Berwick Rangers 2 v 0 Albion Rovers

Click here for photos from this match courtesy of Paul Reilly!

Attendance – 471

Scorers ~ Berwick Rangers : Currie (70), Gray (80 Pen).

Albion Rovers slumped to fourth place in the table after going down 2 – 0 to Berwick Rangers at Shielfield Park, their first defeat away from home in the league.

Bobby Barr crossing to Marc Pollock to miss the target opened the game. David Greenhill jinked about to make space at the Rovers goal but his eventual shot was very wide of the target.

Pollock and Barr combined once more, this time they supplied Chris Boyle with the ball but he failed to get it to a team-mate in the centre of the Berwick goal. As danger loomed at the other end of the pitch a Mick O’Byrne and Boyle joint effort dispossessed the advancing marauder.

Pat Walker crossed the ball to Barr who put it over the Wee Gers crossbar. A hotly disputed free-kick awarded to Berwick close to the Rovers corner was headed onto the crossbar by Ian Little. Just a minute later the home side were once more denied by the metalwork when Alan Brazil had a shot rebound off the post from two yards as slack defending allowed the ball to reach him.

At the other end of the pitch Steve McKeown drew the ball across the goal and wide after much lead up play by his colleagues. Paul Tyrrell then had a low diagonal attempt stopped by former Rovers ‘keeper Mark Peat.

The Borderers missed a gilt-edge chance to take the lead in 36 minutes when Greenhill crossed to Brazil who was five yards from goal but still managed to put the ball high over the goal and have it land on the top of the net.

With the first half drawing to a close Barr took the defence head-on but his swerving ball was turned round the post by Peat.

Half-Time

Rovers boss Paul Martin rung the changes in the interval with Ciaran Donnelly replacing the injured Alan Reid and Paul Stewart replacing Bobby Barr who didn’t seem at all pleased to be taken off.

Fraser McLaren was attacking the Rovers goal but the effort was wasted when he put a low diagonal attempt past the post. Pollock tried to give Walker the ball but had given it too much strength.

In 56 minutes Boyle was replaced by Marc McCusker and within a minute O’Byrne sustained a knock but he had no option but to stay on as all three Rovers substitutes had already been committed.

A complicated move involving several Berwick men ended with Steve Notman shooting wide of goal. McLaren passed to Brazil who responded with a bullet header which missed the goal.

Stewart responded with a run and diabolically wide drive at goal. Next Berwick took the lead when a long free-kick by Stuart Callaghan into Rovers box was put in at the far post by Paul Currie.

A failed Stewart attempt from 20 yards was soon followed by Damon Gray being brought down in Rovers box in a penalty incident of the soft variety. Gray himself took the spot kick as Derek Gaston guessed wrongly and Rangers went two up.

With seconds remaining the impeded Gaston punched clear a Berwick free-kick. Then Stewart was leaning back as he struck the ball which had been cut back to him over the bar.

In injury time a weak Brazil shot failed to trouble Gaston and a Donnelly free-kick failed to reach a Rovers man.

Summary

A poor performance from Rovers, especially in the second half. Referee Charleston made the match a much poorer spectacle by repeatedly making the wrong call on throw-ins and fouls/tackles and issuing yellow cards all too liberally and inconsistently, none of which changed the outcome.

Berwick Rangers : Peat, Notman, Smith, McLean, Ewart, Callaghan, Little (Gray 65), Currie, Brazil, McLaren, David Greenhill. Subs Not Used : Ellison, Russell, McMullan, Radzynski. 

Albion Rovers : Gaston, Reid (Stewart 46), McGowan, McKeown, Benton, O'Byrne, Boyle (McCusker 56), Tyrrell, Pollock, Walker, Barr (Donnelly 46). Subs Not Used: Ewings, O'Boyle. 

Referee : Craig Charleston

Man of the match – Paul Tyrrell

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