Albion Rovers boss Brian Reid says it’s an incredible milestone for the Coatbridge club to mark their 140th anniversary on Saturday, and hopes they’re around for many more years to come.
The Cliftonhill club were founded in 1882 and had special strips made to mark the occasion, but were held to a 2-2 draw as Stenhousemuir netted a late penalty to deny them a win.
But at least the point moved them off the foot of League Two, and Reid says it was a good occasion for supporters.
“Anything like that, 140 years, is worth a lot,” he said.
“It means a lot to the club, the supporters and the town, so it’s good to see the club going strong, and hopefully we’ll still be here in another 140 years.
“It was a good occasion, a good wee atmosphere at the game. I thin anybody who came along would have been pleased – there was a lot of good football played, and unfortunately we couldn’t get the three points, but we just need now to focus on Saturday.”
Rovers welcome League Two leaders Stirling Albion to Coatbridge, and Reid expects a tough game, but reckons they can shock their visitors.
He said: “We’ve had a decent record against Stirling Albion over the last five or six games.
“In this league I don’t think there’s anybody you need to fear, but you need to show respect, earn the right to play, and hopefully we can do that and get the right result.
“Them and Stenhousemuir are two teams who, no disrespect, have spent a bit of money in the summer, recruited well, brought a lot of players in, and have budgets that are certainly more substantial than ourselves.”
With ex-Celtic youth striker Kieran McGrath being released from his contract last week, Reid is still looking for a replacement – but says he’s been looking for more firepower all season.
“We’re still looking,” he said. “We’ll keep at it, and see how we go.
“It’s always going to be a difficult time when you’re outwith the window.
“You’re trying to find free agents, there’s not many out there who are willing to come for the money we can pay, or geographically it’s maybe not ideal for them, and those are the problems we’ve been finding.
“I’ve been looking for strikers for the full season, so nothing really change in that.
“The January window’s not so far away, and it would be good to get one in before then if I could, but it’s not for the want of trying.”
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