Stirling 1 Glasgow Uni 2’s 0

Stirling defy beautiful game to keep league alive



Made the big time



Stirling threw a self-imposed ban on tricks, flicks and flair in order to keep their promotion hopes alive on a Wednesday. After taking an early lead Stirling were forced into desperate defending with attacking left as an afterthought on a day when the 3 points were vital. Playing under the bright lights of Alloa Athletic’s Recreation Park, the spectators, if there had been any, would not be rushing back to see 70 minutes which the bus was well and truly parked and a combination of resilience, determination and luck ensured the home side took the spoils.

Stirling began well retaining possession and looking suited to the Astroturf surface, having played 3 successive games on similar pitches. Their good start was rewarded with an early goal, which has been few and far between for Stirling as notorious slow starters over the course of the season. Stirling forced a corner and after the ball was headed back out, typical Will Barker delivery found an unmarked Graeme Crawford to nod past the Glasgow keeper and leave Stirling with a lead they wanted, but coming so early perhaps changed the mindset of the team.

After their bright start Stirling were playing some nice football without finding that killer ball in the final third. Success was coming down the left with Curtiss Wilson and Euan McCall combining effectively, with driving runs just stopped at the last time and again. With the lead Stirling craved having arrived, they started to allow Glasgow to have the ball at the back and remain compact. The Glasgow side playing three in the centre meant a hard shift for Boyle and Barker, and Mikey MacDougall was forced to drop deeper to counter the threat leaving the tireless Chris Betreen isolated for much of the game.



12th man



Glasgow were failing to break down a Stirling side who have only conceded 20 goals in 21 games this season, with 8 clean sheets thrown in.  The main threat for both teams was coming from set pieces as Glasgow headed over three times when they should have done better, while Crawford couldn’t direct a header at the other end. The half-time whistle sounded with Glasgow on top but Stirling holding firm and anticipating a second half onslaught.

With the massive Stirling support having other business he had to attend to and leaving at half-time, Stirling came out to the intimidating atmosphere of Glasgow’s 4 loyal supporters meaning Fortress Alloa was not in Stirling’s favour. The second half followed a similar pattern to the first with Stirling allowing Glasgow possession and dropping ever deeper as the half wore on. Ross Chapman was called into action as a though ball gave the Glasgow striker a chance but Chapman stayed big to block and the rebound was cleared to safety.

The stats for the game would have made embarrassing reading for a team that tries to play keep ball whenever possible as the visiting side continued to come forward. Cooper and Mahoney were colossal as always and were ably supported by the two fullbacks and an increasingly defensive Boyle. Stirling’s post and nerves were rattled just after the hour as Glasgow inched closer to an equaliser with Glasgow’s winger coming inside and placing his effort just off target after a great lay-off from the frontman.

 Ryan Quinn came on to replace MacDougall in an attempt to shore things up further as tired legs began to show for the home side. Chapman was forced to show his shop stopping ability again as a floated ball to the back post was met on the volley but Stirling’s keeper was there to keep the clean sheet intact and further frustrate a side which picked up yellow cards for dissent like they were a scarce half-time wine gum. Desperation was setting in as Glasgow pushed their towering centre back upfront in a last gasp attempt to score what would have been a league winning goal, and he did cause problems in the air although Stirling were getting to the second balls first to clear.

Jamie McLean came on for McCall to add another passenger to the bus that was parked along Stirling’s 18 yard line and he almost made the game safe with a long range effort that the Glasgow keeper did well to hold. One final chance arrived for Glasgow from a corner as time ticked away. A clean header beat Chapman but a weary Crawford hadn’t pushed out off the line and headed to safety. The final few minutes of stoppage time were seen out relatively scare free as Stirling kept their promotion hopes alive.



Wild celebrations



Stirling secured a momentous win which leaves the league title in their own hands with 3 games left. Glasgow never took kindly to the defeat with a substitute seeing red during the game and their captain also forcing the referee into his back pocket with comment after the final whistle. Stirling handled the game with a good attitude and were rewarded with the points as defending proved the way forward. Bo’ness are next up on Saturday in the cup and Stirling will look to take the spirit and elation into the next game.

Man of the Match: Curtis Wilson

Stirling: Chapman, Crawford, Cooper, Mahoney, Wilson, Brodie, Barker, Boyle, McCall (McLean), MacDougall (Quinn), Betreen               Subs: McCulloch, Flanagan, Lynch

Lionel Messi- “It was disgraceful. First Rangers in the Champions League and it has continued to grassroots level. Burst the ball.”

Arsene Wenger- “I didn’t see it but Stirling should be ashamed. Almost as bad as Stoke”

Tommy Craig- “Attacking? What’s that? Take 1-0 every week.

Stirling 3 Riverside 0

Students take the derby spoils after scrappy performance

Stirling returned to action after midweek disappointment in the BUCS cup with victory over local rivals Riverside. A scrappy first half was countered with a dominant performance in the second period as the student’s superior fitness shone through and their opponents had no answer.

Stirling made some changes from midweek with Tom Flanagan, Jamie McLean, Connor Wells and Matty McLaughlin all taking their place in the starting line-up. The first half was bereft of chances as both teams struggled maintain possession. The better work was coming from Stirling although they struggled to break down a compact Riverside outfit, who had switched to a 4-5-1 compared to the traditional 4-4-2 they played in the previous meeting this season.

McLean and Ryan Quinn were causing trouble down the flanks but the final ball was lacking as Stirling’s strike force were unable to beat the Riverside defence. Stirling were looking dangerous with the ball on the floor but this was all too lacking in a first half of long balls which were being mopped up as the taller Riverside backline won almost every header. Riverside almost took an undeserved lead as Ross Harkness’ post was clipped nearing the half hour mark.  A testing long throw was Riverside’s only threat and as Stirling failed to deal with it, a flicked header almost lost the initiative Stirling had began to build.



Will 'Mental' Barker set Stirling on their way



The creative Will Barker was to break the deadlock on the stroke of half time. After the ball was whipped in from the left the clearing header found Barker on the 18 yard line. Calmly taking the ball on the half volley Barker struck the ball past the motionless keeper and giving Stirling cushion to take into the half-time jelly baby break.

Stirling came out a different side in the second half as their opponent’s legs began to wilt as many a Friday night out seemed to take its toll on a few of the Riverside’s players. Stirling maintained possession better than the first period and the extra running was too much for the opposition. The Stirling midfield four were working better as a unit, creating chances for the strike force of MacLaughlin and danger man Chris Betreen.



Man's man McCall took advanatge of tired legs



Stirling struggled to find the back of the net once again however as chances continually went a begging. The introduction of Euan McCall in centre midfield made a noticeable difference as McCall managed to get forward in support of the strikers and give a much needed energy that had been lacking. The ball finally crossed the line for a second time as MacLaughlin broke through the defence to get a deserved goal for his efforts. Chasing a ball down the middle, MacLaughlin got there ahead of the defender and, after the break of the ball, finished confidently past the goalkeeper.



It wasn't long before a third goal came and it was not a spectacle for the onlookers. After a soon-to-be trademark drive down the right Mclean cut the ball across to the arriving Stirling support. Barker managed to knock the ball towards goal only to be denied by Riverside arm. The rebound dropped to Betreen who in turn managed fall over, miss-time his effort but still see it trickle over the line to continue his impressive scoring record for the 3^rd team.

The remainder of the game was all Stirling as Harkness in goal could have joined the spectators on the touchline; such was the lack of goal threat from the visitors. Stirling could have been four ahead had captain Jono Cooper had more of a striker’s instinct, as a wonderful delivery trundled off every part of Cooper’s body before the goalkeeper was able to collect. McCall almost made the scoreline more secure after some delightful build up left McCall with a chance at goal, unfortunately the attempted lob drifted wide and a brilliant goal was missed. There was still time for the introduction of fan’s favourite Charles Owusu, for MacLaughlin, who added some spice to the game with his pace and enthusiasm as Stirling saw the game out well.

Stirling will be happy with the three points as they topped the league for the first time this season with a perfect 6 wins out of 6. However their lack of goals compared to chances is again a worry and players throughout the team will need to step up and stop the heavy reliance on certain individuals. Stirling go into Wednesday’s game with Glasgow Uni 2’s knowing they need a win so hopefully the bright lights of Recreation Park will inspire some unlikely goal scorers and they will get the win they need.

Ref’s Man of the Match: Will Barker

Stirling: Harkness, Flanagan, Cooper, Mahoney, Brodie, McLean, Wells (McLean), Barker, Quinn (Owusu), MacLaughlin, Betreen   Subs: Crawford

Stirling 1 Glasgow Caledonian 2 (AET)

Dream final denied as students fall short

A combination of ill discipline and a poor first sixty minutes left Stirling dejected and out of the BUCS cup for another year. Eyeing the prospect of meeting the 2^nd team in the final, the polar bears failed to produce when it mattered and will have to focus on other areas in search of their first trophy in a few years.

Stirling went into the game excited at the prospect of an all Stirling match up and were determined to make it past a Glasgow side, who they had drawn 1-1 with previously in the season. The start they made was more nightmare than dream, as Glasgow pressured from the off and forced mistakes and confusion in defence. With the game moved to the rubber crumb, due to grass pitches being unavailable, Stirling failed to adapt to their training surface and were lucky to survive the early onslaught.

While not at their best, Stirling did manage to deny any clear goal scoring opportunities with Ryan Mahoney providing a display straight from the coaching manual, in how to be a centre half. The game was scrappy with tensions developing on the park, leading to bookings on either side, with captain Jono Cooper lucky to only see yellow for retaliating with a kick after being fouled. Glasgow were threatening with continuous balls over the top to the willing runners in their strike force and support coming from midfield and it was through this that they took the lead on the half hour mark. From a Stirling throw in the corner, the ball was retrieved and a quick counter ensued. The Glasgow number 9 held the ball well, cut inside and found the supporting run of his midfielder inside the box. With Chapman spreading himself, he was left helpless as the ball was dinked over and into the net.

A lesser team may have folded at the loss of a goal and disarray in their play. Stirling however re-grouped and tried to find attacks of their own, finding feet with passes rather than the head of the Glasgow centre half, who won almost every header throughout the course of the game. Stirling almost found an undeserved equaliser just before half-time with a trademark Barker delivery clipping Crawford’s studs, hitting the post and the rebound from Mahoney was deflected over. The half-time whistle was a relief to Stirling as they went in feeling they had not done themselves justice.

After addressing issues at half time and making a change with McCall replacing Lynch, Stirling tried to come out with renewed endeavour but couldn’t seem to find their composure with Glasgow pressing high up the park and time on the ball at a minimum. Ryan Quinn was providing a threat to the Glasgow backline with his direct running with the ball and Stirling began to provide some kind of service to starved strikers Betreen and MacDougall. Stirling’s task was made harder after a moment of madness from Stevie Boyle. With a move completely out of character, Boyle reacted to a tackle by kicking out right in front of the referee and could have no complaints as the red card was produced, and Stirling were down to 10.

Stirling were coming more into the game as Glasgow relied on their quick counter attacks to try and kill the game off. Ross Chapman was forced to pull off some quality one v one saves to keep Stirling chances alive, made better by the wave of criticism coming from the three 12 year olds situated behind his goal. Changing into a 3-4-2 formation and bringing on McLean for MacDougall in a reshuffle to try and find an equaliser, Stirling pushed forward but couldn’t find a killer pass to break down the Glasgow door. On a day of few Stirling chances, it was left to Betreen to take his only clear opportunity and force the game into an energy sapping extra half hour. Another excellent ball in from Barker found an unmarked Betreen who nodded home at the front post to the delight of the 3^rd team. With a few more end to end minutes including an indirect Barker free kick that was well saved, the referee called time and extra-time loomed.

With both teams beginning to tire slightly, extra-time was a scrappy affair and it was Glasgow who took advantage. After some slack defending down the right hand side, a tremendous ball was whipped in to the back post and the ball was nodded home at the back post to hand the lead back to Glasgow. Surviving the rest of the first period unscathed, Stirling came out having changed back to the 3-4-2 system and pushed on to try and find a second comeback. With the outstanding Mahoney repelling the Glasgow attacks, Stirling resorted to a Stoke-style long ball game to put the pressure on was failing to reap rewards as Glasgow’s centre half won the headers time and again. With minutes remaining Cooper was pushed forward as an unconventional 2-3-5 formation looked to get a goal. Stirling would get one late chance as the ball fell to McCall 12 yards out. With the ball at an awkward height, McCall side footed past the goalkeeper but, to the home side’s agony, onto the crossbar and as the ball went over so did Stirling’s chances of making the semi final.

Stirling put forward tremendous resilience after going down to ten men and being a goal down twice. They perhaps didn’t deserve a win on the day but can take positives from the fact they almost took the game to penalties on a day where their performance was way below the standard expected. With a crucial tie still to come in the league, Stirling showed they have the wherewithal to beat the Glasgow side and can take heart from that. Not bad for a 3^rd team as they were reminded of so often during the game.

Ref’s Man of the Match: Will Barker

Players Man of the Match: Ryan Mahoney

Stirling: Chapman, Crawford, Cooper, Mahoney, Wilson, Lynch (McCall), Barker, Boyle, Quinn, MacDougall (McLean), Betreen Subs: Fraser, Flanagan, Wells

Glenvale 0 Stirling 3

McLean magic ensures solid win, with missed chances galore.



Stirling secured a comfortable win to extend their 100% record in Saturday football. Coming off the back of a good win against Wasps the previous week, and facing a team second bottom of the league, could have been a recipe for complacency, but this was addressed, and stamped out by coach Raleigh Gowrie, in the absence of Tommy Craig who was on international duty.

Stirling lined up much changed from the previous week but gelled well from the start on a pitch which was not favourable to those who wished to stand up. Early possession was controlled by Stirling with MacLaughlin holding the ball up well and releasing to the supporting midfield. Stirling couldn’t quite find a way past as a combination of good blocks and indecision left chances gone while Glenvale began to threaten on the counter although they struggled to get past the formidable partnership of Cooper and Mahoney, again the base on which Stirling can build an attacking force.



Stirling horse and defensive stalwart



Stirling finally got past the barricades with MacLaughlin putting the students ahead. With Quinn’s corner cleared to the edge, McLean remained composed and fed it back out wide. Quinn found the perfect cross to leave MacLaughlin to ease the defender away and head past the unfortunate keeper. The lead was almost relinquished straight away however as slack play let in the Glenvale number 9. A ball in between Crawford and Cooper was taken nicely away from Cooper’s attempted block, but the striker lost his composure and dragged wide when it looked easier to finish.



Stirling took this let off as they should and pushed forward for a second which duly arrived through man-of-the-match Jamie McLean. Receiving the ball wide on the right, McLean beat the first man and squared up the second. Jinking onto his right foot, a rasping strike whistled high past the keeper at his near post and gave Stirling a cushion approaching half-time. Two more chances arrived for Stirling before the break but neither were taken. Both came from typical whipped Barker deliveries, the first of which Cooper cracked the crossbar with and Mahoney couldn’t direct the rebound home. The final action came from Barker’s free-kick which came straight onto Crawford’s head, unfortunately the header was too close to the keeper who tipped over the bar and the score remained 2-0 at half-time.



Encouraged by the chances they had created, Stirling came out in the second half looking to continue where they left off. The midfield four were nullifying the Glenvale threat and Stirling looked particularly dangerous in the wide areas, with Quinn and McLean direct in their play getting past their marker time and again. Stirling added a third soon after the break with some lovely passing football. With a variety of players involved down Stirling’s left the final cross was zipped in by Quinn and powered home by Stirling midfield engine to make the points safe early in the second half. The final dangerous moment for Stirling came shortly after as the Glenvale striker got into the 18 yard box but Brodie covered superbly to make 2 brilliant blocks and the ball was cleared to safety.



Man of the Match and photogenic Jamie McLean



The remainder of the game was a tale of missed chances as Stirling could have racked up a cricket score by the end up. Soon after making it 3, Stirling had a penalty appeal turned down after a tackle on McLean. With even the Stirling players doubtful, McLean was adamant and without the duo of Keys and Gray around anymore to analyse these things, Stirling will take his word for it and be outraged at the decision. Ryan Lynch came off the bench, and brushed off some glowing compliments from the Glenvale side about his choice of hair-do, to play on the right pushing McLean into the middle alongside Barker. These two were combining to put the strikers through on the Glenvale keeper but they couldn’t beat the impressive stopper who kept the score respectable for the Cumbernauld side. Charles Owusu made his first appearance of the new semester replacing an injured Crawford and looked bright, although a careless tackle could have been a lot worse than just incurring the wrath of the Glenvale players. By the finish Barker, McLean, Lynch, Betreen, MacLaughlin all had chances to add to the scoreline but the balloon provided by Glenvale refused to cross the goal line a fourth time. The referee blew for full-time to give Stirling a deserved victory even if the scoreline didn’t reflect their superiority on the day.

Stirling did well to cope with a potentially tricky game, staying clear of nearby motorways, Glenvale substitutes having a sly smoke at the side and a pitch which was more brown than green by the end, to keep their good form up from before Christmas and can now look forward to a massive game on Wednesday in the knockout round of the cup against a Glasgow Caledonian 1’s who Stirling drew 1-1 with earlier in the season.

Man of the Match- Jamie McLean

Stirling- Harkness, Crawford (Owusu), Cooper, Mahoney, Brodie, McLean, Barker, Bews (Lynch), Quinn, Betreen, MacLaughlin Subs: Chapman

Stirling 5 Wasps Community 1

Students return to action with comfortable win.

Having not played a game since November, the students were brought out of storage to continue their challenge for the District league title. With 3 wins out of 3 before the cold snap took control, Stirling were looking to keep their 100% record intact against a tricky Wasps team who gave Stirling two tough games the previous season under their previous name, Alloa.

The first half began in typical fashion for a side returning to action, with rustiness evident from the offset. With a mixture of 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd team players available, the team managed to gel despite the lack of continuity. Stirling’s first chance of the game came through a magnificent cross from Jamie McLean, which just evaded the arriving Hughes at the back post. McLean, showing his versatility in playing wide right, looked composed and caused problems down a profitable right hand side.

Stirling took a somewhat deserved lead through prolific Englishman, Chris Betreen. After being slipped through on goal, a trademark touch and finish put Stirling ahead and continued the scoring form Betreen left back in 2010. Wasps were causing problems of their own however with their two strikers exploiting the out of practice students. With a few of the players showing their Christmas physiques haven’t been totally lost, the opposition nearly snatched an equaliser. A cross from the Stirling left was dealt with superbly by Chapman, punching away under severe pressure and taking a bang on the nose to add to his Ian Dowie look-a-like concerns. Moments later, a deflection took the ball away from Crawford and Chapman was on hand to tip the ball onto the bar and Stirling cleared.

Stirling took the wake-up call on board and managed to increase their lead midway through the first half. After some terrific play in the wide area, McLean kept the ball brilliantly before laying it back to Clark. Spotting Crawford’s run; Clark dinked a delicate ball through to the fullback in space. With confusion at the lack of defenders, Crawford audaciously chipped the goalkeeper leaving Gavin Skelton turning in his grave and annoying his teammates furthermore. Stirling were unlucky not to add to their lead before half-time with Cooper and Crawford seeing headers cleared off the line, with Jacobs and Barker whipping in tremendous corners time and again. However Wasps survived and the score remained 2-0 at the interval.

Expecting a stern Wasps comeback in the second half Stirling put paid to that notion with a third goal shortly after the restart. Clark won the ball in midfield which allowed McLean to slide in Betreen and he did what he does best, securing his brace, leading calls from the sideline for his immediate substitution due to the 12 doubles and no hat-tricks in his university career. Wasps, undeterred by the scoreline, pushed further forward leaving Stirling to rely on the counter. In contrast to the first half most of Stirling’s play came down the left hand side as Wasps began to threaten a defence who had coped admirably with the long balls in behind. Jack Nixon and Jacob Arnold-Smith were introduced for Jacobs and Betreen and their influence was key in seeing out the storm.

Clark switched out to the left as Nixon moved inside and with more space against a tiring defence; he had two glorious chances to add to the lead. Unfortunately they fell on his weaker side and like a toddler swinging a golf club, the accuracy wasn't quite there. Matty McLaughlin then replaced ’60 minute’ Barker to add some flair to the midfield, which gave a different option in the middle of the park. Great build-up play from Nixon soon after resulted in a 4^th for Stirling. Beating Wasps players at ease he managed to drive to the left of the box and zip a ball to the onrushing Arnold-Smith, who calmly eased the ball into the corner giving a comfortable look to the score. A 5^th wasn't long in coming as Nixon got on the score sheet himself. Driving through on a burst from midfield towards the over-worked keeper, Nixon scored from the rebound after a poor first effort was blocked and exuberant celebrations followed.

Wasps were to sneak a goal back in the remaining minutes as slack play was punished. The ball wasn't cleared and a through ball to a suspiciously offside frontman, left Chapman exposed and the ball was confidently put away for what was merely a consolation. Stirling had one final chance as Arnold-Smith almost found the supporting Crawford with a through ball, but the keeper got their first and the chance was gone.

Overall Stirling will be happy with the win and performance after 2 full months without a game. With the prospect of 3 games in a week, this was a welcome boost and keeps the 100% record intact in a division which is very much winnable for this talented Stirling squad.

Man of the Match: Jono Cooper

Stirling: Chapman, Crawford, Cooper, Mahoney, Thom, McLean, Barker (McLaughlin), Clark, Jacobs (Nixon), Hughes, Betreen (Arnold-Smith) Subs: Quinn, Wells