Elgin City 2 v 0 Albion Rovers 
Division 3
18th August 2001
Elgin City 2 v 0 Albion Rovers
Division 3
18th August 2001
Attendance : 623
Scorers ~ Elgin City : Gilzean (45), Craig (88).
Rovers lost goals to Ian Gilzean through a 45th minute Chris Fahey mistake and to David Craig - courtesy of a 88th minute midfield mix-up between Tom Tait and substitute Gerry McKenna. Mark Booth and captain Jamie McKenzie were ordered off and Martin Harty and Stewart Easton were booked. That, in a nutshell, is the match report, and it’s really all it deserves.
However, as the statistics show, there was much more to this ninety minute debacle than simply football and although referee Ian Frickleton was far from perfect, the display by Albion Rovers in terms of ability (or lack of it) and temperament was absolutely appalling. If doubts about McKenzie’s character required to be dispelled or reinforced, this was the match which showed that such petulance or downright cheating cannot be tolerated. He has had the benefit of the doubt on just too many occasions for them all to be bad luck or poor refereeing, and having been ordered-off in successive weeks, his career at Cliftonhill should be terminated without delay. Mark Booth, after being booked, albeit maybe a shade unluckily, for a foul in 61 minutes, let his feelings get the better of him just twelve minutes later when he just couldn’t keep his mouth shut after a decision had gone against him.
As far as the football is concerned, today’s match was played on as perfect a surface as will be seen anywhere in the game - lush, flat and almost of bowling green standard. Did Rovers use this to the best advantage? Not on your puff! Instead of playing along this super surface, we still hoofed the ball into the air at every opportunity, playing right into the strengths of the tall Elgin defenders and midfielders who had a field day simply brushing off the smaller and lighter Martin Harty and Ryan McMullan.
All in all, the day was a total disaster and if lessons are not learnt, and quickly, there can only be more grief round the corner.
As not one player in a yellow jersey was worthy of being chosen Men of the Match, the accolade goes to the handful of supporters who travelled a total of 388 miles only to be humiliated by the very people who should be objects of admiration.
Elgin City : Pirie, Mailer, McBride, Furphy (Hind 37), MacDonald, Tully, Ross, Rutherford (R Craig 88), McGlashan, Gilzean (Campbell 90), D Craig. Unused : Morrison, Rae.
Albion Rovers : Fahey, McKenzie, Stirling, Smith, Tait, Booth, Waldie (Silvestro 62), Easton, McMullan, Harty (Carr 63), Bonar (McKenna 77). Unused : Coulter, Shearer.
Referee : Ian Frickleton