STIRLING Albion boss Allan Moore believes his side can get theirseason back on track by beating East Fife at New Bayview tomorrow
The Binos were knocked off the top of Division Two on goal difference by Cowdenbeath after losing 1-0 to Alloa last weekend and head for Methil on a run of just one win – 2-1 away to struggling Stenhousemuir – in the last five outings.
Not since defeating East Fife 3-0 at Forthbank on September 19 have Albion managed a clean sheet and that was also the occasion when they last took the lead. They have fallen behind in seven successive matches – the most recent of which ended in defeat to Alloa when Andy Scott’s first-half penalty was enough to give Allan Maitland’s men all three points.
Stirling took 10 points out of 12 against East Fife last season and the Fifers have endured a disappointing campaign so far, with a miserable away record keeping Steve Crawford’s team in the wrong half of the table.
Two late goals condemned them to a 2-1 home defeat to Peterhead on Saturday and Jonathan Smart was sent off, meaning he will miss out tomorrow because of suspension while ex-Bino Paul Nugent is currently sidelined due to injury.
Moore said: “I still think we have the best squad in the division. On their day anyone can beat anyone else in this league and I think it will go right to the end of the season but we have good players. We just need to get back to what were doing in the first few games which was not giving away poor goals and taking more of our chances.
“We maybe had a bit of luck when we won a couple of games in the last minute and it’s disappointing to have thrown away a five-point lead but the good thing is that we are still up there at the top of the league.”
Only nine players managed to train on Tuesday due to illness and injury but Moore is hopeful of having most of his squad available for the first part of a Fife double header, with leaders Cowdenbeath – who host in-form Dumbarton tomorrow – due at Forthbank next week.
Skipper Ross Forsyth returns after a one-match ban and fellow defender Sean Roycroft came through Tuesday’s session but Stewart Devine has been struggling with a hip problem and Andy Graham is carrying a knock that he picked up against Alloa.
Moore added: “Stewart might need to see a specialist and he has been playing through the pain barrier so he is a doubt. I’m hoping that big Andy should be OK but it is just a case of seeing how everyone is at training on Thursday night.”
Attacking
Albion are likely to stick with a back three against East Fife, although a four-man defence would allow wingers Andy Gibson and David O’Brien to offer more in attacking role.
The central midfield area is one where Stirling are still seeking the right blend, with Devine, John O’Neill, on-loan Ross McCord, Scott Robertson, Paul Murphy and Liam Corr all fighting for a maximum of three places, with the latter having impressed as a substitute in the recent home games against Clyde and Alloa.
Martin Grehan and David McKenna are now established as the favoured strike partnership and have contributed 11 league goals between them but only two of them, both from Grehan, have come in the last four matches and Albion must start taking a greater percentage of their opportunities if they are to regain their place at the Division Two summit.
Annoying
Moore added: “We created a lot of chances against Peterhead in our last away game but not as many against Alloa, although we had a lot of corners that came to nothing. It’s annoying that we are not making more of our set-pieces because plenty teams seem to be able to make them count when they are playing us.”
East Fife have lost four of their last five matches but none of those defeats has been by more than a single goal. There are no easy pickings in a league where the top five are separated by a mere three points but by the law of averages Albion are surely bound to take the lead in a game soon. If they manage it tomorrow, it may well point them towards away win number five.
