The Albion - February 2013

Albi n£3.00February 2013Stirling Albion F.C. Official Magazine Issue #16

KIERAN MCANESPIE - THE DEEP END|AFRICA ON THE BALL |MATCH PREVIEWS|PLAYER QUICK QUIZ

the

FROM FORTHBANK TO AFRICA

@StuartKenny @DavidJChalmers

Club Executive TeamChair and Operations DirectorStuart Brown

Finance DirectorAlan Christie

Commercial DirectorJohn Hunter

DirectorDavid McFarlane

MembersGraham DouglasJim Thomson

Football ManagementManagerGreig McDonald

Assistant ManagerMarc McCulloch

PhysiotherapistStuart Phin

Goalkeeping CoachDavid Eccles

Kit ManGregor Dryden

Club DoctorMichael Beyer

Head of Youth (Admin)Stewart Taylor

Head of Youth (Coaching)Blair Cremin

Under 19 CoachesGraeme DonaldDavid Binnie

Club ChaplainDuncan Strathdee 0778 991 2259

Insidethe BoxStuart Brown - Operations Director

Editors:Stuart KennyDavid Chalmers

Contributors:David OgilvieScott BinnieStuart BrownFraser ClarkeGraham SwannGraham RuthvenGreg Barrie

Thanks to:Kieran McAnespieGreig McDonaldJamie ClarkBill GillespieAndrew JenkinGraeme Donald & David BinnieClyde FCMontrose FC

Photography:Deena Mobbs (redweb)Montrose FCClyde FCDave Murty

Design:David Chalmers

Printing: Mailboxes Etc. Stirling

Contact:[email protected]

Interact:T| 01786 450339E| [email protected]| stirlingalbionfc.co.uk

Club Honours

C Division Champions1946/47

B Division Champions1952/53

Second Division Champions1957/58, 1976/77, 1990/91, 1995/96, 2009/10

Division One Play-off Winners2006/07

Stirlingshire Cup Winners1953/54, 54/55, 58/59, 71/72, 73/74, 76/77, 77/78, 83/84, 88/89, 91/92, 98/99, 2003/04, 04/05, 05/06

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/thealbionmagazine/stirlingalbionfc

@StirAlbionMag@stirling_albion

Editors Notes

CONTENTS Regular features:03. Inside the Box 04. Albion news 05. from the dugout 26. The deep end

Stuart Kenny talkst to Bill Gillespie bout the Gambinos

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Albi nthe

Social Media

2 February 2013 / www.st ir l ingalbionfc.co.uk February 2013 / www.st ir l ingalbionfc.co.uk

What a frustrating start to the New Year it has been for Stirling Albion and the Binos support.

After a hard fought draw following the bells at East Stirling, two antagonizing one goal losses followed as McDonald’s men continued to struggle to turn their season around.

Whilst this baron run showed signs of promise for the men in red and white, perhaps the most frustrating part of the streak was the fact that the team didn’t have the chance to build on these positives as the following four fixtures were postponed due to the weather.

This fact was no doubt as frustrating for the fans as it was for the players, and everyone at Forthbank will be glad to get back underway today as the Binos play their first match since January 12th against a Montrose side enjoying the altitude at the top end of the table.

In this edition of the Albion magazine, inspired by the African Cup of Nations, we sought out some Binos fans and friends who have been helping out and spreading the Forthbank word in Africa. You can read about former Albion co-editor Andrew Jenkins work with Africa on the Ball, and Bill Gillespie’s efforts in developing the ‘Gambinos’ football club in Gambia.

All of this is of course alongside your regular content. Here is hoping you can gleefully read it as the Binos smash in some goals.

I’d like to pass on my best wishes to the family of Kevin Croall. I never had the pleasure of meeting the man but it is clear to see how much of an impact he had on the people around him. He’ll be sadly missed. Once a Bino, always a Bino. Rest in piece, Kevin.

Typical Scottish weather has seen call-off’s left, right and centre the past month, and has no doubt caused plenty frustration at the club. Not least the players, with Kieran McAnespie citing it as one of the reasons the Binos are struggling to string results together. You can read Scott Binnie’s interview with the defender on page 26.

We get to know a bit more about Jamie Clark in this month’s ‘quick quiz’ as he informs us that the three people he’d invite to dinner would be David Beckham, Steven Gerrard and a member of the Albion squad. Flick to page 18 to find out who!

Under 19’s coach Grame Donald also talks to the Albion this month about how the stars of tomorrow are getting on and the hopes for the rest of the season. You can read that on page 32.

I’d like to thank all the contributors for their work, without them we’d be helpless. We appreciate your efforts.

Last but not least, you might notice there’s some style changes this issue. We felt the mag needed a bit of sprucing up so we hope you like the new look as much as we do.

Enjoy!

A lifelong Stirling Albion supporter, Kevin sadly passed away on Sunday 27th January 2013 after a short illness, and is survived by his loving girlfriend, Louise, and daughter Hailey. Although born in Kirkcaldy, Fife, Kevin moved to the town of Dunblane as a youngster, and his love affair with the Albion started in the early 80s when he would cycle to many of our home games. A fiercely partisan supporter, Kevin always eschewed the passions of many others for teams in other countries. To him, the Albion was his one and only club team, and so it remained until the end. Around 1986, Kevin began attending away matches as well as those at Annfield, and it was here his long association with the Supporters Club began. Over the years, Kevin became a dedicated and committed member of the Club, helping wherever possible, and always making new members feel very welcome. A regular at away matches, Kevin always enjoyed the social aspect of following the club away from home, and few were more pleased with the eventual introduction of the Supporters Club Bar at Forthbank Stadium, an establishment he had long campaigned for alongside many others. On the field, like us all, Kevin had his favourites with Rab Dawson, Robert Docherty, Willie Watters, Craig Taggart, and Geordie Rowe probably sitting at the top of a distinguished list.

Kevin’s most memorable contribution to the fabric of Stirling Albion was undoubtedly the production of the hugely popular ‘Rave On’ fanzine. First produced in 1991 with the help of a willing team of volunteers, the fanzine spanned six years and over twenty issues. A true labour of love from the early days of paper and paste to more sophisticated publishing methods in the later years, the fanzine was a witty and irreverent look at life at the club, and was widely embraced by many fans. The decline of the paper fanzine due to the advancements in digital technology spelled the end of Rave On in its original format, but Kevin was subsequently instrumental in the production of the short-lived ‘Rave On’ online fanzine, and also produced sporadic one-off specials to coincide with various events. Kevin also followed the Scotland national team on many occasions, and was

an extremely patriotic Scot, both in sport and also politically. Away from the football, Kevin’s other main passion was music, where he was a keen listener of many artists, the likes of Roxy Music, Queen, RunRig, and The Silencers to name but a few. A loving family man, a great friend, and a true supporter, Kevin touched the lives of many across his 42 year journey, and will be sadly missed by all who knew him. Rave On Stewart McIntyre

I had hoped to be writing this month’s article on the back of a win against East Stirlingshire but unfortunately that is not the case follow-ing the mid afternoon pitch inspection. I strongly disagreed with the outcome of the inspection but was particularly disappointed that the official reason given was that “the pitch wasn’t conducive to football”. That being the criterion, it beggars belief that the Falkirk v Forfar and Raith Rovers v Celtic SFA Cup ties got the go ahead at the weekend.

February is still shaping up to be a busy month – weather permitting – with four home games already scheduled and the East Stirlingshire game re-arranged for February 12th now con-firmed.

I am cutting my piece short this month to make way for a late contribution which was to have been included in a special match day programme for the now postponed East Stirlingshire game; an obituary to Kevin Croall. The Club were to have dedicated the game to Kevin and his partner Louise and daughter Hailey were our invited guests of honour. Our thoughts go out to them and his family and friends at this extremely difficult time.

Kevin’s untimely passing came as a huge shock to everyone associated with SAFC. He epitomised everything that makes up a true Beano / Bino and he leaves a gap in the Stirling Albion family that will never be filled.

The words below from his close friend, Stewart McIntyre, capture the essence of Kevin, the person and the sentiments of everyone that knew him.

Kevin Croall (1971-2013) – Obituary

Montrose FC Preview

Jamie ClarkQ&A

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Africa on the Ball


Albion NewsJANUARY INS AND OUTSJanuary was a busy month of comings and goings at Forthbank as Binos boss Greig McDonald revamped his squad for the sec-ond half of the season as we bid to climb the table.

Goalkeeper David Crawford, who played for us in a League Cup tie at Arbroath in August, is back at the club after leaving Montrose and it’s a similar situation with defender Jamie Bishop. He was on loan from Forfar during December but has now penned a deal until the summer. Striker Jordan White has also signed until the end of the season after a loan stint from Falkirk and winger Phil Johnston is on loan from Dumbarton until May.

We are also delighted to have landed our former captain Ross Forsyth on loan from the Sons until the end of the season. The defender spent six seasons at Forthbank, twice helping us win promotion to Division One, before moving to Morton in the sum-mer of 2011. Welcome back Ross!

Gary Brass, Andy Hunter, Gavin Macpher-son, Mark Peat and Steven Weir have all left the club. We would like to thank them for their efforts and wish them the very best for the future.

SANDY SIGNS ONWe are very pleased to announce that high-ly-rated 17-year-old striker Sandy Cun-ningham last month agreed a deal that will keep him at Forthbank until at least the summer of 2015.

Sandy, who scored 15 goals for the U19 team in the first half of the season, made his top-team debut against Deveronvale in the William Hill Scottish Cup tie in Novem-ber and has impressed in recent appear-ances as a substitute.

Operations Director Stuart Brown said: “As well as being an exceptional talent, Sandy has a fantastic attitude and desire to suc-ceed. Huge credit is due to our under 19 coaches, Graeme Donald and David Binnie, who have been instrumental in ensuring Sandy has made huge strides since joining the team at the beginning of the season, having previously been at Falkirk.”

MIDWEEK MATCHESWe face a hectic round of midweek match-es following a spate of postponements. We are at home to Annan on Tuesday Febru-ary 19 and face Rangers here the following Tuesday before a trip to Berwick Rangers on Tuesday March 5. On top of that, the three-times postponed clash with East Stir-

lingshire at Forthbank will also be played on a Tuesday, date TBC. Looking further ahead, we have a midweek match against Queen’s Park in early April – this fixture was dislodged by the League Cup final at Hampden on the weekend of March 16/17.

BINOS IN LINE FOR LIVE TV DEBUTOur Saturday March 23 fixture against Rangers at Ibrox has been selected for live coverage on ESPN, with a 12 noon kick-off. We have never featured live on TV but our debut could be delayed as this match falls on an international weekend and SFL rules allow Ally McCoist’s side to request a post-ponement if they have three or more play-ers called up.

TOP SCORERS8 Jordan White5 Scott Davidson5 Mark Ferry3 Gary Thom3 Graham Weir3 Steven Weir2 Stephen Day2 Josh Flood1 Brian Allison1 Danny Ashe1 Jamie Clark 1 Gavin Macpherson1 Greig McDonald

DIVISION THREE LEAGUE TABLE P Pts1 Rangers 22 532 Queens Park 20 343 Montrose 23 324 Peterhead 23 315 Elgin City 21 296 Annan Athletic 22 287 Berwick Rangers 20 268 Clyde 21 249 East Stirlingshire 21 19 10 Stirling Albion 19 14

LEAGUE RECONSTRUCTION TALKSStirling Albion were one of 30 clubs who attended the SFL meeting on league recon-struction at the end of January, just three days after the SPL clubs had agreed to take forward plans for a 12-12-18 or 12-12-10-10 set-up to the next stage.

An SFL statement read: “It was a construc-tive and positive meeting whereby clubs demonstrated their support to take the dis-cussions forward and to establish the detail required to take the reconstruction pro-cess to the next stage. The Scottish Foot-ball League will now enter into discussions with the SPL to provide the detail required by clubs.”

Fixture ListAugustSat Aug 4 League Cup R1 - Arbroath (A)Sat Aug 11 Annan Athletic (H)Sat Aug 18 Elgin City (A) Sat Aug 25 Clyde (H)

September Sat Sep 1 Queen’s Park (H) Sat Sep 15 East Stirlingshire (A) Sat Sep 22 Berwick Rangers (A)Sat Sep 29 Dalbeattie Star (A)

OctoberSat Oct 6 Rangers H Sun Oct 14 Ramsdens Challenge Cup Semi-Final Sat Oct 20 Montrose H Sat Oct 27 Peterhead A Wed Oct 31 League Cup 4

NovemberSat Nov 3 Deveronvale HSat Nov 10 Annan Athletic A Sat Nov 17 Elgin City H Fri Nov 23 Queen’s Park A

DecemberSat Dec 1 East Stirlingshire H / S.F.A. Cup 4 Sat Dec 8 Rangers A Sat Dec 15 Berwick Rangers H Sat Dec 22 Peterhead H Sat Dec 29 Montrose A

JanuaryWed Jan 2 East Stirlingshire A Sat Jan 5 Queen’s Park H Sat Jan 12 Clyde A Sat Jan 19 Annan Athletic H Sat Jan 26 Berwick Rangers A / League Cup Semi-Final

FebruarySat Feb 2 Rangers H / S.F.A..Cup 5 Sat Feb 9 Montrose H Sat Feb 16 Peterhead A Tue Feb 19 Annan Athletic HSat Feb 23 Clyde HTue Feb 26 Rangers H

MarchSat Mar 2 Elgin City A / S.F.A. Cup 6 Tue Mar 5 Berwick Rangers ASat Mar 9 East Stirlingshire H Sun Mar 17 League Cup Final Sat Mar 23 Rangers A Sat Mar 30 Berwick Rangers H

AprilTue Apr 2 Queen’s Park A Sat Apr 6 Montrose A Sun Apr 7 Ramsdens Challenge Cup Final Sat Apr 13 Peterhead H / S.F.A. Cup Semi-Final Sat Apr 20 Annan Athletic A Sat Apr 27 Elgin City H

MaySat May 4 Clyde A

View from the Dug-OutGreigMcDonald

Hello and welcome back to Forthbank for what will hopefully be a successful month.

Unfortunately January was a particularly frustrating month. We were really looking forward to starting a new year and the prospect of a fresh start couldn’t get here quick enough. Once it got here we began tearing our hair out.

The Clyde result was a sore one to take. I think the boys took that hard and there’s no denying everyone at the club was disappointed with the outcome of a game we were aiming to win. And then came the postponements, which haven’t allowed us to hit back straight away.

Perhaps the postponements have given us a break and reinvigorated the team but when you lose matches you want to get back on the pitch as soon as possible.

We need to treat the rest of the season separately from the first half. We need to string some results together and we are capable of doing that. We’re in a transition period as a football club but we certainly should be higher in the league than we are. We haven’t been good enough.

We’ve made some changes and brought in some guys that will help us from now until the end of the season. The fans have already seen what Phil Johnstone brings to the team and Jamie Bishop will bring the sort of or-ganizational skills we’ve been missing at the back.

And of course we’ve brought Ross Forsyth back to the club. The fact that Ross has an affinity with the club is great and he’s a bit of a fans’ favourite in that way. But we’ve brought him in first and foremost as a football play-er. He’s a guy I’ve played with before and I know what he

brings both as a player and as a character.The new arrivals will provide competition for places.

Anybody thinking they’re an automatic pick in the first team is mistaken. The players we’ve brought in can play in a number of positions and that will be valuable as the season progresses.

We’re sitting at the bottom of the table. Let’s face it, maybe some of the players who have been playing with no competition for their place haven’t been doing the business. Maybe it’s time they got a kick up the backside.

Obviously with the new signings coming in we needed to streamline the squad elsewhere. It would’ve been no good for these guys to stay and not get near a football pitch so it was best we let them go. They leave with my personal thanks for what they’ve done for the club and best wishes for the future.

I’m pretty happy with what we’ve got and we’ve strength-ened in areas I felt we needed to improve. I’m not ruling out signing anyone else, and if something did come up it would be in the loan market, but we’re not actively look-ing to sign anyone else.

The next game is the most important thing for us and once that’s done the game after that. We need to string a few results together but we can only focus on one game at a time. If we do that the league table will take care of itself.

Greig McDonald

“I’m pretty happy with what we’ve got and we’ve strengthened in areas I felt we needed to improve.”

6 February 2013 / www.st ir l ingalbionfc.co.uk

Queen’s ParkStirling Albion

It was too little too late from Stirling Albion as Queen’s Park ran out 3-2 winners in an enthralling fixture at Forthbank.

Ryan Connelly put the Spiders in front in unfortunate circumstanc-es as the half-hour mark approached, with the Binos hitting back through midfield man Mark Ferry after the break. Whilst Ferry was on the scoresheet again following two successful strikes from the trav-elling side, the Binos could not turn their late hope into an equalising goal – despite coming antagonizing close.

The victory was Queen’s second successive victory since they suf-fered a dose of last minute heartbreak at Ibrox in late November, and it was the third time Gardner Speirs men had recorded a frustrating one goal win over Stirling in the current campaign.

Keiran McAnespie and Jamie Clark were handed spots in the start-ing line up as Gary Thom and Brian Allison missed out due to sus-pension and injury respectively, whilst the on form Graham Weir was absent for the first time this season to serve a one match ban.

There was also a debut for young defender Jack Stickler, and top scorer Jordan White was back in the starting line up to boost the Binos front line.

White almost gave Stirling an early lead too after finding himself through on goal with just two minutes on the clock, only to have his shot well blocked by Queen’s keeper Neil Parry before defender Ricky Little cleared.

Albion continued to threaten early on but it was Queen’s who would take the lead when a bouncing cross from Connelly evaded the stretch of both the Binos defence and Spiders attack to nestle frustratingly in the back of the net.

McDonald’s men looked to bounce back quickly, and came close on

several occasions through lofted balls and set pieces that highlighted the height advantage of the home side. With no clinical effort from the men in red and white though, Stirling went in one goal behind at the break.

Queen’s looked to have regained their edge upon their return, and Mark Peat did well to hold a daunting cross from Sean Burns minutes after the restart. The travelling side did make their possession count shortly after this though, and took a two goal lead when Paul McGinn smashed a stunning strike past Mark Peat from the right edge of the box.

Five minutes later Stirling pulled back a goal after a blocked effort from Davidson fell for Ferry to rifle into the net, and shortly after this the Binos almost drew level when White unleashed a dangerous shot which the suitably-named Parry did well to save.

Former Celtic man Tony McParland then reinstated the Spiders two goal lead with a commendably struck free-kick from 30-yards out, which left Peat helpless as it battered into the netting in the left side of the goal. Ferry would again put Stirling in touching distance though, with a headed strike from a corner with just over ten minutes left on the clock.

Stirling then came exasperatingly close to pulling level, with anoth-er high cross causing pandemonium in the Queen’s danger zone short-ly after Ferry’s second strike. Despite several Binos bashing the ball goal-bound though, the Hampden side somehow managed to keep the ball out, and when the huddle of eager players disembarked in the box, it was Parry who was holding the ball.

With no late euphoria for the home support, it was Queen’s who would have the last chance, but Peat would save well when Michael Kennan broke free as the Binos were left empty handed after a hard fought encounter.

Connolly 28’McGinn 54’, McParland 66’

5th January, 2013Referee: D. Roache

Att: 657

Pictures by Rajmund Bakonyi

Match Report

Queen’s steal the win in hard-fought game

Ferry 58’, 75’

2-3

PeatMcGeachieAsheMcCluneClarkMcAnespieJohnstonDayFerryWhiteDavidson

Subs:FillerStickler (86)Flood (68)McSorleyCunningham (63)

ParryMcGinn

RobertsonLittle

GallacherMcParland

ConnollyAnderson

QuinnKennan

Burns

Subs: Lochhead

ShanklandLongworth (85)

Bradley (67)Capuano

by Stuart Kenny


Stirling AlbionClyde

Clyde opened up an eight-point gap over the Binos as the Forthbank men slipped to defeat at Broadwood. When this was worsened by East Stirling’s 4-3 suc-

cess at Elgin, Albion were left four points adrift at the foot of the table.

Stefan McCluskey opened the scoring for Jim Duffy’s side midway through the first half but top scorer Jordan White equalised with his eighth goal of the season just after the hour mark.

John Sweeney hit the winner three minutes later to leave Greig McDonald’s men still without an away win in Division Three – with Stirling grabbing just two points from a potential 30.

Stirling had their chances, and Jamie Barclay made two terrific saves to keep out efforts in either half from Scott Davidson, but Clyde took advantage of our defensive frail-ties as they bounced back from a previous 3-2 home defeat to Annan.

Skipper Brian Allison returned to the side in place of Danny Ashe and Daly McSorley replaced David McClune, who was ruled out through illness as the Binos made their first visit to Cumbernauld since a 2-1 win in April 2010 en route to the Second Division title.

Clyde made six changes, which included debuts for on-loan Dumbarton duo Kevin Nicoll and Jamie Lyden while former Binos Paul Hay and John Kane were among those who dropped out.

Chances were few in the opening stages but the hosts went ahead when Gavin Brown did well on the right and delivered a perfect cross for former Shotts hitman Mc-Cluskey to net at the far post.

White hauled Albion level when he got just enough on Kieran McAnespie’s corner to beat Barclay but poor de-fending allowed Kevin Watt to cross for ex-Pollok mid-fielder Sweeney to hammer home as McDonald’s men lost to Clyde for the second time this term.

Mark Peat pulled off a fine save to prevent a third Clyde goal and we came close to equalising late on when sub Sandy Cunningham diverted a Ross McGeachie shot over the bar.

White 64’

12th January, 2013Referee: B. Cook

Att: 912

Pictures by Rajmund Bakonyi

Match Report

Sweeney seals the deal for Clyde

McCluskey 21’Sweeney 64’

2-1

BarclayBrownOliverGrayLydenNicollMacBethSweeneyWattMcCluskeyMcColm

Subs:RajovicFitzharrisMarsh (67)MacDonald (90)Graham (90)

PeatClark

AllisonMcAnespie

JohnstonDay

McGeachieMcSorleyDavidson

FerryWhite

Subs: Filler

ThomAshe (84)Weir (67)

Cunningham (67)

by David Ogilvie

The John Hartson Foundation has been set up through the determination of John himself as he con-tinues to battle through his horrendous ordeal, this is the character of the man, his main focus will be to

openly offer his experience in going through a traumatic time since he was diagnosed with Testicular Cancer after ignoring a lump for 4 years, John admits himself that if he was aware of how easy it was to

get checked and that Testicular Cancer is over 90% curable if caught early enough he probably would not have had to go through the brain operations, lung operations and over 60 sessions of chemotherapy.The aims and objectives of the Foundation will be to raise awareness of Testicular Cancer and how easy

and most of all how important it is to check yourself on a regular basis, the foundation will also raise funds to provide cancer organisations more support throughout the UK.

www.johnhartsonfoundation.com

3February 2013 / www.st ir l ingalbionfc.co.uk

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WEARETHE

GAMBINOSAlbion Editor Stuart Kenny talks to

Bill Gillespie; Stirling Albion fan representative and founder of Gambian

football side Gambinos.

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EVER since his first journey to Gambia in 2009, former Stirling Albion fan representative Bill Gillespie has been helping gradually increase the status of a small football club in the village of Mandinary in the Western region of the African country.

Gillespie’s first experience watching the team saw them sporting a variation of unmatching strips, and he quickly moved to kit the side out in proper uniforms. Needless to say, everyone within the village was vastly grateful to the Stirling supporter for attracting more talented locals to the team and making them the smartest players in the area, and as a thank you for his efforts, Gillespie was given the honour of renaming the club last year. In a stroke of pure genius, he called them the Gambinos.

The Albion recently caught up with Gillespie to talk about how he first got involved with the Gambian club, how the side have improved since he began his contributions, and to discuss the ins and outs of a small town in Africa that now proudly support Stirling Albion.“We first decided to visit the Gambia as it was our 25th wedding anniversary and we wanted to go somewhere different to celebrate it,” said Gillespie. “We booked with the Gambian Experience into the five star Kairaba hotel which is situated next to the Atlantic Ocean and has its own private beach.

“We had a fantastic holiday and the staff could not do enough for you everywhere you go the locals are always smiling.

“Janet and I then became involved with the local football team when we decided we would help a local family by sponsoring them.

“They invited us to their village to meet the family and have some Gambian lunch. We went to their home which is called Mandinari and is about 20 miles inland from the tourist area, and while we were there Morrow, the young man that we sponsored, told me that there was a game on with another village and asked if we would like to go and see it; it was a semi-final cup game.

“When we went to the game I was amazed at the size of the crowd watching the game. There must have been several hundred from both villages there to support their team.”

Whilst the ambition and enthusiasm was undoubtedly present on and off the pitch though, the facilities


and kit of the African sides did not have such a pleasing impression on the travelling Gillespie.

The plight of the side moved the Binos fan and in no time at all he was putting together ideas for how he could help the club progress.

Gillespie said: “The village team had no full football kit [when we arrived]. They had yellow tops but different coloured shorts and socks. I laughed as one player had a red sock on one foot and a green sock on the other.

“The facilities are really non-existent – they play on a sandy pitch. It has goal posts and two old torn nets and there are no changing rooms or showering facilities so the teams have to get changed at the side of the park.

“When I saw that they had no kit I thought, ‘surely I can try and get some decent kit for them when I get home’.

“I contacted Raymond Dormer who at that time managed Stirling City under-19s. Raymond very kindly gave me three sets of football kit and I picked the best one and took it over the year. When the team saw their new kit they were delighted – it was their first full kit.

“Word soon got around the village and soon the better players in the village had joined the team,” continued Gillespie. “The following year I got a football kit from Craig Watson, the coach of Claremont F.C, It was a Milan replica and again they were over the moon.”

“The coach came to me when I gave him the Milan kit and said the team would like me to give them a name, and as I am an Albion supporter I had no hesitation in naming them the Gambinos. I explained all about the Binos and now it seems that the whole village follows our games.

“James Adamson, a friend of mine, is the captain of Milton Arms and has played for them many years. I asked James if he would find out if Milton would like to donate a set of kit so he asked Pat Griffin and he very kindly supplied me with a full red kit in great condition.

“Michael McPake works for the S.F.A. Central Office and asked Michael if they had any training kit that was spare, second hand or obsolete, and he and the rest of the office staff came up with a set of Scotland strips, training balls and marking cones.

“The “We are the Gambinos” banner was made and donated by John at Lasting Impressions.”

Not only has Gillespie’s work notably improved the image and status of the team now known as the Gambinos, it has also helped the club significantly improve their results.

“In the four years that we have been sponsoring the Gambinos and with the help of Albion and Stirling folk, the Gambinos have become one of the best teams in that region and are invited to take part in a lot of local cup competitions,” he said.

“This year they are the league leaders and they also got to the final of the West Coast Cup final, although they were beaten 4-3 on penalties.

“This year they had four players and their coach signed for teams in the Gambian Third Division, which is a bit like our Amateur League. The players were Aliue Jarju, player of the year, Jakaria Darboe, the leading goalscorer with eight goals so far, Lamin Bojang, Babou Ceesay, and the coach Soul Ceesay, who was signed as assistant coach to a Third Division team.”

For the future, Gillespie dreams of increasing the connection with the Binos and the Gambinos beyond just a similar title to a form of partnership. He continued: “My hope is to get a connection between the Gambinos and our Binos which if it happens can be great for everyone. The Gambinos just now have three teams; the under 14s, under 16s, and the senior team.

“It would be fantastic if one day the Gambinos could play in the Albion kit. I am on the Stirling Albion official site every other day as well as the Red Web forum so I am well up to date even on holiday.

“It is expensive to get the kit over by air freight – 25 kilos usually costs us £120 and this year we sent over 65 kilos, which cost us £250.

“We raise this money by having charity clothes nights, my wife’s idea, and I save all my spare change for the year. It is well worth the effort when you see how they all appreciate what we do to help them.”

GAMBIA ON THE AFRICAN CUP OF NATIONS “THE Gambian national team were very disappointed not to qualify for the African Cup of Nations.

“They have had three coaches in two years. Football is massive in Gambia and everywhere you go there are teams playing football at all times of the day. As there is no employment for the young men they turn to football and play on the sand pitches. There are some very skill full players there.”

“It would be fantastic if one day the Gambinos could play in the Albion kit. I am on the Stirling Albion official site every other day as well as the Red Web forum so I am well up to date even on holiday.”

89 Barnton Street

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On the 25th March 2010, Eilidh Brown passed away after a 14 month battle with Germ Cell Cancer.She was 9 days short of her 16th birthday.

The Eilidh Brown Memorial Fund has been set up by her family to make Eilidh’s wish, of helping others in her situation, come true. The aim of the Memorial Fund is to build and maintain a respite holiday home in the Stirling area for young people and their fam-ilies who are in treatment for or recovering from cancer. A place where, not only the families can relax and spend quality time to-gether, but they can make memories that will last a lifetime.

Before Eilidh passed away, the family took a holiday to Calum’s Cabin, it was their last holiday together. Eilidh wanted other fami-lies to have the opportunity to do this too.

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PlayerQuickQuizwith Jamie Clark

Date of birth: 08/05/93

Age: 19

Position: Defender

Albion debut: Falkirk 3-0 Stirling Albion, Ramsdens Cup round one, 28/07/12

What youth teams did you play for before joining Stir-ling? Syngenta Boys Club then Alloa (U15s -U19s)

Where do you live? Larbert

What do you work as outside of football? Pension Ad-ministrator

What’s the best goal you have scored? I don’t score many but my goal vs Annan on my league debut is up there

Biggest influence on your career? Has to be my mum and dad

Best ground played at? I’ve played at Hampden but I’m going to go for the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium in Inverness where we beat England 1-0 with the Scotland Schoolboys U18s on Sky Sports

Most difficult opponent? Not sure on this one but Lyle Taylor at Falkirk was very good

What’s the best thing about being a footballer? The 3 o’clock buzz on a game day

And the worst? Having to listen to Gary Thom’s music on the way to training

What’s the last football match you went to see? Liver-pool vs Chelsea

Who are your best pals in football? Graeme MacGregor (ex-St Mirren), Callum Tapping (Hearts), Robbie Thom-son (Celtic), Ross McGeachie and Bradley Coyne (Binos)

Worst dressed player at the club? Most will probably say me but I’m going for Stephen Day

Who’s the joker in the dressing room? Kieran McAne-spie and David McClune

What would be your perfect weekend? A quiet day at work on Friday, Binos win on Saturday, Nando’s with my mates then a chilled out Sunday

If you could have three people over for dinner, who would they be? David Beckham, Steven Gerrard and Kieran McAnespie

Who would be your dream date? Beyonce or Rihanna or both!

What was the last film you went to see? Gangster Squad

What’s your favourite band/musician? Not really got one. However, I do like some dance/house music before games

Favourite food? Nando’s Chicken

Favourite holiday destination? Ibiza

Favourite TV programme? Geordie Shore or The Only Way Is Essex

Any hobbies? I like a game of badminton now and again

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5210 Stirling Albion 1/2 page:Layout 1 30/06/2011 14:34 Page 1


> Ross Forsyth with the Division 2 Trophy at the end of the 2009/2010 season

23February 2013 / www.st ir l ingalbionfc.co.uk

Q & Awith former Albion Editor

and Africa on the Ballco-founder Andrew Jenkin

THREE years ago, former co-editor of The Albion match magazine Andrew Jenkin formed Africa on the Ball – an organization set up to bring social development, education and enjoyment into the deprived communities of Africa through the beautiful game.

Indeed, the motto of the charity, which operates in Lusaka in the heart of Zambia, is to “change lives through football”, and since its formation the set up has helped the sporting presence grow in the surrounding areas, and helped African locals grow socially and mentally in the process.

Stuart Kenny caught up with University of Stirling graduate Jenkins to discuss how the charitable company first got off the ground, how it has helped the relevant neighbourhoods, and what the future aims are for Africa on the Ball.

How did Africa on the Ball get started then?“Africa on the Ball started in 2010 when I was working on UK Sport’s IDEALS (International Development through Excellence and Leadership in Sport).

“I spent four months in Zambia working with UK University students helping them deliver sport sessions in deprived areas of Lusaka. These sport sessions were, and still are, based around educating underprivileged children through P.E and Sport.

“It was a philosophy I was very passionate about and led to the creation of Africa on the Ball, which uses these ideals but in the creation of league teams in communities across the continent.

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as previously there was no system in place for keeping the community pitch clean.

“We’ve also been able to pay our coaches a little bit of money each week which helps with high unemployment issues in the area.”

How important is football to the kids development in Zambia?“Crucial. It’s one of the few things that children can learn some of life’s biggest skills through. Through our team and community outreach project we’ve been able to educate about important things like teamwork, leadership, communication and dedication which will aid every child we work with in the long-term. Football teaches all these things without people always realising it.”

Do you feel the game acts as a necessary distraction in a community of poverty?“Very much so – one of our coaches Kelvin used to be an alcoholic, which is common for kids his age with few other distractions in life. When he got involved in coaching the team it provided an avenue for him to gain focus and he has since quit drinking, demonstrating the impact football and other sports can provide.”

What does the upcoming year hold for Africa on the Ball? Are there any particular targets?“As a community owned club, like Stirling Albion, we hope to develop our community outreach work for the benefit of our members. Our work with Sandlanders will lead to employment, entrepreneur and health workshops for all the community to help aid their causes.

“Our focus now turns to examining every way we can be of aid to the community of Kalingalinga and how the team can become a focal point for the development of everyone.

“We’re looking to invest in things which can yield long term profit which can feed back into every element of the community’s development. If we can continue to rise up the leagues in the process that is an added bonus as we’d like to show our model is successful and could be replicated elsewhere.”

How can people get involved and help your cause?“People can like on Twitter, Facebook and visit our website www.africaontheball.com for more information on the project. They’re more than welcome to leave a small donation or purchase an item from our club store. There is information on our next fundraiser up there too.”

Finally, Zambia, of course, won the African Cup of Nations in 2012. What does the tournament mean to the people over there? Could it inspire more kids to play?“Immensely, the Zambian national team is a huge source of pride for all throughout the country, especially after last year’s epic victory. It has shown that perseverance and dedication can be rewarded and the club has seen the benefits of that inspiration.”

“In the future, we’d like the club to become a fair play academy with the profit from the sale of any players going straight back to the community.”

“The IDEALS project is an excellent program but I wanted to take Africa on the Ball a step further and rather have it rely upon Western students. I wanted to empower those African communities to run sport teams themselves by teaching those philosophies in a more competitive environment, but still with a big focus on equality and involving everyone regardless of ability, age, sex, religion or health.

“Consequently we established a team in the community of Kalingalinga based around this belief for football and international development.”

How has the charity progressed since its creation?“The organisation has progressed immensely since its inception and we’re continually striving to develop it for the benefit of Kalingalinga. Since we registered our Under 17s team in the Zambian league it has gained back to back promotion.

“We’ve also recently been accepted as a Sandlanders member who will help convert the club into a community cooperative and owned by the people of Kalingalinga – helping to empower them.

“Our future plan is, whilst still wanting to remain a competitive league club (we’re now in Zambia’s fourth tier), to become more of a social enterprise and invest in a team bus which can be run as a business when not required by the club for the benefit of Kalingalinga. We’ve also got plans to invest in a 3G pitch which we’d be able to lease out and bring profit into Kalingalinga which can be spent on infrastructure development, education and healthcare for all members of the community.

“In the future, we’d like the club to become a fair play academy with the profit from the sale of any players going straight back to the community.

“Whilst when we started our focus was upon getting the club and coaches up and running, we’re now looking to the more community developmental aspects of the organisation.

Can you provide some examples of the kind of fundraising you have undergone with the charity?“Fundraising has always been the biggest problem for us as we’re still a very small project with no full-time staff and just enough money to back the club in the league. All the money we’ve been able to invest in our project has come from the generosity of a small group of monthly donors and events such as football tournaments – the next event we’re running is a 6-a-side tournament at Stirling Uni on 24th March (visit www.africaontheball.com for information on entering).

“However, with small budgets we’ve been able to achieve big things including the sponsorship of one of our defenders Mabvuto Mbewe – who has lost both his parents and previously couldn’t afford to finish his education. Our philosophy is that you don’t always value things which come free, so whilst Mabvuto may not be able to repay us financial, he is paying it back in kind to the community of Kalingalinga by taking on litter picking duties


You want to see the U19s, what a team they have. We played them in a bounce game last week and the wee touches and passes were great, their coaches have got them playing some really nice stuff.

SB: With Stirling bottom of the Third Division, is it fair to say that the first half of the campaign didn’t quite go to plan?

KM: Yes, it hasn’t gone as planned by any stretch of the imagination. We started the season with a win, had a run of defeats then we got the big win against Rangers. We had too long a break after that win - when we played Montrose it was two weeks that had gone by, so the momentum had been cut. That’s been our problem; we haven’t been giving ourselves a chance to get any momentum. Any time we look to be about to kick on, we have a break and lose the momentum. We need to be playing every week.

The league table doesn’t lie and we can’t get away from that. We are where we are because we’ve not performed and we’ve not won games. We picked up the performances over Christmas though and we got a couple of wins. I think that’s the most important thing, that the level of per-formance has increased.

The expectation for the team at the beginning of the season was playoff contention, did you agree with that view at the time?

Absolutely, the reason I came down here is because I fancied another Third Division title. When I spoke to the manager and chairman in the board room I said ‘What’s the bonus for winning the league?’ and Stuart laughed and told me we’d cross that bridge when we came to it, but I told him I was here to win a league. That was certainly my intention before Rangers came down and it was the manager’s intention as well.

Do the team have a specific target in mind for the end of the season in terms of league position, or is it simply as high as possible?

It’s definitely just one game at a time and building momentum from there. We’re bottom of the Scottish Third Division and it comes with that that we’re technically the worst team in Scotland. We’re not looking too far ahead and it would be silly to do so. We can’t start talking now about

thinking of getting to the playoffs or finishing third or whatever, but again it’s a very congested league. We need to get one win, then two wins, and we need a bit of luck and some momentum.

The 1-0 win over Rangers is one of the biggest results in Stirling’s history, what was it like to be a part of that?

For all the players, particularly the younger ones, it was such a big day and that goes for the club, the fans and the area too. The reaction at the time was frightening and the crowd were ter-rific that day. The boys were buzzing at the end of it.

Back in December you played at Ibrox in the 2-0 defeat, had you played there before?Yeah I was fortunate enough to do so a few times when I was younger, but the atmosphere that

day was just unbelievable. It’s probably the best atmosphere I’ve played in, even against when I was younger, it was just electric. The day was incredible and what an experience it was for the younger boys. Even for the senior boys that had been there before, it’s always good to go there.

With the likes of Ross McGeachie, Stephen Day and Jamie Clark breaking into the first team so successfully, does the quality of the young players suggest a bright future for the club?

Yes, definitely. It’s a very bright future for the club so long as they continue to develop the young talent, nurture it and promote it and the youth side is definitely something the gaffer looks to utilise, he really believes in that.

All the young boys have done well when they’ve come in and they’ve held their own. They’re all learning and they’ll only learn by getting these opportunities.

You want to see the U19s, what a team they have. We played them in a bounce game last week and the wee touches and passes were great, their coaches have got them playing some really nice stuff.

The Deep End

KieranMcAnespie

““SCOTT BINNIE CATCHES UP WITH


Match Preview:Stirling Albionvs. Montrose FCClub Profile: (Feb 9th)Founded: 1879Stadium: Links ParkCapacity: 3,292Nickname: The Gable EndiesManager: Stuart Garden

Preview by Graham Swann

Stirling Albion welcome play-off hopefuls Montrose to Forthbank for their Scottish Third Division encounter on 9th February.

The Binos will face a side that have had a relatively good season so far as the campaign reaches the key point where Albion will hope to cement themselves off the bottom of the table whilst Montrose are still hoping to push hard for the latter half of the season.

Stuart Garden will bring his side South looking for a win that will help boost their place in the play-offs. With it looking likely that Rangers will win the Third Division outright, Montrose are one of a few teams looking to secure a play-off position to gain passage to the Second Division, should the league reconstruction proposals be rejected of course.

The Gable Endies’ results away from home this season have produced a mixed bag with form of: won four; drawn three; and lost four. They also have a goal difference that is slightly in the negative, currently -2. They find themselves only two points behind second placed Queens Park, but the Glasgow side do have two games in hand. However, hot on their heals are Peterhead and Elgin City in third and fourth place respectively, so competition for the play offs is fierce.

Stirling have had to rely on their home form this season to pick up points so will look to notch up a

fifth home win of the season when the Links Park side come calling.

Despite frustratingly being held 2-2 at home recently to second bottom East Stirling, Montrose produced an impressive draw at the tail end of last month when they visited the league leaders. With a minute of time remaining, Montrose substitute David Gray’s 25 yard strike stunned Rangers in front of a crowd of 46,00 and made sure Stuart Garden’s side travelled home from Ibrox with a point in a 1-1 draw – something sure to boost their confidence.

In this commendable scoreline at Ibrox it was an 89th minute leveller that saw the visiting side become only the second side to leave Rangers’ home with a point this league season. The performance was resilient, stern, and defiant.

The match was a sublime display of the Montrose defence at its best, with the Links Park number one John Gibson making several key saves to keep his side in the match, smothering a strike from Dean Shiels before stopping top class efforts from Ftan Sandaza and Barry McKay.

If the men from Montrose are in similar form when they take on the Binos, the frontline of Stirling Albion in particular will have to be on top class form to find a way past this boisterous defence. There is no doubt, though, that Jordan White and his fellow frontmen will be more than motivated for the task.

Montrose’s top scorer this season is midfielder Lloyd Young. The 27 year old has netted eight times this season and will be one to watch as far as Stirling Albion are concerned. Although he is yet to score against Albion this season, the home defence will have to keep an eye on him. Albion captain Brian Allison will no doubt have to marshal his defence to keep their top scorer at bay.8 Goals

LloydYoung

Last time

3-229th Dec 2012

Montrose F.C SquadGoalkeepers

1 Gibson21 Wood

CrawfordEaston

Defenders3 Watson

5 CampbellMcNally Wilson

McGuire

Midfielders2 Masson

4 Crawford6 Winter

8 McIntosh12 Gray

14 McLeish 15 McCord

YoungRae

LunanBeedie

Gordon

Forwards7 Boyle

9 McIntosh10 Wood

11 Johnston16 Morton

Reid

Fixtures

Elgin CityFeb 16thSFL Div. 3

HAnnanFeb 23rdSFL Div. 3

HQueen’s ParkMarch 2ndSFL Div. 3

ABerwickMarch 9thSFL Div. 3

APeterheadMarch 16thSFL Div. 3

H


Away Preview by Greg Barrie

Peterhead (Feb 16th)Peterhead have found goals hard to come by of late,

mustering only one goal in their last five games. Their struggle in front of goal has seen them pick up just

three points out of a possible fifteen, leaving their play-off prospects a lot more fragile than they had looked a month before.

The three points picked up have all come in the form of draws, leaving Peterhead without a win for five games now, their longest winless run this season. The lack of goals recently is not an overly surprising statistic however, as they are the lowest scorers in the league with twenty three goals from as many games.

The foundation of their success has been a rock solid defence therefore – the second best in the division with only twenty goals conceded.

In their second season in the third division following relegation, Peterhead will be looking to go one better than last season, having finished in fifth place and narrowly missing out on a play-off spot. The second half of last season was incredibly strong from Peterhead, winning twelve out of eighteen games; it was the first half of the season in which they picked up only three wins that ultimately cost them a play-off spot. The form that they found in the latter stages of the previous campaign will give them a great deal of confidence as the season heads towards the crucial stages, and if they can find that level of consistency then a play-off spot should be within their grasp.

The Blue Toon have wavered at home recently, losing two out of their last three games and only managing a draw in the last fixture against Berwick Rangers. They had previously been unbeaten at home, winning six of their nine matches. They will be looking to improve their form on home soil, turning it back into the fortress that it was for the majority of the season. Their defensive record at home is exceptional, conceding eight goals in twelve games, and managing to keep six clean sheets.

Whilst clean sheets are the perfect canvas from which to launch a successful run though, the lack of chances at Peterhead will be a massive concern for the support. They have struggled to get any real service to the strikers, a vital mistake when they have Rory McAllister up top – someone who has no trouble finding the back of the net when given the chance.

The loss of home form seems to have coincided with an improvement on their travels, having picked up five points from their last three away fixtures, a massive improvement on the three points they had picked up from the first seven away matches.

Manager Ian McInally added Andy Rodgers to his squad in the January transfer window, a player that he tried to sign in the summer but was unable to complete the deal. Rodgers has joined on loan until the end of the season, and brings plenty of experience to the squad having played nearly three hundred league matches in the Scottish leagues.

McInally will be hoping that the striker can help ease his team’s struggles in front of goal, and perhaps lift the pressure on top scorer Rory McAllister’s shoulders to provide all of the team’s goals.

LAST MEETINGStirling Albion edged a tense encounter at Forthbank

Stadium back in December that saw both sides finish the game with ten men. Jordan White’s 67th minute penalty proved to be enough for the Bino’s to take the three points against a determined Peterhead side.

It was the visitors who started the match brighter and Stirling keeper Mark Peat had to pull off a fine save early on to deny Rory McAllister. The dimension of the game changed dramatically in the 17th minute however, when Peterhead’s Scott Ross was given a straight red card for an off the ball incident.

Stirling slowly began to exert their control on the game, taking full advantage of having an extra player on the park. Peterhead keeper Graeme Smith frustrated the home side, denying Mark Ferry and Graeme Weir, and Jordan White had an effort cleared off the line.

The breakthrough finally arrived when Stephen Day was was fouled in the area by substitute Graeme Sharp, and Falkirk loanee Jordan White stepped up to slam the penalty home. White was denied a second when Smith produced another fine save to keep out his header, but his afternoon turned sour in the dying seconds when he was sent off for a second bookable offence. However, his goal proved to be the decisive moment and was enough for the Binos to take the win.

KEY BATTLEIn order to get a positive result out of this fixture Stirling

will need to keep Peterhead’s Rory McAllister quiet. The burden for this task could well fall on the shoulders of on-loan defender Ross Forsyth.

Forsyth joined on a three month loan from Dumbarton during the January transfer window, and remains a firm fans favourite having spent six years at Forthbank Stadium from 2005-2011. The 30 year-old was the team captain when the players offered to play for free in February 2011.

Greig McDonald will be hoping that the experienced Forsyth will help to tighten up a defence that has conceded twenty seven goals in ten away matches. There are few strikers in the division that are more deadly than the Blue Toon’s top scorer McAllister, and Forsyth will have to be at his best to keep the frontman off the score sheet.

Rory McAllister had gone seven games without a goal before he ended the drought with an early goal in their last match against Berwick Rangers. That goal will have given him a great deal of confidence though, and having scored more than a third of his team’s goals this season he undoubtedly remains their main threat.

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33February 2013 / www.st ir l ingalbionfc.co.uk32 February 2013 / www.st ir l ingalbionfc.co.uk

YoungBinosCo-Editor David Chalmers talks to Stirling Albion coach Graeme Donald on what is to come for the Under-19’s squad and how they will fit into the senior squad with the January transfer signings.

DC: The winter break is almost over, can you tell us how training has gone and any friendly matches? GD: Training has been frustrating over the winter period with a lot of call offs and the uncertainty of what was happening regarding new fixtures after the winter break made it harder as we never had a start date etc to focus on. However the lads attitude has been great. We managed to fit in 3 friendly matches over the period against Spar-tans u21s, Edinburgh City u19s and Scottish Schools u18s winning all 3. However our most recent win against Scottish Schools was particularly pleasing as we used a num-ber of our u17s squad in that game. There’s been a number of January signings, both permanent and on loan, what can Al-bion fans expect with these players coming in? I definitely feel Greg has strengthened the squad during the the transfer window, Ja-mie Bishop and Ross Forsyth will bring plenty of experience in defence which I feel is needed Jamie is an excellent organiser and Ross is a real winner both will be a great help to the younger boys in particular, The fans have already had a glimpse of Phil Johnston and I’m sure are pretty impressed, once he gets fully fit I’m sure he will be real flair player for us for the rest of the season, Finally David Crawford I believe he is a real character and a confident lad, not really met him yet as we don’t get involved with first team training but I’m sure he’ll keep the defenders on their toes and be a good addition to the squad. On a sour note it is always dissapointing for the youth coaches to see ex youth players beeing freed and we would like to thank the efforts of Gary Brass and Andy Hunter and wish them all the very best for the future. How will these signings affect the progress of the younger players; will the boss rely on ‘experience’ or will he continue to put his faith in the homegrown players? I really believe the recent signings will be good for the younger players, Jamie and Ross bring a wealth of experience and that can only be good for the likes of Ross Mc-Geachie, Jamie Clarke and Danny Ashe in defense they are all still learning the game and its Important they have players around them that encourage and talk them through games.

I think Greg has a nice mixture of youth and experience now and I know he has a lot of faith in our home grown players, if anything I think some of the more experienced play-ers might find it tough to get game time. Ross McGeachie and Stephen Day have estab-lished themselves as first team regulars it is now up to Jamie Clarke, Danny Ashe to try establish themselves.

Daly McSorley and Josh Flood have a lot to prove in the coming months they really need to knuckle down and reastablish themselves as regulars again as they have much more to offer than they are showing at the moment and i’m really excited by Sandy Cunning-ham and expect him to make a big impact in the coming months. Can you give us a preview of the U19’s next match? Finally we have fixtures for the second half of the season in the form of a league cup. We are in a section of 10 teams and have a further 9 games to try and secure a place in the semi-finals top 2 teams qualify. Our first game is at home this sunday against Ayr Unit-ed who beat us 2-1 in the league earlier this season. We are very confident we can make amends for that defeat, the boys are just looking forward to playing in a competitive en-viroment again. Our section is a very tough one and we will do well to finish in the top 2 but rest assured Myself Davie and the boys will give it a good go. Its important we get off to a good start on sunday. What is the objective between now and the end of the season for the coaching staff? David and I’s objective is as usual to try and promote as many of our U19s into the first team, Jack Stickler has already made his debut and now needs to keep improving till end of season to secure a first team contract for next season, Matthew Cooper is another who has caught the managers eye but needs to really step up from now until the end of the season and Mark Sharp and Jamie Clelland are all in their final year at U19s and need to show more if they want to be involved next season. As for Greg and Mark I’m sure that they will want to see huge improvements and will want to finish as high up the league as possible. It’s a challenge for us all but its one we are all looking forward too.

U19’s star striker Sandy Cunningham


Match Preview:Stirling Albionvs. Clyde FCClub Profile (Feb 23rd)Founded: 1877Stadium: Broadwood StadiumCapacity: 3,292Nickname: The Bully WeeManager: Jim Duffy

Preview by Fraser Clarke

On the 23rd of February Clyde will be the visitors to Forthbank for the third meeting between the sides this season. Stirling have lost on both previous occasions by a single goal and with clearly not much separating the two sides as demonstrated by the tight score lines, the Binos will be looking to come out on top this time around.

Stirling are without a win in the New Year after a draw away at East Stirling coming before losses to Queen’s Park and Clyde later in January. After these losses, the weather then wreaked havoc with the fixture list in Division Three – something the Binos fans will know all about and leaving the team to linger over their defeat to the Broadwood men.

With regards to the threat that Clyde could pose, Stirling will have to pay close attention to their top scorer Kevin Watt, who has seven goals to his name this season, and they must also watch out for the creative talents of Stuart McColm who leads the Bully Wee’s assists with seven thus far.

Since the turn of the year Clyde have enjoyed largely differing results, turning their happiness quickly around after an unfortunate run post-bells. The Bully Wee kicked off the year in disastrous fashion with a 4-1 loss away to Queen’s Park, and the team didn’t fare much better in their next game either, losing 3-2 at home to Annan.

Unfortunately it was against Stirling that Clyde managed to gain their first victory of 2013, running out 2-1 victors before recording back to back one all draws against Montrose and Elgin.

With both the Binos and Bully Wee sitting closer to the bottom of the table than the top, this game is one that Greig McDonald’s men will be relishing as a golden chance to take three points and kick-start their push towards the top half of the table.

At the time of writing Stirling sit bottom of the table, two places and nine points behind the Bully Wee, albeit with a game in hand. Therefore, the match will take on added importance, with neither team wanting to see themselves condemned to the lower regions of the table as the season end draws near.

Despite sitting in the less favourable echelons of the league rankings though, the Third Division remains incredibly tight, and neither manager in this fixture will have given up hope of reaching the play-off positions just yet.

Indeed, Jim Duffy, the experienced manager at Broadwood, has stated that if his team can overcome the inconsistency issues that have plagued his men all season, they are still in with a great chance at the play-off positions.

The stability issues the gaffer eludes to can be clearly seen in the aforementioned 2013 fixtures, with two losses, one win and a brace of draws, and Duffy has insisted: “If we can get a bit of consistency, even two or three games on the bounce, we have the opportunity to get in the mix.

“The thing that has blighted us this season is consistency. The first thing we have to do is have a good run of form and if we do that we can start looking further ahead in terms of league positions.”

In many ways then, Stirling and Clyde are sharing similar form paths at the moment; both showing signs of skill and success intertwined with frustrating losses and lamentable mistakes. Each side will be hoping a triumph in this fixture could be the catalyst to end their inconsistency and catapult them up the table.

Watt has seven goals from 18 starts and three assists this season and Forsyth will need to be at the top of his game to silence him. Should Stirling be successful in limiting Watt’s influence on the match then their chance of getting the victory they badly desire will improve greatly.

“Each side will be hoping a triumph in this fixture could be the catalyst to end their inconsistency and catapult them up the table.”

Kevin Watt

Last time

2-112th Jan 2013

Clyde F.C SquadGoalkeepers

1 Barclay17 Rajovic

Defenders2 Brown4 Gray5 Lyden15 KaneScullionSharp

TraynorMarsh

Midfielders6 Nicoll

7 Fitzpatrick10 McCluskey

14 MacBeth HayNeillDawKaneSloss

MastertonGraham

Forwards3 Oliver

8 Sweeney9 Watt

11 McColm12 Fitzharris16 McGachie

Dickie

Fixtures

RangersFeb 16thSFL Div. 3

HEast StirlingFeb 19thSFL Div. 3

AStirlingFeb 23rdSFL Div. 3

A

BerwickFeb 9thSFL Div. 3

A

Queen’s ParkFeb 26thSFL Div. 3

H

7 Goals


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Stirling Albion 2012/13 Squad

David Crawford Sam Filler BrianAllison

JamieMcCunnie

Stephen Day

DavidMcClune

Gary Thom Danny Ashe

Jamie Clark

Scott Davidson

Greig McDonaldMarc McCulloch

DalyMcSorley

Kieran McAnespie

Craig Stewart

Stephen Jones

Jim Scrimgeour

Addis AbabaSupporters

Iain Glen

HomeBridge of Allan Supporters

AwayJim & Isabell Parker

www.skyeluxurycottage.com

The City Walls

David OgilvieIan Jones

Ina Shaw M.B.E

Roy and Sheena McFarlane

Josh Flood Jordan White

John Turnbull

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Ross McGeachie

W. Turnbull Newsagents

Graham Weir

Bradley Coyne

Craig Smith

Mark Ferry

McKenzie Trailers Ltd

Ross Forsyth

Victor andDebbie Nelson

Phil Johnston(On loan fromDumbarton)

Jamie BishopRichie Kirwan

SandyCunningham

Jack Stickler


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Stirling AlbionBest of luck for the 2012/13 season

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The Albion - February 2013

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