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Stranraer 5 v 0 Albion Rovers |  |
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Stranraer 5 v 0 Albion Rovers | |
| Bell's League Third Division 1st November 2003 |
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Attendance : 480
Scorers ~ Stranraer : Swift (25, 55), Henderson (66), Moore (69), Graham (89)
When it was announced on the Stair Park P.A. system that the female match mascot, aged four thought the match would finish 5-0 for Stranraer the Rovers fans chuckled. They weren't chuckling at the end of the match when her prediction turned out to be accurate.
The first shot of note was made by Stranraer's Finlayson who blasted the ball over the crossbar in 4 minutes. A couple of minutes later Jordan Smith (starting a Rovers game for the first time in over a month) who was unmarked in the Stranraer box jumped to header a McAllister corner well over the crossbar.
A few minutes later defender Sean Sweeney gave visiting fans a fright with an understrength passback to 'keeper Neil Bennett but the attacker only managed in giving Rovers a goal kick. In 17 minutes striker Mark Yardley should have opened the scoring when he headed a Jim Mercer cross over the crossbar when it seemed easier to hit the net. This was in the middle of a period of about 15 minutes which saw Stranraer pound the Rovers defence only to see their efforts efficiently mopped-up.
Opening Goal
In 27 minutes Stephen Swift scored the first goal when Neil Bennett seemed slow in getting to the ground as the ball squeezed in between him and his post. Just a minute later Swift almost bagged a second when poor defending let him head on goal to see it go out for a corner which in turn was headed over by Moore.
Rovers hopes of winning weren't helped when Mark Yardley hobbled off to be substituted by Iain Diack in 38 minutes. Each side had another decent attempt before half-time. Peter Cormack was booked on the stroke of half-time for a foul on Aitken.
The Re-start
A couple of minutes into the second period a Kevin McAllister corner was met by replacement Iain Diack who saw his shot from all of one yard blocked on the line by Lee Sharp. From then on things went from bad to worse for Rovers.
In 55 minutes Swift grabbed his and his club's second when he got on the end of a Finlayson cross to ram the ball home from about 6 yards. A few minutes later Stranraer's Jenkins hit a Graham cross over the crossbar when he should have scored.
10 Men
In 63 minutes Peter Cormack received his second yellow card of the afternoon apparently for a clumsy tackle and was exiled to the stand. Just 3 minutes later Murray Henderson headed number 3 for Stranraer from a Sharp corner. Another 3 minutes later it was 4-0 for the home side when Michael Moore headed the ball over Bennett.
The next 20 minutes saw Stranraer in complete control of the play with many shots avoiding the Rovers goal more by luck than good defending. A Stephen Aitken shot rattling the woodwork from the edge of the box being the best.
In 89 minutes the scoring was completed by David Graham who jinked past a few defenders to drive a low shot past Neil Bennett.
Jordan Smith and Jim Mercer of Rovers and Stephen Aitken of Stranraer picked up bookings during the game.
Stranraer : McCondichie, Swift, Wright, Wingate, Henderson, Jenkins, Finlayson, Aitken, Moore (Kerr 81), Graham, Sharp. Unused Subs : Grant, Cruickshank, Turnbull, McCaulay
Albion Rovers : Bennett, Smith, McBride, Sweeney, Cormack, Farrell (Paterson 76), McAllister (McCaig 65), McCaul, Yardley (Diack 38), McManus, Mercer. Unused Subs : Stirling, Fahey.
Referee : Colin Hardie
Albion Rovers Man of the Match - None