Robin Bairner Column – Part 7

Saved from relegation the previous week by a last minute David Lorimer strike at Stark’s Park, Stirling came into this match knowing anything less than another three points would not be good enough to keep them in the league. It was a dramatic end to a campaign which had promised so much at the start of the season after the 6-2 demolishing of Scottish Cup holders Kilmarnock but never again built up to those dizzy heights. A disappointing defeat a couple of weeks before the Saints match the Binos had gone down 1-0 to Partick Thistle, who would eventually go down.

Much of this game has, for obvious reasons, been wiped from my memory. Understandably the match was a tense affair with neither side really creating anything that was too clear cut. There was also a shower of yellow cards handed out to two sides both desperately scrapping for their Division One lives, no less than seven were booked; five of those were Albion players.

The goal which settled things came ten minutes into the second half and from an unlikely source. Hugh Murray, scorer of only eight goals in a career of around 160 games, blasted the Paisley Saints ahead. Kevin Drinkell tried to change things by bringing on Laundry Zahani-Oni for Gavin Price but it was not to be Stirling’s day.

It was to be a painful blow for all involved with Stirling Albion and one from which we only started recovering from last season when Allan Moore took charge. After seven consecutive seasons of finishing lower in the league than in the previous year Moore guided the Binos to a 5^th place finish in the league. Although we ended up comfortably out of the promotion race we held on until March, providing the fans with some much needed excitement and, more importantly, building the nucleus of the team we see today.

Hopefully under the leadership of Moore, Stirling can continue the fantastic sequence of results that has catapulted us eight points clear of today’s opponents, Stranraer, and twelve ahead of Albion Rovers, who lie third. Let’s really get behind the team today as a win would give us huge breathing space going into a tough month of November and remember to enjoy the good times as much as possible, you never know when they will end.