On a cold afternoon at Balmoral Stadium, Stirling faced off against the well-drilled Cove Rangers. Despite the cold, the match was a fiery one with intense physicality from both teams.

 

Despite Cove controlling the ball for the first fifteen minutes, the Binos’ resilience shone through. A breakthrough came in the twenty-second minute from Dale Carrick, who executed a curved finesse shot from the left side of the box into the net. This followed a tremendous pass from captain Paul McLean.

 

Carrick’s strike wasn’t the only highlight. A free kick just outside the Cove box, though saved, showcased the intense work rate displayed throughout the match. This momentum was further recognized when Cove’s Mitch Megginson received a yellow card for a crunching tackle on McLean to halt an attacking charge.

 

However, in an unlucky turn of events, Cove was awarded a free kick. The ball was lobbed into the box, bobbled about, and was then scrappily plunged into the back of the Albion net by Rumarn Burrell, leaving the score level going into the break.

 

HALF TIME: 1-1

 

In the second half, the Binos continued to apply pressure, frequently sending the ball into Cove’s box. However, Rumarn Burrell found the net once again for Cove, with the goal coming from a strong header coming from the centre of the box into the net.

 

Cove’s third goal once again came from Burrell, completing his hat-trick. Megginson broke away from the Binos’ back line and passed the ball neatly to the striker’s feet, where he tapped the ball in from close range.

 

As the game progressed, the Binos made a series of substitutions in an effort to get back into the game and bring fresh legs onto the pitch. Aaron Dunsmore made way for Cammy Clark, and Murray Miller was replaced by Kyle Banner

 

As the game neared its end, Albion relentlessly pushed to try and get back into the game with Blair Currie also executing a magnificent point-blank save to deny Burrell a fourth goal.

 

Despite the relentless effort, the game ended 3-1, with the hosts taking all three points from the match. Attention now turns to the second game of our double header against Cove Rangers in the Scottish Cup on Saturday 25th November at Forthbank Stadium.

 

FULL TIME: 3-1