Stirling Albion’s Jon Paul McGovern reckons the Binos will bounce back from defeat to Clyde to take maximum points when they visit Annan on Saturday, writes Jamie Hall.

The veteran midfielder is maintaining a positive attitude ahead of his side’s first away league game of the season.

And McGovern, who arrived from Ayr this summer, believes the Binos can get back on course to climb out of League Two in what promises to be a tricky encounter.

He told Stirling News Sport: “It will be a difficult game. To be honest all the games in the league are difficult, for example Elgin. Nobody expects them to do anything in the league but it is still a tough place to travel to.

“Annan will be no different. They will get the ball down and expect to play football so it will be a tough game. We have to go about our business professionally. The result against Clyde does not mean we are down in the dumps by any means and we will hopefully go down to Annan and come back up the road with the three points.” The 34-year-old felt Albion matched Clyde for long spells and were unlucky to take nothing from their league opener.

He said: “I think we’re all disappointed. We will try and take the positives from it; they are the favourites to go up this year. They have brought in some good players on good wages and we are more than competing with them.

“The main difference in the game was the mistake. It happens in football, Mark has put his hands up and we all make mistakes. It’s a hard one for the defenders because when they make mistakes it really shows, whereas us further up the pitch can maybe afford to make mistakes.” The former Sheffield Wednesday man backed manager Stuart McLaren and assistant Martyn Corrigan to steer the Binos back to League One at the first attempt and revealed it was the duo who persuaded him to make the move to Forthbank.

McGovern added: “I was impressed with the manager and the assistant. I had a long chat with them and they seemed like good, honest guys, and in football that can be hard to find.

“I have been far-travelled and I might be getting a bit long in the tooth, and I’ve heard a lot of talk and not seen a lot of action, whereas here the manager spoke highly of the club and how they want to go about their business.

“They have a good group of young players here that they wanted me to help bringing on, and I was very much on board with that.”