Stirling Albion boss talks up positives for young squad ahead of League Two kick-off

Stirling Albion boss Alan Maybury praised his young side after falling to a 3-0 defeat to Premiership Ross County as they rounded off their Premier Sports Cup campaign at the weekend.

The Staggies were always likely to have too much quality for the callow Albion outfit and took a two-goal lead into the break courtesy of a brace from Ronan Hale.

The Binos competed well to soak up the pressure from the home side for most of the second half, before James Brown capped a comfortable scoreline with the third ten minutes from the end.

It means Stirling finish in fourth place in the section above fellow League Two outfit Stranraer, with Maybury seeing hope ahead of their league kick-off with Edinburgh City this weekend.

Speaking to the club’s media channel, Maybury said: “I felt the result was a little harsh on us.

“I tweaked the shape in the first half to help the boys out a little with the possession that County had and it maybe looked like what it was in terms of things being disjointed and the players were tentative.

“We reverted back to what we normally do in the second half and the boys showed what we asked them to do, which was to show the quality of players they are. They had a good shape, carried a threat and it was probably tired legs that cost us the third goal.

“Fitness, organisation and quality have been good, the only disappointment has been that we should have won the game against Stranraer but we’ve showed what we’re about.

“It’s difficult with what I inherited, we’re a little bit behind because maybe the process to bring me in and then the injury to Sam Denham as well.

“[Ross] McGeachie was suspended as well today so we were patching up a little and it’s difficult for all of the smaller clubs down the leagues,