Sandy Clark praised his Albion Rovers squad for handling the big game pressure in their must-win clash with Stenhousemuir – as they scored a vital victory for their survival hopes.
A Charlie Reilly-inspired Rovers produced a fine display to sink the Warriors thanks to a 3-1 win at Cliftonhill, where the midfield star laid on all three of their goals.
Joe Bevan scored either side of Sean Crighton’s leveller for the visitors and Jamie Leslie netted late on to secure three points, which was made all the more important after Bonnyrigg Rose beat Forfar.
Rovers remain bottom of League Two and two points behind Rose, but Elgin’s defeat at Stranraer has them in ninth and only one point in front of Clark’s men going into the final two games of the campaign.
Elgin and Bonnyrigg meet on the final day so Rovers still have their destiny in their own hands and Clark was delighted with how his side carried themselves in Saturday’s win.
He said: “The way the league is, we had to win the game and the lads dealt with the pressure really well.
“They followed the gameplan as best they could and we thoroughly deserved to win the game.
“With other results not going for us, we’ve still got a lot of work to do.
“It’s the time in the season, with it being a small league of 10 teams, where everyone still has a lot to play for.
“But it is still in our own hands so it is up to us.”
He added: “Charlie was involved in all three goals, which was great.
"It is unusual for him not to get a goal himself but we can live with that as long as someone else is getting them.
“The guys involved at that end of the pitch are the ones that get the praise, and rightly so, but it was a solid performance all the way through the team.
“We won the battles in the middle of the park and we gave the supply to the front players to go and do well for us.
“[Dundee loanee] Euan Mutale, who started for the first time under me, led the line really well as well, which was a big plus for us.”
This Saturday Rovers, who are battling to avoid the relegation play-off that awaits the team finishing 10th in League Two, now travel to East Fife in search of more crucial points.
Follow Lanarkshire Live Sport on Twitter via @LanLiveSport, like us on Facebook or find us on Instagram for the latest sports news, pictures and video.
