY IS SET FOR ANNAN
Stirling Albion boss Kevin Rutkiewicz is set to hand on-loan Rangers goalkeeper Nicky Hogarth his debut against Annan Athletic this weekend but isn’t expecting a busy transfer window.
The 18-year-old joined last week because of injuries to Blair Currie and Cammy Binnie and the son of former Forthbank favourite Myles Hogarth would have faced leaders Cove Rangers at the weekend had the match not fallen victim to the weather.
Rutkiewicz said: “Nicky got 45 minutes in a friendly against Celtic’s reserve team last week and he’s had a training session with the boys. He’s settling in well and looking forward to playing some competitive football, although bearing in mind we are still in the market for another goalkeeper.
“He’s a big lad and will bring a presence to the team. He is young but hopefully this will be a good development stage as well – he had been playing some games for Caledonian Braves in the Lowland League in the first half of the season so he has been exposed to the physical side of men’s football.”
He added: “We also have Owen Stott in training with us and he could maybe be on the bench as a trialist. He was in America at college and played with Queen’s Park before that. This will give us a good chance to look at Owen – he is a confident lad and he has shown up well.”
Rutkiewicz has ruled out a quick return to action for Binnie, who suffered an ankle injury in the recent 3-0 victory over Albion Rovers at the Reigart Stadium.
He said: “It’s very hard to pin down an exact timescale but another six weeks is probably the best-case scenario so I would definitely say it will be March before we see Cammy Binnie.
“I think he is devastated but he needs to keep himself positive. If he comes back anywhere near the form he was in before the injury then he will be fine. We can’t dress it up – it’s a blow for Cammy because he has had to be patient and he’s not even had the luxury of getting a run of 10 or 12 games before being injured.”
Another goalkeeper is the priority for Rutkiewicz and he believes the rest of the squad is in good shape for the months ahead.
He said: “The next target we get has to improve our eleven and that’s not easy to find. I don’t think we need a squad player at this stage of the season – we have good depth and have coped with injuries and suspensions fairly well whereas other teams might really have suffered.
“If we did do anything then that player would be middle to front. We maybe need someone with the X-factor – a goalscoring midfielder or a different type of forward. I feel the team has a terrific blend of pace, power and experience up front.’’