STIRLING Albion hit the Scottish Cup trail on Saturday when they take on Ayrshire Junior outfit Auchinleck Talbot in an eagerly-anticipated third-round clash at Forthbank.
Allan Moore’s men go into the game on the back of a 2-2 home draw with Cowdenbeath that leaves them behind the Blue Brazil on goal difference at the top of Division Two after John Ferguson’s stoppage time equaliser denied Albion the victory that would have sent them top, writes David Ogilvie.
Stirling have failed to win any of their last four Forthbank fixtures but are strong favourites to get the better of Auchinleck and book a place in the potentially-lucrative last 32 of the competition, which takes place on January 9.
Albion have never journeyed beyond the quarter-finals – a stage they last reached in 1989/90 – but will next month celebrate the 25th anniversary of their astonishing 20-0 victory over Selkirk in the first round of the Scottish Cup which remains the biggest win in British football since the 1880s.
Two years ago, the Binos thumped Stranraer 6-0 at this stage to set up a trip to Celtic where they performed well in a 3-0 defeat but last season they went down 3-2 to Partick Thistle and Talbot boss Tommy Sloan is hoping to dish out more cup misery.
Sloan, who has been at the helm for six years, said: “We are very much the underdogs but if we can stay in the game until half-time then we have a chance. I’m sure our club president would be delighted with a replay for financial reasons but we will not be going to Stirling to be negative. I don’t see any point in that – it’s a big occasion and we will definitely have a go.
“This game has been the talk of the town and we will have a big support behind us. I don’t know exactly how many will be travelling but I would imagine it will be 500 or more. It’s the biggest game of the season so far and the players will be up for it.
“We have missed the last two Saturdays because of the weather but that is not a big concern. All the players are fit and we have been in good form with five wins and a draw in the league and we have knocked out two Highland League teams in the cup,” added Sloan of the 7-0 trouncing of Fort William and the 4-3 replay defeat of Huntly.
Sloan was once a prolific striker with Stranraer and has plenty of respect for a Stirling team who he feels have an abundance of attacking options. Bryan Prunty has joined on loan from Ayr, David McKenna scored on Saturday and Martin Grehan is available despite being sent off for two bookings against Cowdenbeath.
He added: “I watched Stirling recently and the thing that struck me is that they are an attacking side. They have a lot of energy and are obviously a better side than we are used to playing in our own league. I know they play a 3-5-2 system and are joint top of the league – from what I saw I would expect them to be playing in Division One next season.
“I would love to see Auchinleck involved in a pyramid system that allowed us to move up into the SFL and have more of this type of game. The Scottish Cup is something of a novelty for us but the chance to be in the draw alongside Celtic and Rangers or to play Ayr or Kilmarnock in a local derby is some incentive.”
Promotion is the priority for Albion this season but for reasons of finance and prestige, it is vital that they overcome a team who qualified for the Scottish Cup by beating Clydebank in last year’s Junior Cup final and who have nothing to lose at Forthbank.
Scottish Cup history is littered with shock results – Albion fans hardly need reminding of the calamitous defeat to Gala Fairydean in December 2001, albeit with a team that are not a patch on today’s squad and finished second bottom in Division Three – and Stirling need to produce a better first-half performance than in recent weeks.
Again on Saturday, they were left to chase the game against Cowdenbeath after conceding an early goal and assistant manager John O’Neill said: “It’s soul destroying to have gone behind once again but the character of the players can’t be questioned.
“Even at 1-0 down I was confident that we could come back but we need to give ourselves a fighting chance and get the first goal. I thought we were the better team and dominated possession. David McKenna’s goal was a bit of class and he was unlucky not to start the game but Bryan Prunty did very well on his debut.”
Cowdenbeath boss Danny Lennon thought his side were worthy of at least a point: “It’s disappointing not to have won having been 1-0 ahead but Stirling are a good team and they have made a habit of bouncing back. I felt we had the better chances overall.”
If Saturday’s Scottish Cup game ends in a draw, the replay will take place at Auchinleck’s Beechwood Park on Saturday December 5, kick-off 1.30pm. Such a scenario would see the postponement of the Division Two match with Dumbarton and that game will also be rearranged if the Sons force a replay in their cup clash at Morton.
