The Forthbank stands will be swelled by one extra invested fan on Saturday – banned Binos boss Darren Young.
But Young is confident his staff and players can do the job even with him suspended from the touchline.
The Binos face a crucial top-of-the-table clash against pace-setters Dumbarton, who sit five points clear of Young’s men at the top of League 2.
Albion go into the fixture brimming with confidence after their third win on the spin – a 2-1 victory at East Fife last weekend – saw them cut the gap on the Sons, who dropped points with a 0-0 draw at
Forfar. However, the victory at Bayview saw gaffer Young sent off by ref Daniel Graves for his protests against the Fifers’ penalty equaliser.
It means the 43-year-old will be forced to leave the pitchside instructions in the hands of assistant James Creaney, but the manager believes the experience of his players will also shine through in sticking to their training plans.
Young said: “It was a great win at the weekend and great for me to beat your old team.
“I’m just disappointed [about the red card] because I’ve said worse in games. I just complained and swore that it wasn’t a penalty and said it was a joke.These things get said and done but I was frustrated. I need to keep my emotions in check but nothing was aimed at him directly and it could’ve been handled differently.
“I can’t be in the changing room an hour and 15 minutes before the game but Jamesy, the staff and players know what is expected.
“I’ve got full confidence in Jamesy and we have enough experience in the changing room with guys who have been promoted and in the play-offs.”
The sides have traded wins in their two meetings so far, with Albion claiming victory in the first game of the season in the League Cup, before Dumbarton enacted revenge in the league opener.
“I think they’re stronger now than at the start of the season”, the Binos boss (left) continued.
“They’re top of the league for a reason and Stevie Farrell has got them playing well so we know we need to be defensively solid. If we can create the chances we have been recently and score, then we’ll stand a good chance.
“We want to cut that gap down from five points to two.
“We’ve had a good first quarter on 17 points, but winning a title will need a couple more points than that.”
Young revealed midfielder Kieran Moore’s is still “touch and go” for the game after he was substituted in the first half of the East Fife game with a leg injury.
Kick off at Forthbank on Saturday is 3pm.
