SHIRE 0 ALBION ROVERS 1

It maybe wasn’t the greatest game of football in the world, but there’s no mistaking the fact that Shire missed a chance to stay in touch with the hunt for an end-of-season play-off position.

Only Albion Rovers’ Bobby Barr, with his twelfth goal of the season, enlivened a drab occasion on a bitterly cold, if sunny afternoon, and for all that Shire dominated possession, especially in the second half, they lacked the necessary guile to penetrate a resolute Rovers defence.

Midweek training ground injuries ruled Eddie Forrest and Dean Richardson out of the visit of Albion Rovers to Ochilview. That meant a much-changed Shire line-up from the one that last saw action two weeks previously at Annan.

New signings Paul Weaver and Jamie Stevenson both came in for their debuts while David Dunn found himself on the substitutes bench.

Jim McInally lined is team up 3-4-1-2, with Michael Bolochoweckyj, Craig Tully and Paul Hay at the back with Stevenson fitting in behind a front two of Andy Rodgers and Brian Graham.

Early on Rodgers’ clever through ball put Graham in the clear but he was halted, correctly, by the linesman’s offside flag.Moments later Stevenson fired the ball across the face of goal but found no takers. Rovers responded with a Danny Ferry half volley at the back post which went wide.

Stevenson created a great opening for Shire on 13 minutes with a great run and cross which Weaver connected with but his effort was across the face of goal and wide. Craig Donaldson, better placed behind Weaver, might have been a better option.

After 25 minutes a great through ball set Graham clear but his shot from rthe edge of the box was well held by Ewings in the visitors goal made a comfortable save. The Rovers’ keeper was less at ease a minute later when he had to punch the ball clear from the edge of his box under pressure from Rodgers.

Rovers took the lead out of the blue after 29 minutes but it was certainly a strike worthy of winning any game. A cross from the right was missed by the Shire defence and picked up by Bobby Barr at the back post. He was ushered out of the box by Donaldson but that didn’t stop him unleashing a tremendous 20 yarder high into the roof of the net.

Shire should have been back in  the game after 36 minutes. Rodgers threaded the ball through to Graham at the back of the box, he made a beeline for goal but hit an angled drive across the face of goal and wide. Stevenson then hit a twenty yard free-kick straight into the arms of Ewings and Sean Anderson tried his luck from long-range but the ball flew over the bar.

Rovers started the second half the livelier. In fact, Pollock could have made it 2-0 straight from the re-start, stealing the ball from Donaldson and racing in on goal before trying to chip Peat. His effort was just too high.

The Coatbrige team came even closer on 49 minutes when Mark Archdeacon cracked in an angled drive which Peat stopped but couldn’t hold and it was Tully who got back to hook the ball off the line.

Shire were still creating chances. Derek Ure made good progress down the left and crossed but Donaldson sent a free header wide of the target. After 56 minutes Stevenson flighted in a free-kick which Tully glanced towards goal but Ewings denied Shire an equaliser with a fantastic save, tipping the ball round the post for a fruitless corner.

Shire brought on Colin Cramb and Marc McKenzie for Graham and Rodgers and immediately the experienced Cramb started holding the ball in and bringing other players into the game.

But even then they could scarcely muster a decent attempt on goal, although Cramb’s lay-off to Anderson did produce an effort that forced Ewings into a decent save. All too often, though, Cramb’s distribution ended with shots like Paul Hay’s which hit the terracing at the back of goal.

Mark Peat at the other end had very little to do as Rovers decided their best policy was to hold onto what they had and then try to pick Shire off on the break. Several times they did break with speed but the final ball nearly always let them down.

Shire threw everything they had into attack in the closing minutes but Rovers defended their box well and limited any real danger to nothing more than a couple of half-chances that fell to Cramb but were cleared.

SHIRE : Peat, Hay, Ure, Weaver, Bolochoweckyj, Tully(Dunn 85), Donaldson, Stevenson, Graham(McKenzie 66), Anderson, Rodgers(Cramb 66).

ALBION ROVERS : Ewings, Reid, Fleming, Ferry, Benton, McKeown, Harris(Crozier 81), Walker, Archdeacon(Andreoni 72), Pollock(Adam 90), Barr.

REFEREE : B. Colvin

ATTENDANCE : 453.