Josh Peters scored the only goal as we claimed our first league win of the season to move off the bottom of the table at the expense of Brechin City.
It was a deserved victory, ending a run of five straight League 2 losses by a single goal, against an Elgin team who had winger Rabin Omar sent off with 20 minutes left.
Paul McLean and Kevin Nicoll were suspended and Gareth Rodger and Paul Willis injured but Darryl Duffy, Ross McGeachie and David Wilson all returned and Jordan McGregor was fit enough to start after being on the bench for the Caramel Wafer Cup defeat to St Mirren Colts.
Albion were much the better team in the early stages and Duffy was denied by keeper Thomas McHale and Dylan Bikey was causing problems but it was Peters, our only League 2 scorer, who got the goal.
With 10 minutes gone he drifted past a defender and arrowed a low shot into the corner from 18 yards for his fourth goal of the season in all competitions.
Elgin improved in the second half and Kane Hester hit the outside of the post and Blair Currie saved well from a Stephen Bronsky header but we kept Shane Sutherland fairly quiet.
Omar saw red for dissent when he had already been booked and we almost scored again late on but sub Dylan Mackin’s header came back off the underside of the bar.
One goal proved enough to get the season up and running and we now face Annan at Galabank and Stenhousemuir at Forthbank before the month is out.
Stirling Albion: Currie, McGeachie, Creaney, Thomson, Banner, McGregor, Jardine, Wilson, Duffy (Docherty 90), Bikey (Truesdale 87), Peters (Mackin 51). Subs (not used): Binnie (GK), Lowdon, Heaver, Hawke.
Scorer: Peters 10
Elgin City: McHale, Wilson, Spark, McDonald, Bronsky, Dingwall (MacEwan 67), Cooper (Aitken 58), Cameron, Hester (Sopel 79), Sutherland, Omar. Subs (not used): Dunn (GK), Willis, McGowan, Scott.
Referee: Mike Roncone
Crowd: 482
