SPFL LEAGUE TWO
Stranraer 0
Stirling Albion 2
SCOTT GALLACHER
A rainbow lit up the skies over a stormy Stair Park on Saturday – but it was Stirling Albion who found the vital pot of gold to secure a first win in three games.
Erik Sula’s emphatic close-range finish – his first for the Binos – gave the visitors a boost just before the break, before the three points were sealed late on with a thunderous free-kick from Adam Brown.
The result has lifted Stirling back into fourth place on 12 points as they prepare to round out the first round of league fixtures next weekend.
They had come into the match off the back of consecutive league defeats for the first time this season, with the home defeat to Bonnyrigg particularly frustrating in terms of both result and performance.
But while Saturday’s clash was a low-quality affair, the away side showed some grit to grind out a result which leaves Stranraer languishing at the foot of the table.
Binos gaffer Alan Maybury made two changes from last week’s game against Bonnyrigg Rose, with Erik Sula returning from suspension to replace Ricky Waugh and youngster Cooper Knox made his first start for Stirling, coming in for Cammy McKinley.
Stirling had the first chance of the game as on the 15 minute mark, with Brown’s low driven shot at goal blocked well by the Stranraer defence.
The game then entered a lull, with both teams becoming cagey and errors in possession, befitting of two teams struggling form and confidence in recent games.
But just as it looked as if the half would peter out to a dull stalemate, the deadlock was finally broken in the 43rd minute.
On-loan Stenny midfielder Brown’s free-kick into the Stranraer box pinballed around, ricocheting off players, until Sula was on the spot to smash into the net from close range, sending the small band of Binos travelling fans into raptures.
Matty Grant registered the hosts’ first shot on target of the day with an attempt to chip Derek Gaston from distance in the first real opening of the second half. However, his ambitious effort was overcooked and sailed high over the bar into the stands.
Former Rangers winger James Graham made an appearance off the bench for Stirling as a trialist, replacing Knox midway through the second half.
There was some controversy arose in the 69th minute as Jack Harkness found Dale Carrick inside the Stranraer box, who slotted the ball through Jacob Pazikas’s legs.
It looks to have crossed the line for Stirling’s second, but Alex Shepherd waved play on and pictures after the game showed that call to be the correct one.
Stirling keeper Derek Gaston produced a tremendous stop in a one-on-one with Matty Grant, denying him an last-gasp equaliser.
That save was to take on even more significance as the Binos secured the three points with a fine goal on 88 minutes.
Stranraer sub Tomas Brindley conceded a foul on the edge of the area for a challenge on Cammy McKinley and was punished harshly, as Brown drove a low shot into the bottom left corner of the Stranraer net to seal the victory for the Binos.
Forfar Athletic – fresh off their own victory at Bonnyrigg – will be the visitors to Forthbank this Saturday as Stirling try to make it back-to-back wins for the first time in the early League Two season.
Stranraer: Pazikas, Brindley, Cummins, Ross, Gallagher, Dunlop (Ecrepont 73’), Russell (Edgar 64’), Hawkshaw (Adam 72’), Guthrie, McIntosh (Woods 84’), Grant. Subs not used: Broun, Robertson, McKnight
Stirling Albion: Gaston, McGeachie, Sula, Kerr, Ferguson (McKinley 72), Davidson, Carrick (Hilson 72’), Brown, Knox (Trialist 59’), Dall, Harkness. Subs not used : McIlvaney, Featherstone, Weir, Waugh, Milne
Referee – Alex Shepherd
Attendance – 435