Binos back in title hunt after hard-fought win
Cinch League Two
ELGIN CITY ............................ 1 STIRLING ALBION ............... 2
Stirling ensured it would be a happy Christmas at Forthbank with a well-deserved win at a chilly Borough Briggs on Friday night.
Fifth goals of the season from Paul Mclean and Kai Fotheringham rewarded the hardy group of fans who made the long trip north. Elgin had defender Ross Draper sent off but pulled a goal back through a Russell Dingwall penalty.
The result keeps the Binos four points behind leaders Dumbarton – who defeated East Fife 2-0 on Christmas Eve – ahead of a huge meeting of the teams on January 7. Before that, Stirling host Stenhousemuir on Hogmanay.
This Friday night fixture was Albion’s first outing since a 3-1 loss at Stranraer on December 3 and they headed up the A9 having won just one of the past 11 encounters with Gavin Price’s men.
This was an impressive team performance from the visitors. They limited Elgin to very few clear-cut chances and Kane Hester, so often a scourge of Stirling in the past, rarely looked like adding to his 22-goal haul already amassed this season.
Stirling probably merited victory by a bigger margin. They created more of the opportunities and put in a huge amount of effort to secure a precious three points against the side immediately below them in the cinch League Two table.
The opener came in 31 minutes when Fotheringham’s corner was met by Mclean and the skipper’s header was over the line before being cleared by a defender.
David Ogilvie
The Moray men missed a good chance to equalise shortly before the break when Draper sent a header wide but Stirling put the game beyond their hosts in 56 minutes.
Dale Carrick created the opening with a superb cross-field pass to Fotheringham and the on-loan Dundee United winger found the bottom corner with a brilliant finish beyond Tom Mchale.
Elgin’s night got worse on the hour mark when Draper was dismissed for hauling down Carrick and denying the 16-goal striker a clear goalscoring opportunity.
The former Cove Rangers and Inverness CT player had started his walk even before referee Scott Lambie produced the red card.
The home side were back in it in 66 minutes when Jordan Mcgregor was penalised for a trip in the box near the byline. Stirling were unhappy at the award, from which Russell Dingwall confidently stuck away his 13th goal of the season.
The Binos were rarely troubled after that and their second-half display deserved greater reward.
Carrick had an effort disallowed for offside, Fotheringham came close on a couple of occasions and midfielder Ross Davidson clipped the crossbar with a long-range effort in stoppage time.
It was job done, though, as Albion ended their 2022 travels on a high.
Elgin City – Mchale, Cooper, Anderson, Mchardy, Draper, Nicolson (Young 67), Dingwall, Findlay (Mailer 77), Macewan (Allen 41), Cameron, Hester.
Subs not used – Hoban (GK), Lawrence, Cairns, Macinnes, Antoniazzi.
Stirling Albion – Currie, Dunsmore, Mcgregor (Mcgeachie 79), Mclean, C Clark, Davidson, Banner, Denholm (Moore 90), Fotheringham, Carrick. Thomson.
Subs (not used) – Law (GK), Burns, H Clark, Meechan, Petrie.
Referee – Scott Lambie.