Football in brief: Stirling Albion | Dundee sign Simonsen | David Longmuir

Stirling Albion manager Greig McDonald has won the Irn-Bru Manager of the Month Award for February following a run of three wins and three draws, to go with the award that the Forthbank manager picked up for October after his side became the first one to defeat the Rangers in the Third Division.

That win was an oasis among six league defeats, and McDonald missed the game as he was getting married.

“The last award was on the back of beating Rangers and there was a novelty factor as I was also getting married that day and was not at the game,” McDonald said. “So this one feels better earned.

“We have turned it around and we now have an outside chance of the play-offs. Mind you, it is so crazy just now that every team in the league thinks that now.”

Keeper Simonsen signs for Dundee

Dundee have signed former Everton and Stoke City goalkeeper Steve Simonsen.

The 33-year-old, who left Preston in January after injury ruled him out for several weeks, has signed until the end of the season and will be pushing for involvement in Sunday’s Clydesdale Bank Premier League derby against Dundee United at Tannadice.

Rab Douglas, now 40 years old, has been an ever-present in the Dundee goal this season, making 35 appearances, with 19-year-old Australian Alex Baird as his back-up.

However, Douglas has been carrying an injury in recent games and has been unable

to take goal kicks.

Simonsen, who won four England Under-21 caps, also previously played for Sheffield United and Tranmere Rovers, who received £3.3 million for him from Everton.

Let’s focus on final, says Longmuir

Scottish Football League chief executive David Longmuir is looking forward to events on the park overtaking discussions off it when St Mirren and Hearts meet in Sunday’s Scottish Communities League Cup final.

Longmuir, who provoked massive debate this week over plans for Rangers and Celtic “colt teams” entering the SFL as part of league reconstruction, reckons that it is time for the game to grab the headlines.

He explained: “Everyone can push talk of everything else aside for a couple of hours and concentrate on what should be a great game of football. Fundamentally that is what the Scottish Football League is here to do: put on games of football.

“We have been running the League Cup, in its various guises, for nearly 70 years and in that time we have delivered a cup competition to be proud of.”