The Binos played out a goalless draw at Forthbank under the floodlights, drawing 0-0 with Hamilton in a hard-fought match.
After a 5-minute delay to kick-off, Hamilton initiated the game. Just two minutes in, the Accies created the first opportunity, with Euan Henderson taking a shot from just inside the box, which Paul McLean deflected.
However, the Binos responded well to this early threat. At the 6-minute mark, McPake forced Dean Lyness into a save with a 20-yard shot on goal.
17 minutes in, Jack Leitch released a shot from the edge of the box, saved adeptly by Lyness once more. Hamilton then launched a quick counter-attack, with Euan Henderson slicing through the Albion defence and forcing Blair Currie to make a spectacular point-blank save at close range.
In the 22nd minute, Henderson’s free kick from 25 yards out rebounded off the Stirling wall, changing direction toward the Binos’ net. But Blair Currie swiftly adjusted his position, preventing the visitors from going 1-0 up.
A minute later, Reghan Tumilty attempted another shot toward the Stirling net from the right side of the box, but Blair Currie collected this effort comfortably.
With 31 minutes on the clock, Dale Hilson latched onto a loose back pass to Dean Lyness, but the keeper managed to reach the ball before Hilson could shoot.
Two minutes later, Tumilty had another go at goal, but his ambitious bicycle kick from the middle of the box sent the ball floating well over the bar.
Perhaps the biggest chance for the visitors came in the 35th minute when Kevin O’Hara connected with a cross inside the box and headed the ball goalward, only for it to rattle the crossbar and be cleared from danger.
In the 38th minute, Hamilton’s quick passing play saw Kevin O’Hara taking another shot on goal from inside the box, but his effort again went over the bar.
Just before half-time, a corner from Josh Cooper almost sneaked into the back of the net but landed on top of the net instead.
Half-Time: 0-0
The first chance of the second-half came in the 49th minute for Stirling as Leitch forced Dean Lyness into a save with a shot from outside the box, however, the shot just went agonisingly wide of the left post.
One minute later, Reghan Tumilty, after some clever footwork, took a shot from the middle of the Albion box, but his effort went wide of the post.
In the 56th minute, a free kick delivered a great ball into Hamilton’s box, finding Hilson neatly, whose attempt on goal just fired over the bar.
Stirling continued to press Hamilton effectively, and with half an hour left in the match, Jack Leitch skilfully glided through the Hamilton defence while under pressure from several defenders and nicely laid off McPake inside the box, but his effort went over the bar.
Hamilton’s counter-attack a minute later saw James Bjornas taking a shot from outside the Binos box, but his shot was deftly deflected by the Albion defence.
With 69 minutes played, captain Paul McLean made a tremendous block, standing tall against three attacking Hamilton players alone, preventing Akheem Rose from getting the ball to Kevin O’Hara inside the Stirling box, thwarting what would have been an almost certain opener for the visitors.
In the 73rd minute, a corner by Jack Leitch found Josh McPake on the edge of the Hamilton box, and he had a powerful shot on goal, but it was blocked by the Accies defence.
A great piece of link-up play in the 77th minute from Stirling saw a neat ball passed into the box from Josh McPake to Josh Cooper, but Cooper just failed to connect with the ball and get his shot away from very close range.
Fantastic defending again from Paul McLean in the 81st minute prevented Ahkeem Rose from scoring in the dying minutes as his shot was blocked well by the captain’s sliding challenge.
Following this, a quick Binos counter-attack saw Kieran Offord slip through the defence and play in Lewis Milne, but his effort was blocked well by Accies captain Dylan McGowan, echoing the Binos’ previous attempt on goal.
With the ball bobbling around the box in the 87th minute and both Accies attackers and Binos defenders swiping at it, Blair Currie managed to eventually collect the ball, preventing Dylan McGowan from scoring for the visitors as his flicked attempt landed into Blair Currie’s chest.
In the last minute of the game, Milne had a powerful shot towards the Accies goal, and it looked as though the Binos might snatch all three points at the death, but Dean Lyness’s diving save kept the score level as the final whistle sounded.
Full-Time: 0-0
Stirling Albion: Currie, McGeachie (Cummins 77’), Clark, McLean, McGregor, Leitch (Banner 77’), Moore (Milne 71’), McPake, Cooper (Offord 83’), Hilson (Carrick 77’), Crane
Subs: Weir, Cummins, Carrick, Banner, Offord, Miller, Milne, Bird
Hamilton Academical: Lyness, Longridge, Kilday, Barjonas (Hewitt 62’), Henderson (Murray 71’), O’Hara, McGowan, Davidson (Rose 62’), Tumilty (79’), Owens, Williamson
Subs: Fulton, Rose, Smith, Hasie, Redfern, Murray, Winter, Hewitt, Kirk
