East Stirlingshire 0 v 1 Albion Rovers

Attendance : 453

Scorers ~ Albion Rovers : Barr (30).

On arrival at Ochilview Rovers fans were met with news that three goals from three starts striker Ian Harty was out through illness and that Ciaran Donnelly was also crocked. When added to Michael McGowan serving the last of a two game suspension it deflated hopes of a win, but Irn-Bru Young Player of the Month Bobby Barr was once more the hero of the day!

Rovers first real chance came in eight minutes when Danny Ferry latched onto a long ball which was flicked onto him but he put it past the post from the side of the six yard box.

A combination of good goalkeeping by Jamie Ewings and naive shooting straight at him by the 'Shire attack kept the score level until 30 minutes. Ross Harris on the far touchline put a high ball into the 'Shire box which 'keeper Mark Peat and Craig Donaldson both got a touch to but Barr got a hold of on the six yard line. He ran away from goal to get space and just inside the "D" turned and unleashed a shot which entered the top left hand comer of the goal.

Shortly after the goal Rovers defence was split by a pass to Andy Rodgers who managed only to slip the ball across the goal.

Half-Time

A Barr interception sent Marc Pollock goalward and with just 15 seconds having elapsed from the restart the striker struck the ball over the 'keeper an bar from an acute angle. In 49 minutes Mark Archdeacon shot from just inside the box was unsuccessfully smothered by Peat and as Pollock closed in on the ball a few feet from the goal line Craig Tully cleared it.

Derek Ure put in a cross from the nearside which was met around nine yards out by a strong Jamie Stevenson header that went across the goal and out for a goal-kick. A Stevenson free-kick from around 40 yards found the head of Tully seven yards out and his header was stopped by a quality one handed save from Ewings at the foot of his near post.

The game ended with 'Shire attacking again and again but with no real punch in the last third of the pitch.

Summary

A hugely important three points for Paul Martins boys which puts them just a point behind the Falkirk side with a game in hand. Just as importantly just they now lie four points behind Montrose who are in fourth position (the bottom play-off place) with a massive three games in hand. Will Rovers make the play-offs come May? We don't know yet but a defeat today and many would have said no!

East Stirlingshire : Peat, Hay, Ure, Weaver, Bolochoweckyj, Tully (Dunn 85), Donaldson, Stevenson, Graham (McKenzie 66), Anderson, Rodgers (Cramb 66). Subs Not Used : Kelly, Newman.

Albion Rovers : Ewings, Reid, Fleming, Ferry, Benton, McKeown, Harris (Crozier 81), Walker, Archdeacon (Andreoni 72), Pollock (Adam 90), Barr. Subs Not Used : Trialist, Scott.

Referee : B. Colvin

Men of the Match - Bobby Barr & Marc Pollock
It was just too difficult to separate them!

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