Under duress Alan Maybury, the manager of Stirling Albion, is adamant that his team needs to strengthen their defense if they hope to reverse a recent slump and maintain their hopes of promotion.
Kieran Shanks’ second-half goal against Stirling maintained Peterhead’s undefeated season record, while the Binos had lost only one of their last 11 games in all competitions.
Kieran Shanks’ second-half goal against Stirling maintained Peterhead’s undefeated season record, while the Binos had lost only one of their last 11 games in all competitions.
Stirling fought back into the game twice at Balmoor, with Adam Brown’s ninth goal of the season and Callum Crane’s goal four minutes after the break looking to seal a battling point until Shanks’s late intervention.
The Irishman’s job has been questioned due to his dismal run, but he acknowledged his defensive shortcomings and voiced optimism about the performance against the Blue Toon.
According to Maybury, “we played well and were good between the boxes. We scored two good goals and had a couple cleared away that we should have scored. I feel we should have had a penalty because I think Callum Crane had 100% contact.”
To book him for simulation on that is just a wrong decision.
“While we were good going forward, the goals were very preventable and the story is we’re having to work hard for our goals and conceding far too many soft ones to the opposition.
“There have been too many goals conceded generally by us this season and that’s definitely the focus we need to have going forward.
“I still think we’re not a million miles away and we’re just on the wrong side of things at the moment.”
The January revamp at Forthbank continued with teenage Rangers defender Leyton Grant signing on loan to the end of the season – and the 18-year-old was pitched right into the battle at Balmoor to shore up the leaky Binos backline.
He joined fellow new signings Robbie McNab and Ryan Shanley – and the performances of the new arrivals is another area of hope for the Stirling boss in turning around their poor form.
“The new signings will definitely help us and I had no fears about putting into the side”, Maybury continued.
“I thought he was good when he played against us for Rangers B earlier in the season and he’s played for Scotland U19s where [Stirling goalkeeper coach] Callum Erskine has given us good reports.
“He’s a bit of a throwback in that he just wants to defend and a talker which is rare in a young boy. Once he finds his feet coming out of a B team into league football, then I think he’ll be a positive addition for us.”
