Elgin City manager Allan Hale warns his team needs to improve to keep William Hill League 1 play-off hopes alive following home defeat to Stirling Albion
Elgin City manager Allan Hale offered his apologies to the Black and Whites’ support after his team’s home defeat to Stirling Albion.
City were defeated by their play-off rivals for the third time in a row in League 2, as the Binos completed a Borough Briggs double with a 2-0 success on Saturday.
Hale said in his post-match interview that he had concerns about the way his team accepted defeat after going 2-0 down after an hour.
And he warned his men that if they don’t make improvements over a tough run-in they could miss out on a shot at promotion.
“There’s four important games left against three of the four top so we’ve got a really tough run-in,” said Hale.
“If we don’t improve then we will lose our position in the play-offs. It’s as simple as that.”
City started the game well with wind advantage and both Dajon Golding and Jack MacIver had goal efforts blocked inside the first two minutes.
The home side looked to be in control for long periods of the first half but Stirling grew into the game and struck before half time.
The visitors’ first realy chance came in 42 minutes when Ryan Shanley wriggled clear in the box and his strike was saved by Aidan Glavin’s leg.
The ball then spun up for Dale Carrick to head the rebound goalwards and Glavin got a hand to it and was relieved to see the ball spin wide of the target.
City didn’t heed that warning and when Stirling sub James Graham broke to the by-line in stoppage time, his cutback picked out Carrick unmarked to turn and fire home from inside the six yard box.
Two minutes after the break, Russell Dingwall sent Golding on a run into the Stirling box but he wasn’t quick enough to pull the trigger and Scott Constable got back to make a saving challenge.
Stirling looked for a second and on 59 minutes they got it when Shanley worked his way past two challenges and rolled it back for Cooper Knox to stroke home in the centre.
Shanley later hit a post while Glavin saved well from Knox and the visitors looked the more threatening side in the closing half hour.
Elgin: Glavin, Cameron, Draper (Dolzanski 46), Murray, Girvan (Cairns 66), Gallagher (Hyde 61), Fleming (McDonald 61), MacIver, Dingwall, Sargent (Gavin 61), Golding. Subs: Cooper, MacEwan, McHale.
Stirling: Gaston, McGeachie, McNab, Constable, Knox, Grant (Graham 41), Waugh, Carse, Constable, Crane, Carrick (McKinstray 90), Shanley. Subs: Boyle, Cringean, Weir, Wright, Deveney, Smith.
Referee: J McCunnie
Att: 816