STIRLING Albion go into Saturday’s derby match with Alloa at Forthbank three points clear at the top of Division Two after going down 3-2 to Peterhead on Saturday.
It was only a second league defeat in 12 outings for Allan Moore’s men – the other was at Alloa in September. They dominated the second half but could only manage a Stewart Devine effort as countless chances went begging.
Callum Macdonald and John Stewart had the Blue Toon in control but Martin Grehan pulled one back, only for Nicky Clark to make it 3-1 before the break. Albion lost Ross Forsyth to a second yellow card late on and he will sit out this weekend’s meeting with the Wasps.
Cowdenbeath are up to second spot, with Brechin third and Alloa in fourth after Allan Maitland’s side ended their poor sequence of results with a 2-0 home win over Clyde.
The Binos have won just one of their last four games – a spell which has coincided with the long-running speculation linking Moore with Morton.
That issue was eventually settled at the end of last week when Albion chairman Peter McKenzie’s demand of £160,000 compensation scuppered any possibility of a deal as Morton were prepared to offer the more realistic sum of around £30,000.
Moore admits he was keen to go full-time but accepts that opportunity is gone for the moment and Morton have confirmed that caretaker bosses James Grady and Allan McManus will remain at the helm until the end of the season despite presiding over four defeats on the trot.
“The Morton chairman Douglas Rae told me I was the No 1 choice and it would have given me the chance to go full-time,” said Moore, who penned a new two-year deal with Stirling earlier this season.
“I am sure I would have made Morton a better team but the clubs couldn’t agree a fee. To be honest, I think what Stirling were asking for was a bit over the top. It has been unsettling for the last couple of weeks, both for myself and the players, but it’s over and done with now.”
There is no doubt that Moore is massively disappointed at missing out on a chance to progress his career after seven years plus at Forthbank but he has the possibility of leading Stirling to the title and Morton could yet be involved in a relegation battle.
His appetite doesn’t appear to have diminished and only defensive lapses and poor finishing prevented Albion from taking something from Balmoor on Saturday.
Moore said: “Peterhead weren’t in the game in the second half but fair play to them because they got the goals in the first half. That’s six games in a row that we have fallen behind and that’s not good enough – we can’t keep conceding the first goal and expect to win games.
Unacceptable
“Some of our defending was really poor. We started the game really well but then they scored a goal from a corner and another from a throw-in and that’s unacceptable. We had the best defensive record in Britain a few weeks ago and maybe the players were starting to believe the hype.
“It was like the Alamo in the second half and it says it all that their keeper was named man of the match. He had some great saves but we had four chances from six yards and couldn’t put the ball in the net.
“Good starts don’t mean anything – we went into the match with a five-point lead but that’s nothing, it can be gone in two games. I would rather we had got battered and won 3-2 but we lost the game and we just need to focus on the Alloa match now.”
Peterhead boss Neale Cooper admitted his side were fortunate to claim all three points and said: “We rode our luck at times. It was a strange game with lots of chances but Stirling are a good side and scored two good goals. They put in some great crosses and Martin Grehan was outstanding.
“We were under the cosh a lot but all credit to the players – they defended well and our goalkeeper John Bateman was outstanding.”
Meanwhile, Albion now know that they will face Scottish Junior Cup holders Auchinleck Talbot in the third round of the Scottish Cup at Forthbank on November 28. Tommy Sloan’s side beat Fort William 7-0 in round one and held off a late fightback from Huntly to edge their second-round replay 4-3 in Ayrshire at the weekend.
Stirling will start as favourites but Talbot are going well in the West Region Super League and are likely to bring a big travelling support to Forthbank, with a place in the potentially lucrative last 32 at stake. Albion reached that stage two seasons ago, losing 3-0 to Celtic, but were knocked out by Partick Thistle in last year’s third round.
