Robin Bairner Column – Part 15

Date – 24^th October 1998
Venue – Forthbank Stadium
Competition – Bell’s Scottish Second Division
Result – Stirling Albion 4-2 Alloa Athletic
Kick Off – 3.00pm

It was imperative that Stirling started well against Alloa, who were fighting for a promotion spot at this stage in the season, and, although they would miss out eventually, would go on to claim one for the following year. But, after their 7-0 defeat earlier in the season, the Binos did start well. After only five minutes Mark Cairns in the Alloa goal was beaten, Alex Bone ramming home his penalty after a handball in the box.

It was a fairly evenly contested game, with Bone’s early opener clearly buoying the home side and Cairns had to look lively on a couple of occasions as Stirling threatened to double their lead. Gary Gow was not left untested in the first half, however, and did well to deny Martin Cameron a goal around the half hour mark. The Binos were destined to go in at the break with a two goal cushion and it was Stevie Nicholas, now of Alloa Athletic, who rounded off a nice move just before the break.

Tom Hendrie clearly had some harsh words for his side at half time and they came out for the second half like a bullet from a gun. Paul Simpson headed the Wasps back into the game only three minutes after the referee had blown his whistle for the start of the second half.

Alloa threatened to walk over the home side but the tide turned abruptly in the 54^th minute when Alex Bone finished from eight yards out for his second of the game and to restore the two goal buffer, which it looked like Stirling were increasingly going to need. As it turned out, the game wasn’t to go that way and was bogged down frequently in a midfield battle. Hendrie tried to turn things around by bringing on Gregor McKechnie and Mark Wilson but this had little immediate impact.

Bone completed his hat-trick on the seventy-five minute mark following good play from Stevie Nicholas to seal the victory. There was time for substitute Wilson to score only three minutes after Bone notched his third to mean the remaining ten or so minutes were not jitter free, and indeed Alloa pressed heavily in the latter stages with no reward, but ultimately, it was to be the Binos who went home the happier fans.