Today sees our first-ever home game against Gretna. How have Albion fared when other teams have made their first-ever visit to Stirling for a Scottish League  match?

31/8/46 Brechin City Div C 5-2 Albion Win

28/9/46 Forfar Athletic Div C 8-0 Albion Win

26/10/46 East Stirling Div C 2-2 Draw

16/11/46 Montrose Div C 4-0 Albion Win

14/12/46 Leith Athletic Div C 5-1 Albion Win

28/12/46 Edinburgh City Div C 7-0 Albion Win

27/8/47 Ayr United Div B 4-1 Albion Win

27/9/47 Raith Rovers Div B 3-3 Draw

25/10/47 Hamilton Acc Div B 0-2 Albion Loss

8/11/47 Cowdenbeath Div B 2-2 Draw

29/11/47 Albion Rovers Div B 7-0 Albion Win

13/12/47 Kilmarnock Div B 2-1 Albion Win

20/12/47 Stenhousemuir Div B 1-5 Albion Loss

10/1/48 St Johnstone Div B 4-4 Draw

24/1/48 Dundee Utd Div B 3-1 Albion Win

31/1/48 Dunfermline A Div B 2-0 Albion Win

6/3/48 Dumbarton Div B 1-1 Draw

13/3/48 Alloa Div B 0-1 Albion Loss

27/3/48 Arbroath Div B 0-2 Albion Loss

21/4/48 East Fife Div B 3-4 Albion Loss

27/11/48 Airdrie Div B 1-0 Albion Win

3/1/49 Queen’s Park Div B 2-5 Albion Loss

10/9/49 Dundee Div A 2-2 Draw

24/9/49 Falkirk Div A 3-2 Albion Win

22/10/49 Queen of the S Div A 1-0 Albion Win

12/11/49 Celtic Div A 2-1 Albion Win

19/11/49 Aberdeen Div A 0-1 Albion Loss

10/12/49 Hearts Div A 2-4 Albion Loss

31/12/49 St Mirren Div A 1-3 Albion Loss

4/3/50 Rangers Div A 0-2 Albion Loss

25/3/50 Clyde Div A 1-2 Albion Loss

1/4/50 Hibernian Div A 3-5 Albion Loss

8/4/50 Motherwell Div A 1-4 Albion Loss

14/4/50 Third Lanark Div A 0-2 Albion Loss

29/4/50 Partick Thistle Div A 2-1 Albion Win

8/3/52 Morton Div A 1-1 Draw

24/11/56 Stranraer Div 2 3-3 Draw

30/3/57 Berwick Rang Div 2 7-1 Albion Win

21/11/64 ES Clydebank Div2 1-4 Albion Loss

28/12/68 Clydebank Div2 2-0 Albion Win

26/4/75 Meadowbank Div2 4-1 Albion Win

19/9/98 Inverness CT Div2 0-1 Albion Loss

17/10/98 Livingston Div2 1-3 Albion Loss

4/9/99 Ross County Div2 2-1 Albion Win

4/8/01 Peterhead Div3 2-1 Albion Win

3/11/01 Elgin City Div3 0-1 Albion Loss

14/12/02 Gretna Div3

Albion started off in Division C in 1946/7 playing against some first teams and the reserve teams of various other sides. The club were immediately promoted to Division B and then into Division A just two years later. By the end of 1949/50 we had played most of the other clubs in the Scottish Football League.

Morton and Albion had missed each other at promotion and relegation times and they did not meet until 1951/2.

The addition of Stranraer and Berwick Rangers to the League in 1956 gave us two new opponents - both of whom we have met many times since.

In 1964 the Steedman brothers decided to transplant East Stirlingshire to Clydebank and establish a club under the name ES Clydebank. Albion played them in 1964/5 shortly before a court injunction forced them to abandon the plan. Shire returned to Falkirk and a new club called Clydebank were formed. Albion first met them in 1968.

Between 1967 and 1974 the SFL operated with an odd number of teams following the demise of Third Lanark. Meadowbank Thistle were elected in 1974 and became frequent opponents of Stirling Albion.

The league changed to a four division set-up ni 1994 and two new teams were elected. Both Ross County and Inverness CT made rapid progress although it was a few years before they came up against Stirling Albion. Meadowbank changed their name and their guise to Livingston in 1995 and first played Albion in a League game in 1998. More recently Elgin City and Peterhead were admitted to the League following the expansion of the SPL to twelve clubs and then this year Gretna were admitted to take the place of Airdrieonians.

As yet the only club we have still to face, apart from Gretna, is Airdrie United.