Stirling Albion……………………………….3 

East Stirlingshire……………………………0 

Stirling Albion exorcised the demons of last week’s defeat to East Fife with a comfortable victory over local rivals East Stirlingshire at Forthbank, writes Jamie Hall. 

Moses Olanrewaju opened the scoring with an early goal on his full debut, before Darren Smith and Phil Johnston made the points safe with a goal apiece in the second half. 

Stuart McLaren made five changes to the Albion, with Ross McGeachie, Aurelien Mazel, Scott Davidson, Craig Comrie and Olanrewaju all coming into the starting eleven. 

The Binos started brightly and Lewis McLear thundered a free kick off Darren Dolan’s post with just two minutes played. 

Olanrewaju was the best player on the pitch in the opening stages and it was fitting that he was the one to open the scoring after a quarter of an hour. McLear worked his way into space on the edge of the box and slipped the ball to the young winger, who rifled an unstoppable effort past Dolan and into the top corner. 

Dolan had to be alert to claw away a Steven Doris effort which looked destined for the top corner shortly before the interval. 

Michael McMullin drew the first meaningful save from Chris Smith ten minutes into the second half with a magnificent drive from all of 35 yards which the keeper did well to tip over the bar, before Ross Forsyth got the slightest nick on a Kris Faulds shot to send the ball wide of the post. 

At the other end, McLear passed up the chance to double his side’s lead when he lashed the ball just wide from the edge of the box, and McGeachie headed wide after a well-worked set piece. 

But the Binos’ second goal did arrive a few minutes later. Darren Smith picked the ball up just inside the East Stirling half and ran at the defence before slotting the ball beyond Dolan and into the far corner. 

The Shire almost found a route back into the game but they were denied by an inspired save from Chris Smith. Jordan Cairnie stabbed an effort towards goal and it looked certain to be heading for the top corner, but the keeper somehow scrambled across and clawed the ball over the bar to preserve his clean sheet. 

Cairnie did have the keeper beaten just moments later but his luck was out again when he smashed an effort off the woodwork. 

McLear went close to adding his name to the scoresheet but was unable to hit the target once again, heading wide from a Phil Johnston cross. 

Johnston looked sharp after his introduction from the bench and he was the man who made absolutely sure of the points in the final stages of the game. Ross Forsyth played a lovely ball through which beat the visitors’ defence, and Johnston produced a great piece of skill to beat Dolan and leave himself with the simplest of finishes. 

That was the last action of an entertaining encounter which leaves Albion sixth in League Two, while East Stirling prop up the table and are ten points from safety. 

Stirling Albion: C. Smith, McGeachie, Forsyth, Mazel, Davidson, McMillan, Olanrewaju (Johnston), Comrie, Doris (Beattie), McLear (Kavanagh), D. Smith.