Latest News

By Scott Johnstone
December 20 2003

All the latest news from Forthbank, from recent injury scares to new signings, and all the team news for Saturdays matches, you will here it here first.

MCKINNON ON THE WAY BACK – Dec-16-2003

Stirling midfielder Colin McKinnon is set to return to training this week after a back injury but is unlikely to play in the cup game with Arbroath. Boss Allan Moore said “I don’t want to rush Colin back-I would rather have him fit for the rest of the season. We don’t have a league game on December 27th but hopefully we will return for the match at East Stirling.”

Meanwhile, Allan Moore will phone Partick Thistle caretaker boss Gerry Britton to find out whether Stirling will be able to keep Andy Gibson until the summer. The Jags winger has impressed on loan but is due to return to Firhill. Moore said “It’s been difficult to know what’s happening because of the managerial situation-but I’ll be in touch with Gerry this week to see what his views on the subject are.”

MOORE: THREE POINTS A MUST – Dec-11-2003

Stirling boss Allan Moore is demanding nothing less than a win from Saturday’s trip to stuggling Elgin City. The Binos are six points clear but Stranraer and Gretna both have a game in hand and are pushing hard. Moore said “We simply have to go there and win. You have to beat teams below you in the league. If we do that we could gain ground when Gretna and Stranraer meet on January 3rd.”

Meanwhile, leaders Stirling Albion will again be without midfielder Colin McKinnon for Saturday’s trip to Elgin City. McKinnon has been bothered by a back injury which has failed to clear as quickly as had been hoped. Barry Elliot will also miss the trip to Borough Briggs, while Stewart Devine, who recently returned to training, will not be considered for the game against a side Stirling beat 3-0 on October 4th.”

MOORE THROWS DOWN THE GAUNTLET – Dec-09-2003

Stirling boss Allan Moore has urged midfielder Gary Kelly to earn himself a new contract at the club. The 22 year old recently returned to the side after almost two years on the sidelines because of injury but his current deal expires in January. Moore said “Gary got his chance with Colin McKinnon out injured-the onus is on him to play his way to a new contract at the club.

NUGENT EYES TRIAL CHANCE – Dec-08-2003

Stirling defender Paul Nugent missed out on a trial at Tannadice because of a knee injury but is hopping to get another chance now that he’s recovered. Nugent came on as a sub in Saturdays 1-0 defeat to Gretna and said :I think I will get another chance to go up there-I want to prove myself. I only started training again on the Thursday before the Gretna game so I’ve really just been thrown back in.”

MOORE KEEPS CALM AFTER DEFEAT – Dec-08-2003

Stirling manager Allan Moore has urged the fans not to panic as Stranraer and Gretna closed the gap on Saturday. The Binos were beaten 1-0 by Gretna but Moore said “We bounced back well from our only other defeat against Cowdenbeath and can do the same again.” And Moore denied that some players already thought promotion was in the bag, “Absolutely not,” he said. “Theirs a long way to go yet.”

MOORE LOOKS FORWARD TO HUGE GAME – Dec-04-2003

Stirling boss Allan Moore is well aware of the importance of Saturdays Match with third-placed Gretna at Forthbank. He said “It is the biggest game of the season so far-we’ll be stressing to the players that we will go 15 points ahead of Gretna if we win. W are unbeaten at home and I don’t see why that can’t continue. We don’t give much away at the back and our front players can hurt them.”

Meanwhile, league leaders Stirling are likely to be without midfielder Colin McKinnon for Saturdays home game with Gretna. Moore said “The club have paid for him to see a chiropractor but his back problem is taking longer to clear than we hoped.” Paul Nugent is set for a place on the bench as he returns from injury and he could be joined by Barry Elliot who missed the 3-0 win at Albion Rovers

The referee for Saturdays Third Division Match of the Day between Stirling Albion and Gretna is Mr. I. Brines.

AFTER MATCH QUOTES V ALBION ROVERS – Dec-03-2003

New Albion Rovers boss Kevin Mcallister was disappointed his first match ended in a 3-0 defeat by Stirling Albion at Cliftonhill. Mcallister, who took over from Peter Heatherson on Tuesday said “We conceded a bad goal and you could see the confidence draining from us.” Happy Binos boss Allan Moore said “If we continue like that there’s nobody in this division who will catch us.”

BINOS BOSS WANTS A WIN – Dec-01-2003

Stirling boss Allan Moore says his side will be going all out for a win in Tuesdays match at Albion Rovers. He said “We don’t go into any game looking for a draw and after watching them on Saturday I feel we are well capable of winning the game. We have a few injuries and the pitch took a battering at the weekend but with Peterhead and Stranraer winning on Saturday we want the points.”

MOORE WILL PLAY IT SAFE – Nov-27-2003

Stirling boss Allan Moore says he won’t risk all of his first team regulars in Saturday’s friendly at Dumbarton. The leaders have a vital match at Albion Rovers on Tuesday and Moore said “We don’t want to pick u[ any injuries before that fixture. This game is really to give the likes of Craig Ferguson, Gary Kelly and Ryan Davidson-who had the flu on Saturday-some match practise.”

DEVINE BACK IN THE FOLD – Nov-26-2003

Stirling boss Allan Moore confirmed that left-sided midfielder Stewart Devine, 19, has returned to training. Devine has failed to show for a number of weeks but after a meeting with the chairman and the manager, it has been decided to give him another chance. Moore said “It’s his last chance and he is well short of fitness so he won’t feature in Saturday’s friendly match away to Dumbarton.”

STIRLING ARRANGE FRIENDLY – Nov-26-2003

Third Division leaders Stirling Albion head for Dumbarton this weekend for a friendly at Strathclyde Homes Stadium. Both clubs are without league games due to Scottish Cup first-round replays and Binos boss Allan Moore hopes to include Ryan Davidson and Colin McKinnon against their Division Two hosts. The game kicks off at 1pm with admission prices set at £2 for adults and £1 for OAP’s and children.

MOORE CONFIDENT OF CUP SUCCESS – Nov-25-2003

Stirling boss Allan Moore believes his side have every chance of progressing when they meet Arbroath in the Second Round of the Scottish Cup next month. He said “We are a match for anyone at home and this game will be a benchmark for us to see how we’ve progressed this season. I don’t think anyone will fancy coming to Forthbank as we have been playing some great football here.”

NEW DATE FOR ROVERS CLASH – Nov-25-2003

The match between Albion Rovers and Stirling Albion has been rearranged for Tuesday December 2nd at 7.30pm. The Cliftonhill clash was due to go ahead on Saturday but Rovers are at home to Montrose in a Scottish Cup first round replay. The sides have already met at Forthbank this season with Allan Moore’s men coming from behind to win 2-1, Colin McKinnon netting the clincher.

CASH BOOST FOR CLUBS – Nov-25-2003

Bells League clubs are in line for a pre-Christmas boost-thanks to the Scottish Football League. Teams involved in the early stages of the CIS Cup will be rewarded with a cash payment. League secretary Peter Donald said “The management committee have decided to make this payment, which will range from £5,000, to in excess of £20,000, depending on results.

BINOS BOSS GLAD OF A REST – Nov-24-2003

Stirling Albion boss Allan Moore is happy not to have a game this weekend with opponents Albion Rovers facing Montrose in the Scottish Cup. He said “It’s good to get a break because Paul Nugent, Andy Smith and Colin McKinnon could all be back for the game with Gretna on December 6th. That said, we don’t want the game to be hanging over us and it would be good to play if before Christmas.”

AFTER MATCH QUOTES V QUEENS PARK – Nov-23-2003

Stirling’s eighth home win in a row clinched a second-round tie against Arbroath at Forthbank on December 20th. Allan Moore said “If we play football not a lot of teams can match us. After the break we played on the ground-that’s the Stirling style.” Queens Park manager Kenny Brannigan said “We don’t know how to lift our game. They have Scott McLean and that’s the difference, he’s real quality.”

MOORE WANTS MORE – Nov-19-2003

Stirling manager Alan Moore wants his side o progress in the Scottish Cup as well as maintaining their title charge. Ahead of the home game with Queens Park-the winners host Arbroath-he said ”We want to get through to the third round and get some revenue in. We are treating it very seriously. We were below-par on Saturday but we still got the winner despite ending with 10 men because on injuries.”

NO MONEY FOR BINOS BOSS – Nov-18-2003

Stirling boss Allan Moore does not think he will be able to dabble in the transfer market come January. Moore said “We will lose Andy Gibson, who goes back to Partick Thistle after his loan spell, and I would like to have brought someone in, but I don’t think we have the finance. To be fair to the chairman, he has backed me with bringing in a number of players so I can’t really complain.”

SMITH WORRY FOR STIRLING – Nov-17-2003

Stirling Albion midfielder Andy Smith is a doubt for Saturdays game against Queens Park in the first round of the Scottish Cup at Forthbank. Boss Allan Moore said “Andy took a knock on his Achilles at the weekend(against Queen’s). The physio and the doctor don’t know if he will make it. Colin McKinnon has a back problem but I’m hoping it is not too serious and that he will be able to play.”

AFTER MATCH QUOTES V QUEENS PARK - Nov-16-2003

Allan Moore was relieved to come away from the game with a win after Craig Fergusons strike in injury time. The Stirling boss said "I took the paint off the walls at half time but even in the second half we were banging our heads against a brick wall." Queens Park assistant Bobby Dickson said "The whole squad is extremely dissapointed. We worked hard and deserved to take at least a point."

TEAM NEWS FOR GAME V PETERHEAD - Nov-07-2003

With only one point from three games, Peterhead's promotion challenge has stalled and they badly need a win. Andy Roddie has recovered from flu and Stuart Mackay should be back. Iain Good and Iain Stewart face late fitness tests, but Kevin bain and Kevin Tindal are out. Stirling are without Paul Nugent but the virus that was affecting several players has now cleared.

MOORE FRUSTRATED BY KEY INJURY - Nov-06-2003

Stirling boss Allan Moore says the loss of Paul Nugent to injury has been a big blow to his plans. Keyhole surgery on the defender's knee found a nick in the ligament and he faces another two or three weks out. Moore said "Paul is a quality player who had been linking well with Andy Gibson on the right. Paul hay has come in and done OK but he doesn't go past layers like Paul does-we miss him."

STIRLING HUNT FOR MISSING MIDFIELDER - Nov-04-2003

Stirling boss Allan Moore has revealed the reason for Stewart Devine's recent abscence-the player has dissapeared. He said "We don't know where he is. He has not contacted myeslf or the vlub or even his mum. He seems to have gone AWOL. He's been a silly boy. He went up to Dundee United for a trial and has not been right since he came back. I;ve seen a million boys with talent but that's not enough."

TEAM NEWS FOR GAME V COWDENBEATH - Nov-01-2003

Striker Graham Brown is back in contenion for Cowdenbeath who are the only team to have taken a point of the runaway league leaders this season. Ianin Mauchlan and Andy Campbell are fit but Calvin Shand is suspended, while ex-Bino Ian Morris has a back injury. Stirling defenderPaul Nugent is out for a month after keyhole knee surgery and midfielders Andy smith and Colin McKinnon are struggling with a virus.

ALAN MOORE LOOKS FORWARD TO TRANSFER WINDOW - Oct-28-2003

Stirling Albion boss Allan Moore has admitted that he would like to add to his squad when the transfer window re-opens. The Binos have conceded only 5 goals in 11 league games but Moore said "Paul Nugent is out for a month and we are short of defensive cover. If Mark McNally or George Rowe get injured we dont have many options in central defence and i would like to address that in January.

MOORE PRAISES UNSUNG HERO - Oct-27-2003

Stirling boss Alan Moore believes that young midfielder Andy Smith is one of the unsung heroes of the successful Stirling Albion this season. "Andy has been immense" said moore on the 20 year old former Armagh City player who is a student in Stirling. "He is great at winning the ball and gives Colin McKinnon the liscence to get forward and score goals - the two of them made a great partnership"

FIRHILL LINK BOOSTS THE BINOS - Oct-26-2003

Allan Moore admits that the Partick Thislte connection has helped his side establish an 11-point lead. Winger Andy Gibson has Impressed on loan from Firhill and ex-Jags winger Moore said “I played with Barry Elliot there and like to sign guys I know. When Scott McLean joined in the summer he had been fed up at St Mirren. Knowing his ex-Thistle pal Mark McNally was here was a factor I his move. in his move

NUGENT TO UNDERGO OPERATION - Oct-25-2003

Stirling defender Paul Nugent is set to go under the surgeons knife this week, to repair damage to his cartilage. After an examination on Saturday by the club doctor, it was decided an operation would be the best cure, and “Nuggets” should be back in action by Mid- November. Its a week for the surgeons at the club as two youth players will also have operations to repair minor problems.


SCOTTISH CUP FIRST/SECOND ROUND DRAW - Oct-23-2003

Stirling Albion were drawn against Queen's Park in the First Round of the Scottish Cup when the draw was made at Hampden on the afternoon of the 27th October. This means the Bino's will now face the Glasgow side two weeks in a row, on the 15th Nov in the League and the 22nd Nov in the Cup. The winner of that game will play Arbroath, at Home, on the 20th December