Albion Rovers 0 v 4 East Stirlingshire 
Division 3
18th September 2001
Albion Rovers 0 v 4 East Stirlingshire
Division 3
18th September 2001
Attendance : 159
Scorers : Maughan (11), McKechnie (74), Lyle (80), Gordon (83).
This unmitigated disaster for Rovers was the biggest ever defeat inflicted by East Stirlingshire in more than eighty visits to Coatbridge. The most surprising thing about the game was that Rovers had probably slightly more of the play than Shire, but elementary errors at the back and the usual dismal failings in front of goal virtually handed the result to Shire.
Within the first two minutes Jordan Smith was out of luck when his header from a corner was stopped on the line and the next action of note took place at the other end in 11 minutes. A long ball out of the Shire defence was chased by David Menelaws who clashed with Rovers’ goalkeeper Scott Shearer just outside the box. Shearer was yellow-carded, Menelaws was carted off with what proved to be a broken leg and when Ian McDonald’s free-kick was blocked by the ‘keeper, Roddy Maughan was on the spot to rattle the ball into the net from an acute angle.
Rovers came back at the visitors, with Todd Lumsden and Ryan McMullan headers being saved by Shire ‘keeper David Hay, then with a great pass, Steve Hamilton found Martin Harty in the clear, only for the striker to pop a weak shot straight into Hay’s arms. Mark Booth was next to have a go, but two attempts in quick succession were wide of the target. With the interval approaching, Lumsden again headed over the bar, and Shearer denied substitute Derek Lyle with a good save.
At the start of the second half, Rovers again looked menacing, but without getting within striking distance of the opposition goal, and although Mark Booth appeared to be obstructed in the box, referee Alan Gemmill thought otherwise. Then, with only sixteen minutes remaining, the roof fell in on the lads in yellow. First, Shearer was unable to hold a long-range drive by Lyle, and Gregor McKechnie was sufficiently alert to collect the loose ball and drive it home from a tight angle. Six minutes later it got even worse for Rovers when Lyle latched on to the ball, outpaced the home defence and rounded Shearer to slide number three into the net. When, with only seven minutes left, substitute Kevin Gordon shot home from the edge of the box, Rovers’ misery was complete and the final whistle couldn’t come quickly enough.
Albion Rovers : Shearer, Waldie (McKenna 78), Lumsden, Smith, Tait, Booth, McMullan, Hamilton, Harty (Ingram 78), Diack (Carr 62), Silvestro. Unused subs : Coulter, Fahey.
East Stirlingshire : Hay, Ferguson, McDonald, McGhee, McCheyne (Gordon 50), Tolland, Maughan, D Todd, Menelaws (Lyle 13), McKechnie, McAuley. Unused Subs ; Hall, Aitken, C Todd
Referee : Alan Gemmill.
Man of the Match : Steve Hamilton
