East Stirlingshire 0 v 4 Albion Rovers 
Division 3
1st March 2003
East Stirlingshire 0 v 4 Albion Rovers
Division 3
1st March 2003
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Attendance : 273
Scorers ~ Albion Rovers : Mercer (5, 50), Yardley (35), McLean (85).
Put in simple terms, this was as comprehensive a gubbing as any team is likely to receive. Rovers were well on top throughout, their attacking play was relentless and their only gripe can be that they didn’t score even more.
Although the other results on the day also went the way of the form book, it was important that Rovers underlined the fact that they are genuine contenders for one of the two tops spots at the end of the season - and they did, with an impressive display. OK, Shire are having a difficult time of things and have little going for them, but nonetheless Rovers had to beware.
A delighted Peter Hetherston said, "Over the ninety minutes, we played really well. I recently watched Shire against Morton and knew that we would have to play well and fight hard to succeed."
Rovers got into top gear straight from the start and struck the first blow in only five minutes. A concerted attack ended when Jim Dick found Jim Mercer inside the box and the big fellow had sufficient composure to loft the ball over Chris Todd in the home goal. One up, and the nerves already settled! A couple of minutes later, Mercer might well have done it again, but this time his header from an Iain Diack cross went wide.
Kevin McAllister, a will-o-the-wisp Shire couldn’t contain, was having one of his daft days and in the 15th minute he collected a cute Mark Yardley header and shot for goal. Unfortunately he pulled it a little and the ball sped past a post. Oh dear, if only the wee man’s shooting matched his brilliance on the ball, well . . !
Midway through the half, Shire had a rare excursion upfield and although Stuart Kelly beat the offside trap, his strong low shot was well blocked by Scott Shearer. Then a Yardley drive was deflected for a corner before Diack beat a defender only to see his effort meet the same fate. The pressure simply had to pay off and it did so in 35 minutes. Jered Stirling took a free-kick out near the right touchline and when the ball was cleared out of the box, big Yards was waiting to blast it into the net. Although there was no further scoring before the break, it was a satisfactory first period for Rovers.
Five minutes after the restart, Mercer collected a good pass from Chris Silvestro and let fly from at least twenty yards. Swerving wickedly in the air, the shot deceived the diving Todd and nestled in the bottom corner of the net. Within a minute, Mercer lashed in a vicious drive which looked to have earned him his hat-trick but which was deflected inches past for a corner. In 53 minutes, Shire’s Kelly gave Rovers’ defence a little wake-up call with a shot which Shearer turned over the crossbar.
In between bookings for Shire’s Jamie McKay and Gary McCulloch, livewire Silvestro beat Todd with a daisy-cutter which agonisingly struck the base of a post and bounced clear. Silvio then tested Todd with a booming drive which the keeper held with confidence. John Bradford was brought on to replace Diack who was given a rousing reception as he left the field and the newcomer might have scored with his first touch, but the ball went past a post. Further substitutions saw Charles McLean replace Yardley and Andy Paterson take over from the mercurial McAllister. Needless to say, both departing players were accorded a rousing farewell.
Rovers just had to score again to gain reward for the incessant pressure and McLean duly obliged with five minutes remaining, cleverly hooking the ball into the net with a hitch-kick. So, the goal difference was given a significant boost and with a total of eight goals scored in the last two matches, the goal drought appears to well and truly over.
"We were extremely professional throughout and maintained our commitment right to the end", said Hetherston. "Wins at places like this are essential towards winning promotion. Now we must build on it, keep plugging away and see what happens."
There were many contenders for Man of the Match, but for his sheer artistry, Kevin McAllister gets the nod.
East Stirlingshire : Todd, McCulloch, McLaren (Ure 86), Clark, Allison, McGhee, McAuley, McKay (Livingstone 69), Kelly, Campbell, Skinner (Leishman 58). Unused Subs : Mauchan, McLenaghan.
Albion Rovers : Shearer, Dick, Stirling, Smith, Cormack, Lumsden, McAllister (Paterson 78), Silvestro, Yardley (McLean 74), Diack, (Bradford 71), Mercer. Unused Subs : McCaig, Fahey.
Referee : Steven Duff
Man of the Match : Kevin McAllister
