Stirling Albion boss Darren Young to cheer side from stand after touchline ban

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