Stirling 2 Loganlea 0



Parade around Stirling to be arranged



Title glory for deserving students

Stirling clinched the title with a comfortable win which saw them become the university side to move out of the league for the first time since their entry into the Stirling and District set-up in the late 1970’s.

The result was far more comfortable on the day than the scoreline suggests as the students made the most of their time on Stirling’s version of Wembley, the Stade De Gowrie. It may be a while before any of the team get to return to grace the park and they put on a terrific showing, providing the 20-strong support at the sidelines with a day to remember before Final Fling in the evening.

After the 5-1 win over Zetland in midweek, Stirling were full of confidence and this showed as they took control of the game from the off. The students looked determined as they tried to carve open a side who gave them one of their toughest games of the season in the reverse fixture, winning 1-0 in a hostile away match.



Quinn in impressive form



Ryan Quinn has been in imperious form down the left in the final games of the season and could have opened the scoring after just ten minutes. Released by a slide-rule Boyle pass through the centre, Quinn outstripped the defenders for pace but could only shoot straight at the keeper as Stirling settled well.

Chris Betreen and Matty McLaughlin have been in outstanding scoring touch recently, with 11 in the last 5 before this, and both looked dangerous once again as their movement caused havoc for the Loganlea backline.

It was top scorer Betreen who had the first attempt at keeping the streak going beating the offside trap to bare down on the keeper. Rounding the goalie, he did well to stay on his feet before shooting but the shot lacked enough power and the covering defender managed to clear.

Stirling looked dangerous every time they went forward with Will Barker in a typically creative mood. Spraying balls from side-to-side he was giving the kind of display that saw him named player of the year at the end of season awards. Ably assisted by Stevie Boyle, the two central midfielders were dictating the play as the students tried to get the win they need to secure the title.

They were to get the opener after 25 minutes and it was McLaughlin who got it. After another run from Quinn had escaped the troubled Loganlea right-back, he squared the ball across the penalty area. After Betreen couldn’t get there at the front post, McLaughlin arrived at the back to tap home, ease Stirling nerves and give the home crowd a chance to get their vuvuzela’s out.



Mahoney in typical 'Taps Aff' fashion.



Playing in their final games as students of the university, Ryan Mahoney and returning skipper Jono Cooper were commanding as ever in the heart of the defence not giving the opposition strike-force a sniff. Backed by James Brodie and Graeme Crawford in the fullback slots, Loganlea never got into the game, as an attacking force, at any stage.

Barker almost added to the lead after arriving late into the box to connect with Quinn’s cross but the Shrewsbury born number 7 couldn't direct his header away from the keeper and it was blocked away to safety. Stirling couldn’t force a second goal before half-time but went into the break buoyed by their first half performance, on a pitch that had deteriorated with a season’s worth of wear and tear to contend with.

The students were again dominant in the second period with Loganlea seemingly conceding that the students were the better side and deserved the trophy that was almost theirs. Unlike in midweek, the students kept up their level of performance in the second 45 and looked dangerous every time they went forward.

Mahoney rifled a free kick into the wall from a dangerous position, Barker put a free kick over the bar and McLaughlin had an effort saved by the keeper as Stirling continued to pile pressure on the defence.

The central midfield pairing of Loganlea began to see more of the ball as the half wore on and from a ball in behind, they nearly grabbed an undeserved equaliser. Cooper blocked a ball through and tried to take the ball out of defence. He was robbed by the opposing striker and with a first time hit the young left winger for Loganlea rattled the post from 20 yards.



MacDougall almost added
to the scoreline. It's meant to
be Blue Peter  by the way.
"Thinking outside the box".



Taking advantage of the let off Stirling sealed the win as Crawford got into double figures for the season. A drilled corner from Barker went through everyone to the back post and seemingly away from danger. The defender’s clearance though, rebounded off his own man and fell kindly to Crawford 6 yards out who tapped home spreading relief through the Stirling ranks.

MacDougall replaced a tired Betreen up front while Barker was forced off with an injury, McLean coming on with McCall moving inside one. MacDougall had the chance to grab a goal on the hallowed turf after Crawford cut the ball back from the by-line, but his shot from 8 yards went up and over the bar as Stirling looked to add some gloss to the scoreline.

Connor Wells, with the gorgeous Sharon Wells watching on, replaced McCall in the centre of the park and almost scored moments after coming on. McLaughlin managed to run in behind and, going with the shout, cut the ball back to the edge of the area. Wells, even with his new aerodynamic haircut, couldn't get there quickly enough and the keeper smothered the ball at his feet.

Stirling played out the remaining time comfortably against a tired Loganlea side, which fell out of the title race a couple of weeks previous. With the sideline cheering every pass, Stirling played the game out and knew the title was theirs.



Captain will be a
big miss next season.



The final whistle sparked jubilant scenes as the students got their just reward for a tough season and there was a mini pitch invasion from the supporters as they joined in with the victorious songs. With the champagne empty, party poppers popped and the toy trophy presented, the students retreated to the changing rooms where the first of many beverages was cracked open and the third team went to Final Fling as Stirling and District League Champions.

Ecstatic captain Cooper said “I’m over the moon for the boys and delighted we have got from the season what we deserved. A lot of thanks must go to our coaches Tommy Craig and Gavin Skelton who have been exceptional throughout the year for us. In what could be my last season as a university player, it is a brilliant feeling to win the title as captain and get the team promoted for the first time in its history.”

James Brodie was unavailable for comment due to drunken circumstances.

Speacial mention must go to Ryan Mahoney, Jono Cooper, Matty McLaughlin, Chris Betreen and James Brodie who are in their final year as students and all will be massively missed.

Man of the Match: Ryan Quinn

Stirling: Harkness, Crawford, Cooper, Mahoney, Brodie, McCall, Barker (McLean), Boyle, Quinn, Betreen (MacDougall), McLaughlin    Subs: Chapman, Lynch

Zetland 1 Stirling 5

Commanding victory leaves students 2 points from the title

Having won the previous encounter at home 1-0 with a last minute winner, the students were expecting a tough challenge in the return fixture. However Stirling blew their opposition away within half an hour to put them closer to securing the league title with a game to spare.

From the first whistle Stirling were on top as they looked to impose themselves on the game. Jamie McLean had come in for Ryan Lynch, on the right hand side, with Lynch still recovering from a midweek knock. McLean was heavily involved early on, driving at the defence and setting up Ryan Quinn who wastefully lobbed over the bar.



Influential early on.



McLean then had the chance to score himself as, after great build up play had released Quinn in behind and his shot was blocked, McLean strolled onto the ball 6 yards out but his shot was cleared off the line by the covering defender.

Zetland were playing an astonishingly high line which was to be their downfall throughout the first half, and ultimately led to the opening goal. Reaching a McLean through ball on the by-line Betreen took his time and squeezed the ball past the keeper into the bottom left hand corner which has become somewhat of a trademark for Betreen over his four years at university.

Stirling wasted little time in adding another as yet another through ball caught out the defence and McLean found himself through on goal. Taking the sensible option he squared for Quinn to have the simple task of knocking the ball home and unleashing the infamous lizard’s tongue.

Zetland were in disarray at how to handle the away side as they continued to pour forward in search of more goals. They found a third and it was that man Betreen again who sealed the game after only twenty minutes of play. Slipped in brilliantly in behind by Will Barker, Betreen took the ball on and surprised the goalkeeper by hitting an early strike that whistled into the near post top corner for his 21^st of the season.

MoM in great form.

Betreen was again at the centre of things moment later when Zetland were awarded a highly debatable red card. Having driven down the right-hand touchline brilliantly away from the defence, he was caught late after a cross but it was a surprise to everyone when the referee went for is back rather than front pocket. It was a lunging tackle but an early bath was unfortunate and killed any Zetland thoughts of a comeback.

Betreen almost got the illusive hat-trick he has been searching for all his uni career when a left foot scorcher rattled the bar and was cleared away to safety.

Any comeback hopes were further dented by a fourth goal of the game, coming from the in-form Matty McLaughlin. Betreen played in Quinn, who was clearly onside despite the calls from the Zetland sideline, and his shot was parried across to leave McLaughlin to put the ball into the empty net.

Half-time arrived with the game all but over and Stirling didn’t reach the same standard in the second half as they had in the first.

Sloppy passing and too many long balls led to Zetland having more of the game and putting Stirling under some sustained pressure. While the defence held firm, frustration seemed to be creeping in as they couldn’t replicate their composure from the first half.

Zetland started to create some chances as their pacey left winger had pushed up front in the second period. Ross Harkness was rarely troubled though as shots went well wide.

Quinn had a chance to add to the lead after a surging Ryan Mahoney run found the big centre half in the left hand side of the box. He squared to Quinn who scuffed his shot much to the stoppers frustration as he started the long trek back to centre half.

Graeme Crawford was withdrawn with a slight injury, and also to avoid further embarrassment from the quick striker who began to get the edge as the game progressed, with Connor Wells replacing him and Stevie Boyle filling in at right back.

Wells was immediately involved as he got into the penalty area to support. McLean got to the by-line and his cutback was met sweetly by ‘Weasley’ but the ball flew just over the bar to keep the magic wand celebration on ice and the first goal for a woman in district league football still to arrive.



Looked lively when introduced.



Stirling made a double switch with Betreen and Barker replaced by Euan McCall and Mikey MacDougall. MacDougall was involved from the off, with his new boots being proudly displayed to the masses, and his work-rate was troubling the Zetland defence and he won the ball back on numerous occasions.

MacDougall was unlucky not be awarded a penalty after a good one-two down the left gave him a shooting opportunity. As he was striking the ball the defender clipped his ankle, but the referee waved claims away claiming that the defender won the ball.

Stirling were to concede with ten minutes to go which was what they deserved from a lacklustre second half, although the ‘Get the ball’ shouts from Zetland were a tad ambitious. A touch and strike on the right-hand side of Stirling’s areas beat Harkness at his near post although it was a powerful strike which would have required a lot to keep out.

Stirling had the better for the final ten minutes and added some gloss to the scoreline with McLaughlin getting the customary brace Stirling 3^rd team strikers seem to love getting. Great running from MacDougall down the right meant he had time to deliver across the goal and McLaughlin was there to tap home.

With 11 goals in the last 4 games for the McLaughlin and Betreen strike pairing, they have become a lethal combination up front. With both in their final year at university they are going to be massive shoes to fill next season and hopefully they can sing of with a title winner’s medal to add to their massive collection of goals.

This was the perfect response by Stirling to the pressure of leading the title race. With Braehead losing to Stirling Thistle in the other game of meaning, it leaves Stirling needing 2 points from 2 games to win the title.

However they will look to have it done and dusted on Saturday against Loganlea. Playing on Stirling’s Stade de Gowrie in front of a record crowd, would be a fitting way to end the season. And with Final Fling arriving at night, providing the result goes the right way, the scenes after the game could be unbelievable.

Man of the Match: Chris Betreen

Stirling: Harkness, Crawford (Wells), Blair, Mahoney, Brodie, McLean, Boyle, Barker (McCall), Quinn, McLaughlin, Betreen (MacDougall)   Subs: Chapman, Lynch

Dunblane Thistle 1 Stirling 4

Sensational scenes at Dunblane High School
as Stirling are promoted.

Stirling breaks out of Division 2 with a comfortable win

Stirling produced an identical scoreline from the previous Wednesday to secure the three points they needed for promotion. On a tricky pitch and a flyaway football on show, the students did well to come from a goal down to put four goals away; although it could have been more.

Stirling took the decision to play into the wind for the first half, and it seemed to backfire as Dunblane made most of the early running. The long ball game plan of the home side was causing problems as the ball swirled in the wind and got caught in the sun, leaving the defence struggling to remain composed.

The home side took advantage of Stirling’s complacent start to take the lead. A flighted free-kick was headed back across goal and with runners not being tracked everywhere, one of many free Dunblane players headed home.

This sparked the young students into life and they began to keep possession which they should have done from the start. The ball was being spread across the back four with Ryan Mahoney and Ryan Blair being left with time on the ball due to the 4-4-1-1 formation Dunblane employed



Connor Wells started after an impressive performance in mid-week and, alongside player of the year Will Barker, looked relaxed in possession while winning tackles in the middle of the park.



Man of the Match
celebrates in typical
fashion.



It was from down the left wing that Stirling found an equaliser and it was Matty McLaughlin who got it. Ryan Quinn slipped him into the penalty area and after a neat Zidane swivel away from the sliding defender and, despite being off balance; he managed to lift the ball over the oncoming keeper for a deserved leveller.

Stirling made it 2-1 shortly after with one of the goals of the season. A tremendous passing move that went side to side across the park twice, as every player touched the ball, ended with a delightful through ball from the versatile Stevie Boyle into McLaughlin who slotted home first time.

Stirling took control from this point on and apart from a couple of concentration lapses in defence, they were under no real threat of conceding again. Jamie McLean replaced Ryan Lynch who was injured after a challenge with Dunblane keeper.

Quinn was having a tremendous first half and threatened a goal after cutting inside, but he fired his shot over the bar. Chris Betreen could have added to the lead just before halftime but Dunblane keeper Graeme Lavery spread himself well to block and keep the lead down to one.

Stirling came out after half-time and killed the game off within the first 5 minutes. Graeme Crawford cut inside from the right and flicked a ball in behind which Betreen finished in typical fashion, across the keeper, to all but seal the points.

Crawford could have scored a minute later after bursting through the middle of the defence, but he dragged his shot wide. Although Betreen could have got to the ‘cross’ had he been on his toes!

Stirling were completely dominant in possession, keeping the ball instead of playing the long pass forward they had resorted to at times after the Christmas break. Wells and Barker were orchestrating the play from the middle as the students cruised towards promotion.



Player of the year celebrates
with his best mate. And Cammy.



They added a fourth with Barker getting his 12^th of the campaign. Jamie McLean got the better of the full-back repeatedly in the second half, and on this occasion dinked a lovely ball up to the back post to Quinn who was pushed in the back as he went to nod home. Barker stepped up and scored in his usual spot to add to a fully-deserved scoreline.

Mikey MacDougall replaced Wells and Cooper came on for Quinn as Stirling relaxed with the three goal cushion.

The moment of the match arrived after tremendous play by man of the match McLaughlin. A flying run down the left touchline evaded two lunges before squaring to Cooper who first-time flicked inside to Betreen. Setting his self well 8 yards out he somehow defied his usual striking instinct and shinned the ball wide in what would was an unfortunate end to a great piece of build-up.

Stirling had a few more half chances, including a McLaughlin free-kick which is still rising, but the game fizzled out with Stirling by for the better side.

The students can look forward to plying their trade in Division 1 next year but they will be hopeful that it will be as Division 2 champions. With three games to go it is in their hands and all is to play for, three big performances will bring home the trophy.

Man of the Match: Matty McLaughlin

Stirling: Harkness, Crawford, Blair, Mahoney, Boyle, Lynch (McLean), Barker, Wells (MacDougall), Quinn (Cooper), McLaughlin, Betreen          Subs: Chapman