This past Sunday saw the Stirling Albion U18s take on Falkirk U18s in their fourth match of the season.
Callum Leadbetter and Reuben Lamont partnered each other in defence and Jack Robertson started up top for the Binos.
Both squads were feeling each other out and getting into the game for most of the first half. Stirling Albion put a good spell of pressure on the Falkirk goal in the 12th minute but could not find the back of the net.
It was a fantastic first half performance from Stirling goalkeeper Jude Marshall. The youngster made multiple high level saves. Including in the seventh minute of the match and again in the 19th minute. Marshall ensured that the Binos did not concede on his watch.
It was also a good first half performance from centre back Reuben Lamont. It seemed as though the towering defender was clearing every ball that came his way. Whether he used his head or foot, the centre half ensured that nothing got past him.
The first chance of the game for Stirling came in the 29th minute through Jack Robertson but his shot was saved.
Falkirk started to put the pressure on in the second half and began to dominate possession. This led to the first goal of the game in the 48th minute. An unlucky own goal from Lamont saw the scoreline double about 10 minutes later.
Robertson got another two chances in the second half, hitting the post in the 52nd minute. The forward cleverly got in behind and was one on one with the goalkeeper in the 59th minute, but once again his shot was saved.
From that point on, the chances were scarce for the Stirling squad as Falkirk scored another two goals in the 62nd and 67th minute.
The Falkirk club notched one more in the 89th minute to make it 5-0 on the day.
Although they could not secure the win, there were multiple players that put in some hard earned minutes and really showed their skills for Stirling.
The U18s will look to improve upon this performance in their next match as they take on Queen of the South on September 26th.
By Damon Savenelli
