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Albion Rovers 1 v 4 Stranraer |  |
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Albion Rovers 1 v 4 Stranraer | |
| Bell's League Third Division 17th February 2004 |
Pics here at a later date
Attendance : 427
Scorers ~ Albion Rovers : Bradford (73). Stranraer : Collins (17), Henderson (24), Graham (74), Sharp (90).
Third division form team Stranraer greatly increased their hopes of overtaking leaders Stirling Albion by winning at Cliftonhill.The first item of note in the match came in the 4th minute when Paul McManus blasted over from 6 yards after Connolly knocked on a Stirling corner. There then followed a period when Rovers had most of the possession despite not managing to do much will the ball.
The game sparked to life in 17 minutes when former Rovers midfielder Lee Collins joined the all too long list of ex-players to score against his old club. The goal came when a Wingate free-kick rebounded from a melee in the box to Collins who smashed the ball into the net from about 20 yards.
In 23 minutes Stranraer doubled their lead when Stephen Swift saw his shot stifled but not cleared, Murray Henderson was on hand to lift the ball over Neil Bennett and a defender on the line.
Ten minutes from half-time Stephen Aitken tried a curler from outside Rovers box, Neil Bennett looked untroubled as it missed the target. Scott Crabbe had made the final attempt of the half when his attempt at goal was easily collected by McCondichie.
Second Half
The half started with a bang when Rovers youngster Ricky Patrick blatantly halted a Stranraer attack with a body check and was booked. Seconds later a Finlayson run up the wing produced a cross to David Graham but he couldn't control the ball and the chance was lost.
In 57 minutes a speculative shot by Scott Crabbe didn't trouble McCondichie. For the next 10 minutes or so Rovers once more had the lions share of the possession but were unable to translate it into shots on goal.
In 68 minutes Kevin Finlayson sped down the wing which was spoiled by a poor shot which Bennett handled despite it being off target. Next to try his luck was Allan Jenkins who spun round very quickly to drive in a low shot which Bennett picked up quite easily.
In 72 minutes manager Kevin McAllister made a change when he replaced Marc McKenzie with John Bradford. Within seconds Braddo fired home from the edge of the box and it seemed Rovers were back in the running. Any hopes of a comeback were dashed within the minute when a Stephen Swift through ball was slotted home by Stephen Aitken.
With ten minutes left Neil Bennett smothered the ball when Finlayson entered the home penalty area. Play moved quickly to the visitors end and Paul McManus shot from 20 yards only to see the ball miss by a whisker.
In 85 minutes a Rovers shot from distance was caught by an uneasy McCondichie. Just as the fans prepared to leave, Lee Sharp got onto the end of his 'keepers clearance and scored a fourth after the Rovers defence failed to trouble him.
Summary
It's no surprise that Stranraer are the top scorers in the SFL as they have some very quick players always looking for an opportunity to go forward. The surprise is that they're only second in the division although that may not be the case for much longer.
Albion Rovers : Bennett, Paterson, Kerr (Low 33), Sweeney, Smith, Stirling, McKenzie (Bradford 72), Patrick, Crabbe, McManus, Mercer. Unused Subs : McCaig, Connolly, Carr.
Stranraer : McCondichie, Swift, Wright, Wingate, Henderson, Jenkins, Finlayson (Turnbull 88), Aitken, Collins, Graham, Sharp. Unused Subs : McAllister, Marshall, Cruickshank, Meechan.
Referee : John Fleming
Man of the Match - Neil Bennett