Albion Rovers 1 v 1 Montrose 
Division 3
5th October 2002
Albion Rovers 1 v 1 Montrose
Division 3
5th October 2002
Click on photo to enlarge
Attendance : 380
Scorers ~ Albion Rovers : Diack (54). Montrose : Kerrigan (49).
If ever there was a case of two points being dropped, this was it, for although Montrose provided stuffy opposition, Rovers had chances a-plenty and really should have won in a canter. Having said that, it wasn’t the most entertaining match of the season, with just too many high balls floating around the skyline. Mind you, if the concerns about the Cliftonhill pitch are valid, it may be that the high road was the best option.
Rovers, with Charles McLean dropped in favour of Iain Diack, were otherwise unchanged and made early inroads to the visitors’ defence. In only two minutes, Iain Diack seemed to have been pushed from behind, but referee Downie ignored the half-hearted home claims. Then Jered Stirling fired over a low cross which was crying out for contact with a friendly foot - but there was none. In the ninth minute, veteran Kevin McAllister worked his way into good position but his final shot didn’t match his good approach play and visiting ‘keeper Jamie Campbell gathered easily.
After about twenty minutes, Montrose began to venture forward with more frequency and after Chris Silvestro, on the edge of his own area, was lucky to get the break of the ball in a tussle with Chris Webster, a Steve Kerrigan header floated lazily into Shearer’s arms and a long-range effort by Stuart Ferguson was plucked out of the air by the big ‘keeper. By this time, much of the action was confined to the middle of the field and fan interest was at a premium. In 35 minutes, John McQuillan - hassled by John Bradford - got in a fankle on the edge of his own box, with Campbell rushing from his goal to kick clear and avert potential disaster.
With four minutes remaining to the interval, Ray McKinnon was booked for a scything tackle on Silvestro and Stirling’s free-kick from the incident was goal-bound until diverted round the post by the diving figure of Campbell. A really good save at a vital point in the match.
Within four minutes of the restart, Rovers fell behind to a goal of the utmost simplicity. Grant Johnston, out on the left wing, sent over a well-judged cross which the unmarked Kerrigan nodded almost casually past Shearer. Although obviously rocked by this setback, Rovers set to with a will and drew level in 54 minutes when an exquisite pass from McAllister found Diack. To the relief of the home support, the striker’s instinctive drive beat Campbell and went into the net at the back post.
In 61 minutes, Montrose’s Johnston tried an ambitious 30-yard effort which slewed well wide, then his colleague Graeme Christie was booked for a foul. Minutes later, Rovers had another penalty claim turned down when Silvestro fell after colliding with David Craig. Rovers replaced the tiring Diack with Lee Duncan before Johnston completed a hat-trick of bookings for the Gable Endies. Near the end, Rovers’ Jordan Smith was yellow-carded; somewhat surprisingly, as Rovers only conceded the astonishingly low total of seven fouls in the whole match!
In spite of what we saw, there was to be no fairy-tale ending for Rovers and once again the Manager will undoubtedly have had some strong words to say to his troops as they prepare for trips to Gretna and Peterhead; trips which could go a long way towards defining the outcome of the season’s exertions.
Albion Rovers : Shearer, Paterson, Stirling, Smith, Cormack, Lumsden, McAllister (Mercer 79), Dick, Bradford, Diack (Duncan 67), Silvestro. Unused Subs : McCaig, Coulter, Fahey.
Montrose : Campbell, McQuillan, Ferguson, McKinnon, Christie, McCheyne, Craig, Johnston, K Webster (Gilzean 81), Kerrigan (Henderson 81), C Webster, Unused Subs, Gibson, Brand, McGlynn.
Referee : Jamie Downie
Man of the Match : Kevin McAllister
