Albion Rovers boss Brian Reid has challenged his side to claim a top six finish this season after back-to-back wins over the last week all but secured their League Two safety.
A 1-0 win at Stirling and a 4-2 triumph at Annan has Rovers 13 points clear of bottom side Cowdenbeath in eighth place, and they can make sure of League Two status with a win at home to Elgin on Saturday.
Reid said: “We finished seventh last season so our aim now is to finish above there. That’s our target.
“Saturday was great. I can’t single anyone out as each player was great on a good day for Albion Rovers.”
Reid says he knew a landslide victory was coming – and now he’s targeting an ascent up the League Two table.
The Cliftonhill side followed up stalemates with Kelty Hearts and Forfar, plus a 1-0 win over Stirling Albion, with an outstanding 4-2 win over second-placed Annan away from home.
While only a two-goal margin separated the teams, it did not tell the full story of a game dominated by a Rovers side with no fit starting strikers.
Blair Malcolm and Scott Roberts set them on their way to victory in the opening half hour, but Annan levelled through Tommy Goss and Tony Wallace.
Defender Sean Fagan then netted his second of the week after his winner in the 1-0 victory at Stirling last midweek, before Kieran Dolan rose from the bench to seal it in the 90th minute.
Reid’s men can secure league safety with a win over Elgin City this week, but Reid is only looking up. He commented: “We said that was coming.
“The laugh was that we did it with no fit strikers on the park at the start. The only one we had was Kieran Dolan off the bench but he’s just coming back from an injury.
“We scored four with no fit strikers, players playing out of position, so fair play to the guys. We were down to the bare bones and only five players on the bench.
“We should have been out of sight and clear after going 2-0 up. We then show great character to come back so I’m really proud of the players. Four different scorers was pleasing.
“That’s Sean Fagan got two in as many games now so he’s becoming prolific! Annan were the form team in the league and haven’t lost many games lately. We came with a depleted squad, and no strikers, but scored four and took three points. We’re delighted.
“We want to look above and look ahead. We want to keep our form going because if we do, we can catch a couple of teams above us. That’s our aim now and what we are looking at.”
Reid was disappointed with losing two goals but insists it can’t take the shine off a good day where no individuals can be singled out for their performances, although his midfield have earned some extra praise.
He added: “We had a great travelling support and we are playing with confidence at the minute. Losing the clean sheet was disappointing as I thought we defended well for most of the game.
“It’s a bad time to lose the first goal then a sloppy second one. But we showed character to win. It was a good day for us. There’s a lot to be pleased about.”
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