Stirling University 3

Peebles Rovers 2

Neil Hobson at Ganochy Sports Centre

In misty conditions, Peebles Rovers arrived at the Gannochy in search of an all too elusive third win of the season under manager Ger Rossi.

Week after week, minute after minute, and full time whistle after whistle, the Rovers continue to be haunted by an excruciating inability to win football matches.

An inconsistent Stirling Uni side offered Peebles a gift-wrapped opportunity to nail down some consistency for themselves, a win that would have been a great morale lift ahead of a show-down with undefeated champions Leith Athletic.

But a disappointing performance ended in a 3-2 defeat, with a Scott Sutherland strike and a late Ben Brown effort the only consolatory factors in what was arguably the poorest Peebles performance this season.

Admittedly, Rovers arrived in Stirling with a sparser look to the team-sheet than usual, with joint top-goal scorer Donovan Ndiweni and experienced centre-half Colin Smith ruled out with injury. Rossi was forced to delegate himself to the bench as a sub due to struggling with illness, but they were able to welcome back both Jamie Mackay and goalkeeper Ben McGinley after a spell on the side-lines.

It’s fair to say that the Whitestone boss would have wanted to be on the pitch himself after he watched Stirling race into an early lead after 14 minutes, courtesy of Malcolm Burgess.

The goal was hugely controversial, as Burgess appeared to shove Mackay, his marker, to the ground before cutting inside from out wide to tuck the ball away with considerable aplomb.

Referee Andrew Strang didn’t blow for what appeared to be a clear foul, much to the fury of the Peebles bench.

Strang’s strange decisions were to continue later, but Peebles had to first cope with the nightmarish attacking onslaught that the students unleashed. Khan Mitchell and David McCaughie were irrepressible figures on the flanks, using deft footwork and pinpoint crosses to pile the pressure on the Rovers.

A second goal was nearly gifted after a loose pass from the rusty Mackay was hoovered up by a proactive Burgess, but was ultimately thwarted by the brilliant McGinley.

The devastatingly brutal attacks eventually ended in an inevitable second goal as Burgess nipped into the box again, skipping through unchallenged on the back of a great McCaughie ball, once again stabbing the ball home with a great finish.

It was undoubtedly a hugely miserable first-half for Peebles, but hope sprung eternal for Rossi as David McCaughie was handed his marching orders on 42 minutes. Strang flashed a straight red after the winger supposedly kicked out at Michael Cockburn, despite being decidedly soft.

Nonetheless, the man advantage would be fundamental to getting Peebles back into the game, a fact that Jamie Mackay and Scott Sutherland attempted to make a reality.

The second half had barely started before Mackay won a thrown-in on the right-hand edge of the box. His ball landed at the feet of Sutherland who showed some predatory brilliance to dart away before blasting a powerful shot past a hapless Sam MacLean.

But whilst the goal could have been the precursor to a magnificent Peebles comeback, what followed was an usually poor showing across the park from the Rovers.

Scott Inglis and Saul Schulz-Keith, the Peebles wide men, are typically action-packed players, adding fight and flair to the attack. But the magic genius that these players provide was criminally underused, as the Rovers cynically resorted to firing long balls to Sutherland.

This was a far cry from the passionate, often thrilling football that Peebles have produced this season, and it came as a surprise to no one when Khan Mitchell rattled in a 15-yard free-kick on 70 minutes to bolster the Stirling lead.

Hopes were raised one more time, with Ben Brown skilfully guiding the ball home after a McMath cross on 83 minutes. But, they couldn’t find that third goal, and, Peebles were left empty-handed once more.

Peebles: McGinley, Mackay, Brown, Robertson, Cockburn, Schulz-Keith, Inglis, Zavaroni, Lindsay, Runciman, Sutherland

Subs: Rossi, McMath