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Stirling Albion
Scottish Third Division
Feb 26, 2013 at 7.45pm UK
 
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Live Commentary: Stirling Albion 1-1 Rangers - as it happened

Sports Mole brings you live coverage of the Scottish Third Division encounter between Rangers and Stirling Albion this evening.
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Glasgow Rangers travel to Stirling Albion this evening as they look to extend their lead at the top of the Scottish Third Division.

Ally McCoist's side have won their last three in a row and currently sit 22 points clear at the top of the table, although Queen's Park do have two games in hand.

Stirling meanwhile, are fighting for their league survival and are only ahead of bottom club Clyde on goal difference.

They are in good form though, beating Clyde in their last match to extend their unbeaten run to five games.

Rangers had to come from a goal behind to win 3-1 on Saturday and Stirling will be looking to put the pressure on them from the start again.

Follow the action with our minute-by-minute coverage below.


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Good evening and welcome to our live coverage of Stirling Albion vs. Rangers in the Scottish Third Division.

Both teams go into this one in good form. Rangers have won their last three in a row, while Albion are unbeaten in five, hauling themselves off the bottom by beating Clyde at the weekend.

The team news is in and Ally McCoist has made two changes to the Rangers side that beat Berwick at the weekend. Emilson Cribari returns to the defence after missing the win on Saturday, and Kai Naismith comes into midfield.

RANGERS: Alexander; Argyriou, Cribari, Hegarty; Wallace, Naismith, Black, Hutton, Templeton; Shiels, Little

STIRLING ALBION: Crawford; McCunnie, Forsyth, McClune, Allison; Bishop, McAnespie, Ferry, Johnstone, Flood; White

I think tonight's match could be tighter than a lot of people are expecting. Of course, Rangers are running away with the Third Division, but Stirling are in good form and at home, will provide a stiff test.

The away side will be the favourites though, and rightly so. The goals of Andy Little have been very important in recent weeks. Can the Northern Irishman make the difference again tonight?

Let's not forget that Albion were the first and only team to beat Rangers in the Third Division. Skipper Brian Allison got the only goal of the game at the same ground back in October.

There's a full house at the Forthbank Stadium, as there is everywhere Rangers go, and the atmosphere is building.

Striling Albion will get us going in the first half. And we're off...

Rangers have started confidently down the left-hand side. They win a free kick but Stirling get the ball away.

The game's first tough tackle, and I suspect it won't be the last. Allison comes steaming in on Black, but both players get up and get on with it.

Albion seem pretty comfortable at the moment. Rangers haven't really found their rhythm yet and the home side are defending everything quite easily.

Naismith runs away from his marker is brought down just outside the box. The skipper Wallace steps up and strikes the ball well, but it's just over the bar.

Stirling are having their fair share of the ball now. Bishop in particular is finding space in the Rangers half but he's failing to find the killer pass.

White finds space in the area from Allison's free kick but will be disappointed he can not find the target.

GOAL! Andy Little with yet another goal. A great Rangers counter-attack sees Little put through by Black. The striker rounds the goalkeeper and shoots into an empty net from a tight angle.

Almost two for Rangers from David Templeton, who tries to chip the goalkeeper from 25 yards, missing by only a foot.

Rangers are growing in confidence now but Stirling show they are still a threat, but Allison can only head wide after meeting a corner from the left.

A great run from Templeton sees him beat four Albion players as he goes inside. McClune says enough is enough though and brings him down without much subtlety.

Little goes close again. A carbon copy of the goal sees Little outpace his marker with ease. This time though, Crawford saves well.

The tackles are starting to fly in now. Templeton is brought down again, bringing about the game's first yellow card for Josh Flood.

A lovely piece of skill almost brings Rangers' second goal as they start to up the tempo. Ian Black flicks the ball over the defence before shooting narrowly wide from just inside the box.

Rangers get their first yellow of the game. Cribari goes in late, and a little high on White and can have no complaints.

The game is becoming a little bit scrappy now. The ball remains in midfield, changing hands more often than either team will like, before White wins a free kick just inside the Rangers half.

A free kick will definitely be Albion's best chance of a goal here. They can't really get enough players forward to support White and Johnstone in open play and Rangers are comfortable.

Just as I say that the home team put together a good move. After passing across the pitch the ball falls to Johnstone on the edge of the box but, after seeing his name in the headlines, the forward skies the ball high and wide.

Rangers start to put the pressure back on in search of a second goal before the break. Several good deliveries from corners in quick succession come to nothing in the end though.

The extra pressure almost tells after great from Little, holding the ball up and feeding Argyriou whose cross into the box is scrambled away at the near post.

Another great move involving Templeton and Sheils releases Wallace in the box, but the Rangers captain misses the target from just inside the penalty area.

Albion seem to have weathered that storm and put together an attack of their own, passing the ball down the right but the eventual cross is headed away.

HALF-TIME: Stirling Albion 0-1 Rangers

Some late Rangers pressure wasn't enough to get a second goal and while they have been pretty comfortable over the first 45, at 1-0, you can never be sure.

The extra man in midfield is helping Stirling to contain Rangers, but in an attacking sense, they simply aren't getting enough support to White.

If Rangers can find Little a few more times, I doubt it will be long before they get a second. His pace is a constant threat and as 22 goals this season shows, he can find the back of the net.

As I said earlier a free kick will be Stirling's best chance of a goal. It gives them the best chance to get bodies in the box and if the delivery is right, anything can happen.

The teams are out for the second half and Stirling have made a change. On comes youngster Danny Ashe to add some attacking impetus.

Rangers attack straight from the off, with Naismith beating a couple down the right-hand side. No-one is in the middle though and the goalkeeper takes the ball.

Almost two after a great piece of play by Little. He turns Allison on the halfway line and leaves him for dead before squaring the ball inside the box, but no-one is there again and Stirling clear.

GOAL! Stirling Albion are level! A free kick on the edge of the box is whipped in wonderfully by McAnespie and headed in by an unmarked Forsyth.

The game has become end-to-end since the goal. It has given Albion an extra spring in their step and they are keeping the ball better now but Rangers are a threat on the break.

The away side are getting quite frustrated now, giving away several silly free kicks in quick succession. They would be advised to keep their cool as Albion have looked a threat from set pieces all night.

Cribari denies Johnstone on the edge of the box as Stirling attack before Rangers break well and find Little just outside the box. He can't add to his goal though and shoots wide.

Rangers have upped the tempo again. They win the ball back high up the pitch and release Little, his cut back finds Templeton but a good block from Allison means the ball bounces out for a goal-kick.

The away side are still in the ascendancy here but Stirling remain relatively comfortable. Rangers are struggling to find each other in the final third now and Little looks very frustrated.

A mistake in the Albion defence allows Little to nick past the goalkeeper, this time though, the angle is too tight and his shot misses the open target.

Rangers are unhappy after Shiels was blocked off just outside the box. The referee sees nothing wrong and Stirling break away.

Rangers make a couple of changes with just under 20 minutes to go. Templeton is replaced by Barry McKay and Shiels is replaced by Francisco Sandaza.

McKay almost makes an instant impact. After a couple of good runs down the left, he cuts inside this time but his shot is just over the bar.

Rangers almost find a goal. Sandaza ran clear and after shooting against the goalkeeper, collected his rebound. He finds the target but Ferry heads it off the line!

We're into the last 10 minutes now and the Stirling counter-attacks are becoming less frequent. That said, they seem relatively comfortable, that Sandaza chance aside.

The away side seem to have run out of ideas. Another ball lumped into the box is collected by Crawford.

The substitute Ashe wins a free kick on the edge of the box, much to the anger of Rangers and their fans...

Another great free-kick from McAnespie, he gets it up and down but it is saved by Alexander. The goalkeeper punches away the resulting corner and Rangers break.

Just a couple of minutes left now. Hutton breaks from midfield but wastes the final ball, typical of Rangers in the last 15 minutes. Stirling break and win another free-kick just outside the box.

McAnespie steps up with the crowd anticipating but can only fire his free-kick over the bar.

Rangers almost nick it at the death but Naismith's shot is gathered easily by Crawford when he should have really scored.

FULL-TIME: Stirling Albion 1-1 Rangers

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