Attendance : 516

Except for Paul Bonar making a welcome return to the squad after injury, Rovers were along the usual lines, with the exciting David Carr retaining his place after notching his first goal for the club a week ago.

Following a fairly tame and unremarkable start, Colin Waldie raced up the right and fired over a cross which home ‘keeper Chris Reid held at the near post. A few minutes later, a good move involving Waldie, Stewart Easton and Jamie McKenzie ended with the latter shooting just wide. Then it was Steve Hamilton’s turn to have a go, but he also missed the target from distance. Rovers were growing in confidence all the time and another excellent move petered out when McKenzie’s final pass reached a defender’s foot.

With all the pressure, something just had to give and after a good drive by Steve McCormick had been palmed aside by Reid, Hamilton’s 30-yard free-kick screamed through the defence - possibly taking a slight deflection on the way - and nestled snugly in the net, giving Rovers a thoroughly deserved lead. Then, in a couple of rare home attacks, Chris Fahey had to look smart to touch a fine Paul Hay shot for a corner before diving to stop another attempt at the base of a post.

Following the enforced substitutions of Stirling’s Darren Kearney for Brendan Crozier and Rovers’ Iain Diack for Steve McCormick, the interval whistle was just about due when Rovers doubled their lead. A long clearance by Fahey found Carr well inside the home half and when Reid left his goal to try to intercept, the youngster just got the advantage and kept his cool to knock the ball into the empty net from around twenty yards.

Stirling had their best spell immediately after the interval and a cross by Willie Stuart found David O’Brien no more than two or three yards from goal. Fortunately for Rovers however, O’Brien blasted the ball high over the crossbar. It was a bad miss, and although the hosts did better by having the ball in the net just a few minutes later, it was rightly chalked off for offside.

Rovers then replaced McKenzie with the returning Bonar and with his first kick - from a corner - the big man found Todd Lumsden who wasn’t able to get enough on his diving header, and the ball skidded well past. In 69 minutes the destination of the points was well and truly sealed when a Martin Harty shot crashed off the bar, hit Diack and trundled over the line. Although some sources "credited" the goal to home defender Paul Nugent, it seemed as if our Iain had got the final touch.

Rovers kept well on top of things and Carr might have had better luck after some wing wizardry before a magnificent Waldie cross was met perfectly by Diack’s head only for Reid’s feet to block what looked a certain counter. With five minutes remaining, Carr made way for Ryan McMullan. Then Tom Tait, well upfield, tried a left foot shot which lacked venom and McMullan saw a drive saved by the ‘keeper.

All in all, a most satisfactory afternoon’s work, and although the result from Dumbarton slightly dimmed the celebrations, we’ve all to play for in our last game of the season.

Stirling Albion : Reid, Hay, Devine, Stuart, Brannigan, Nugent, Crozier (Kearney 38), McLellan Beveridge 66), Williams, Cremin (Ross 66), O’Brien. Unused Subs : Butler, Bennett.

Albion Rovers : Fahey, McKenna, Lumsden, Tait, Easton, McKenzie (Bonar 60), Waldie, Hamilton, Carr (McMullan 85), McCormick (Diack 39), Harty. Unused Subs : McLean, Shearer.

Referee : Andrew Hunter.