Delighted Stirling Albion gaffer Darren Young admitted to being full of nerves as he took his spot in the stand on Saturday – but had the perfect view as his side romped to a memorable 6-0 win over league leaders Dumbarton.
The manager was forced to bite his fingernails amongst the crowd after being sent off last week at East Fife but was full of praise for a performance he described as the best in his time at the club as the Binos cut the gap to the Sons at the League 2 summit to two points.
Another fast start saw the home side three up inside 22 minutes with goals from Robert Thomson, Paul McLean and Dale Carrick.
Ross McGeachie added a fourth before half time to send the noisy home fans into raptures – and they kept up the pressure after the break to add a pair of rare goals from Kyle Banner and put the gloss on a thoroughly dominant display.
It’s the fourth win on the spin for the Forthbank men, who are brimming with confidence ahead of a trip to local rivals Stenhousemuir next up.
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Manager Young said: “I’ve been up there [in the stand] before but it was a great watch.
“It’s not nice to be up there and it’s probably the most nervous I’ve been having to sit in the stand because you don’t feel as if you’re taking part or competing.
“Usually on the sideline, you’re shouting and bawling – which got me into trouble last week – but Jamesy [assistant manager James Creaney] done well and a lot of credit to the coaching staff for taking over.
“We were ruthless today that’s for sure – both at the back and up front. The goals we scored were good, a couple of set pieces, maybe a couple that we got lucky falling to us, but at the same time we’re anticipating it and getting on the end of it.
“To get a clean sheet and get six goals is great and it pulls them back into it [but] they’re still top of the table and the team to catch. It’s a good three points and hopefully the boys will take a lot of confidence from it – that’s four wins on the bounce now.”
The manager paid tribute to the high standards at the club for keeping his players’ eyes on the prize and expressed confidence in his squad to pick up the slack as the punishing winter fixture schedule looms into view.
“We’ve been playing well all season, we weren’t taking the chances created and losing soft goals, the last month or so that has turned and we’re being more ruthless,” Young said.
“The guys know what is expected, they know the levels we want, not just on a Saturday but on a Tuesday and Thursday at training, there’s no hiding place and if anybody is not at it, then they’re out of the team.”
Saturday’s rampant victory marked Stirling Albion’s biggest ever win over Dumbarton, eclipsing the 6-2 victory in a Scottish Cup second round, second replay back in the 1949/50 season.
That match was played at neutral Ibrox after 2-2 and 1-1 draws.
Prior to the weekend, the Binos’ biggest league victory over the Sons was 5-1 – a scoreline they achieved in 1948/49 and again in 2011/12. Dumbarton retain the biggest win between the teams – 7-0 t at Boghead in April 1971.
Stirling Albion have scored 16 goals in their last four League Two matches, beating Stranraer 4-1, Forfar Athletic 4-1, East Fife 2-1 and Dumbarton 6-0. Remarkably, 13 of these goals have been scored in the first half.
Binos top scorer Dale Carrick took his tally for the season to 10 goals when he scored the third against Dumbarton at the weekend.
The former Airdrie striker has netted six times in the league, three times in the Premier Sports Cup and once in the SPFL Trust Trophy.
Carrick has scored in four matches in a row and is just one short of equalling his tally of 11 goals in 2021/22.
The 6-0 win over Dumbarton was Albion’s biggest victory since they thrashed Montrose 7-0 in a midweek match at Forthbank in February 2016, helped by a Darren Smith hat-trick. Steven Doris (2), Sean Dickson and Lewis McLear were also on target for Stuart McLaren’s team that night.
Stirling’s biggest win of last season was 5-0 against FC Edinburgh on the final day.
Carrick hit a hat-trick, with Kyle Banner and Jack Leitch also scoring for Darren Young’s men at
Forthbank.
Stirling Albion famously beat Selkirk 20-0 in the Scottish Cup first round at Annfield in December
1984.
Their record league win was recorded at Forthbank in March 2013 when Jordan White scored four times in a 9-1 thrashing of East Stirlingshire. Prior to that, 7-0 was the best league win in the club’s history – achieved on a number of occasions, including against Queen of the South at Palmerston on the way to the 1995/96 Second Division title under Kevin
Drinkell.
