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Daily Record
Daily Record
Sport
Stirling Observer

Stirling Albion boss hopes for more firepower against champions

Stirling Albion boss Darren Young is hopeful he will have a greater attacking threat at his disposal when he takes his side to champions Kelty Hearts on Saturday.

The Binos gaffer admitted his team lacked a cutting edge after the goalless stalemate against bottom club Cowdenbeath at Central Park last weekend.

The visitors were without leading marksman Dylan Mackin due to suspension, second-top scorer Dale Carrick was only fit enough to start on the bench and Akeel Francis missed out through illness.

However, Young is confident he will have more bodies to call upon for the trip to face Kevin Thomson’s men.

“We should have more attacking options for Saturday’s game and that will help us,” Young said.

“It’s a big game against Kelty and we just want to see if we can go unbeaten until the end of the season.

“We need to show the same attitude that we have in the last couple of games and hopefully keep another clean sheet.”

Blair Currie kept a second successive clean sheet and Stirling generally defended well against the Blue Brazil, but have failed to find the net at Central Park this season, having lost 1-0 on their previous visit back in December.

Reflecting on the stalemate at Cowdenbeath, Young said: “We played almost the full first half in their half and we had the header from Adam Cummins off the bar early on but there were maybe not too many chances in the game
overall.

“We were three strikers out and Dale Carrick did great to come on for us. Kieran Moore went up front and chased everything for us and he took a few hits from defenders.

“We were just lacking that finishing touch. We utilised the long throw, which we haven’t done very often, and on another day, things might have fallen for us.”

The visitors thought they had scored early in the second half when Jack Leitch’s back-post header was pushed on to the bar by keeper Cammy Gill, with the Binos claiming the ball was over the line.

Young added: “I’ve not seen it back on the video but Jack and the players warming up behind the goal were adamant the ball had crossed the line.

“Their players looked like they knew it was in and those two points could have made a big difference because the teams above us who didn’t win either.

“It was a scrappy game but I thought we defended well and looked very comfortable – they had the one chance when they hit the bar from the left-hand side in the second half.

“The work-rate and desire was brilliant and we looked to play a different way and back up the second balls.”

After Saturday’s match against Kelty, Stirling host Elgin City (April 16), travel to Coatbridge to face Albion Rovers (April 23) and finish up against Edinburgh City at Forthbank on Saturday, April 30.

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