Nathan Flanagan’s injury-time strike was enough to give Stirling Albion victory in an entertaining Premier Sports Cup tie as fans finally returned to Balmoral Stadium for the first time since March of last year.
The close to 500 Cove supporters certainly made their presence known and were served up a game that contained some cracking goals, two of them from Fraser Fyvie, as we fought back from 2-0 down – only to be denied the opportunity of a penalty shoot-out right at the death.
We were down to the bare bones with manager Paul Hartley only able to name three outfield substitutes.
We also had to cope with defender Ryan Strachan being forced to go off early in the first half with a calf injury.
There were starts for for three of the five new signings made during the close season. Former Ross County duo Ross Draper and Iain Vigurs, and Morgyn Neill, who joined us from Dumbarton.
Former Hamilton Academical keeper Kyle Gourlay was also on the bench.
Vigurs in particular impressed with his use of the ball, but the real stand-out for us was Harry Milne, who made his return after six months out with an ankle injury.
The visitors started strongly and Stuart McKenzie made a marvellous instinctive save to prevent Albion taking the lead after just three minutes.
The big keeper stuck a boot out to deflect Jack Leitch’s 10-yard shot on to the face of his right post and wide.
We responded with Vigurs playing a marvellous ball out to the left to Milne and his low cross back in just evaded Rory McAllister at the edge of the six yard box.
Fyvie and Milne then combined to get the ball through to McAllister and his 16-yard shot was held by Albion keeper Blair Currie.
Strachan limped off after just 18-minutes, with Connor Scully replacing him.
Stirling went ahead in the 28th minute when Kieran Moore cut the ball back from the right wing and Rabin OMAR picked his spot with a well hit 14-yard shot.
Cairns kept the visitors ahead with a great save in the 37th minute.
Vigurs sent a corner over from the right and the keeper did very well to beat away Milne’s header from the edge of the six yard box, with Neill then firing the rebound wide.
Vigurs tried again with another corner, a minute later, which reached Neill but his eight yard header went over the crossbar.
Vigurs also found Fyvie with a precise long pass two minutes from the interval but the midfielder’s effort from a tight angle on the right was saved by Currie.
FLANAGAN scored his first of the afternoon in the 55th minute to put Stirling two ahead.
He raced clear from half-way then skipped past a defender before firing a shot from just inside the area that went in off the inside of Stuart McKenzie’s right post.
The players showed character to battle back, thanks to some fine finishing by FYVIE.
His first came in the 68th minute, when he collected a through ball from Vigurs and then squeezed a shot past Currie from a tight angle on the right.
Mitch Megginson almost made it 2-1 in the 71st minute after coming on for Rory McAllister.
He latched on to a pass from Blair Yule but then saw his from the edge of area go inches wide.
Megginson was unlucky in the 76th minute, when Currie dived full length to beat away his powerful 16-yard shot, with the rebound then hastily cleared.
FYVIE equalised in the 82nd minute with an early contender for our goal of the season.
The midfielder took possession just outside the Stirling area then gave Currie no chance with a spectacular shot that rocketed into the top corner.
That looked set to take us on to a penalty shoot-out, to decide the winners of the extra point, until FLANAGAN went on another run, in the fourth minute of injury-time.
The winger appeared to stumble as he got to the edge of the box but managed to get enough on the ball to see it go past McKenzie and give the League Two side all three points.
COVE RANGERS: McKenzie, Neill, Milne (Thomas 66), Ross, Strachan (Scully 18), Watson, Yule, McAllister (Megginson 63), Draper, Vigurs, Fyvie.
Subs: Gourlay.
STIRLING ALBION: Currie, Cummins (Banner 54), McNiff, McLean (Heaver 89), McGregor, Laird, Moore, Omar, Mackin (Bikey 75) Leitch, Flanagan,.
Subs: Law, Creaney, Greenhorn.
Referee: Barry Cook
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