Arbroath 2 - 0 Stirling Albion: Arbroath close gap at top of Division Two

ARBROATH last night moved within two points of Cowdenbeath at the top of the Second Division after first-half goals from Steven Doris and Paul Sheerin saw off the league’s bottom side.

The opener arrived in nine minutes when a mistake by Stirling’s Gary Thom allowed Doris to nick in behind him, sidestep Callum Reidford in goal and calmly slot the ball into the bottom left corner.

Stirling responded immediately, with Graham Weir’s low strike forcing a save from goalkeeper Darren Hill.

Mark Ferry then made an interception in a dangerous area but poor control saw him squander a good opportunity to equalise.

Stirling had a further opportunity 18 minutes in when Arbroath captain Stuart Malcolm fouled Weir but Alan Cook’s free kick curled over the crossbar.

Just before the half-time whistle, Arbroath stretched their lead when Gavin Swankie broke free down the left, evaded Thom and then laid off to Doris who set up player-manager Sheerin for an easy finish. A comparatively quiet second half was characterised by Arbroath strikes and Stirling counter-attacks.

The strongest early attempt was from a solo Daly McSorley run on 53 minutes who weaved through the Arbroath midfield to fire a shot just over the crossbar.

Arbroath faded as the game wore on, with Stirling unlucky not to force their way back into the match.

Poor marking by Lee Sibanda on the right allowed Cook plenty of space to cause trouble for the home side, but they held on for a victory which keeps them well in the title race.

Arbroath: Hill, Busch (Sibanda 42), Connelly (Gibson 67), Malcolm (Brown 83), Wedderburn, Swankie, Falkingham, Kerr, Sheerin, McAnespie, Doris. Subs Not Used: Burns, Caddis.

Stirling Albion: Reidford, Cook, Jacobs, Thom, Dillon, McSorley (Davidson 71), McCulloch, Ferry, Fagan (Bonar 82), Smith (Flood 79), Weir. Subs Not Used: Filler, McLeish.

Att: 901. Referee: Craig Charleston.