It could have been so different, but Stirling Albion legend Chris Aitken will finally make his return to Forthbank this weekend – in the opposition dugout.
The former Binos skipper, who turned out 132 times for Stirling across two spells, brings his Stranraer side north hoping to keep up a recent run which has seen them avoid defeat in their last two games.
But for ‘Tiff’, the return to Forthbank could be a long-awaited one after being on the verge of securing the Albion hotseat over the summer, before a sudden change of heart in the Binos boardroom saw the job given to Alan Maybury instead.
It’s an important fixture in both sides’ efforts to maintain recent optimism, with Stranraer coming into the game having avoided defeat in their last two games, while Stirling arrested a losing slide with a big 4-2 win on the road at Elgin last time out.
Alongside the return in the dugout, there is also set to be another familiar face for Stirling fans on the pitch, with defender Adam Cummins forming a regular part of the Blues’ rearguard.
Ahead of Saturday’s match, Maybury told the club’s Scott Gallacher: “They are trying to find their way this season and get points, they won 3-1 at Spartans last week so they do score goals, but like all of us, the focus is not conceding first and foremost.
“They got a 0-0 against Edinburgh last weekend and we’ve come out on the wrong end of results against them, so they’re a decent side and there wasn’t much in the game down there and it was 2-2 in the League Cup so they are all hard, difficult games.
“We’ll likely have more of the ball, so we need to make sure we’re not complacent with it, making sure we’re passing in the right areas and asking questions of them.
“Nothing really changes for us; we’re very aware of what other teams do and the players know that, we do our homework and try to find solutions to win the games.”
Stirling also enjoyed midweek success in their second Stirlingshire Cup clash this season, securing a victory on penalties away to Alloa Athletic following a 2-2 draw in the 90 minutes.
Ally Roy and James Graham got on the scoresheet for the Binos, who now await the final match of the group stages before facing a likely clash with Falkirk in the regional cup showpiece.
Maybury believes Tuesday’s match provided a valuable opportunity to get some time into legs – and provide another opportunity for the club’s young players to step up.
He added: “On the injury front, I think we’re good [for Saturday], we tried to use tonight to manage some minutes, fitness for one or two like Callum Crane, so we’re probably in a better position coming out of this game rather than we were going into it.”