East Stirlingshire 1 v 2 Albion Rovers 
Division 3
27th November 2001
East Stirlingshire 1 v 2 Albion Rovers
Division 3
27th November 2001
Attendance : 196
Scorers ~ East Stirlingshire : Gordon (4). Albion Rovers : Bonar (27), McLean (63).
At gloomy Firs Park, Rovers’ good away form continued with this hard-fought victory in a match which certainly would not have impressed the purists. Recovering well from a disastrous start, Rovers played some excellent on-the-ground football at times and it would have been something of a travesty if they had not come out on top at the end. East Stirlingshire had their moments, but they were few and far between, while the Coatbridge men might easily have won by a more comfortable margin.
With the match virtually still in the warm-up stage, Shire shocked Rovers when they took the lead in only the fourth minute. Former Cliftonhill favourite David Lorimer fired in a good low shot which ‘keeper Chris Fahey did well to reach, but could not hold. The ball rebounded to the waiting Kevin Gordon who had the easiest of tasks to roll it into the empty net.
Rovers gradually got a grip on things however, and Ryan McMullan embarked upon a couple of penetrating runs which unfortunately bore no fruit. In the 19th minute, Shire’s Roddy Maughan sent over a good cross which Gordon just failed to reach with his head, then Martin Harty was just a yard wide with a drive at the other end. As Rovers stepped up the pace, it looked only a matter of time until they got some reward, and so it proved in the 27th minute. Having won a corner on the right, Paul Bonar slung over a wicked ball which home ‘keeper David Hay seemed to collect before fumbling it and dropping it into his own net.
Within a minute Rovers had a strong penalty claim rejected, then Mark Booth drove in a 30-yard beauty which was no more than a foot too high. Ten minutes from the break, Shire really should have scored a second goal when a defensive slip allowed Lorimer a clear run on goal, but the advancing Fahey did his job and the final shot missed the target. Two minutes later, a goalmouth melee ended with Colin Waldie booting clear off the line.
Ryan McMullan, who had taken a couple of knocks in the first half, was replaced by Jamie McKenzie at the break and the newcomer was soon in action, sending over an accurate cross which Booth headed just past a post. In the 63rd minute there arrived the goal which was to be so important for Rovers. Paul Bonar slung a deep cross to the back post where Charlie McLean lay in wait to thump it home from close range - possibly off the post.
Shire tried to respond, but Gordon’s weak shot trundled harmlessly past the upright before Graeme McCheyne was booked for a foul on the quicksilver Harty. For a short time, Rovers then conceded ground to the homesters and allowed them more space and time than was comfortable, with Booth being right on the spot to divert another Gordon shot for a corner. Giving themselves a shake, Rovers surged back into attack and within a few minutes, McLean saw two great drives finger-tipped over the crossbar by Hay. In addition, a Harty cut-back reached McKenzie whose left-foot shot was just slightly wide and high. On the final whistle, Shire’s Ian McDonald contrived to get himself yellow-carded for a foul, ending a really sorry night for the Firs Park outfit on an even lower note.
East Stirlingshire : Hay, Ferguson, McDonald, D Todd, McCheyne, McGhee, Maughan, McAuley (Hunter 68), Lyle, Gordon, Lorimer. Unused Subs : Hall, Tolland, Scott, C Todd.
Albion Rovers : Fahey, McKenna, Lumsden, Hamilton, Easton, Booth, Waldie, McMullan (McKenzie 46), McLean, Harty, Bonar. Unused Subs : Rankin, Struthers, McCormick, Shearer.
Referee : David Somers
Man of the Match : Paul Bonar
