Report: Berwick Rangers 0-2 Albion Rovers
The boss is doubtful for the Hibs game next Sunday.
Berwick suffered their third Scottish League Two defeat in a week as Albion capitalised on a lacklustre performance to end their own run of poor form and go top of the league.
After Eddie Ferns hit the bar for the visitors, Ross Dunlop headed Albion in front in the 33rd minute with a header at the back post.
And on the hour mark, it was two when Mark McGuigan finished past Bald to seal a comfortable victory and end a run of four consecutive defeats.
Manager Colin Cameron handed a debut to right-back Euan Bauld, who replaced Devon Jacobs, while Darren Lavery, who wasn’t part of the matchday squad against Elgin in midweek, came back into the starting team in place of Scott Maxwell.
Albion posed an aerial threat from early on in the game and Ross Dunlop’s header was blocked before Billy Bald had to be alert to tip Michael Dunlop’s follow-up over the bar.
From the resulting corner, Michael Dunlop found himself with a free header but Ross Drummond was on the line to clear the danger.
Kerr Young headed wide from Lee Currie’s free-kick, before the midfielder had a chance of his own, volleying over at the back post from David Gold’s hooked cross.
Albion offered a scare when Ferns hit the bar after a well-worked move involving Ally Love and Gary Fisher, but they took the lead on 33 minutes when Berwick failed to clear their lines from a corner and Ross Dunlop rose at the back post to send a header past Bald.
Despite that, Berwick could’ve been level right on the stroke of half-time. A cross from the left was cleared only as far as Colin Cameron and his low strike from 20 yards came back off the post, with the follow-up from Andy Russell going straight into keeper Neil Parry’s hands.
After a disappointing first half, the second continued in the same fashion with Berwick creating very little in the way of opportunities and Cameron was forced off with a thigh injury, casting doubt over his availability for next Sunday’s quarter-final.
And before long, Albion doubled their lead in the 59th minute when McGuigan nicked in ahead of the back-pedalling Jonny Fairbairn from a long ball over the top and he drove towards goal and slotted coolly past Bald.
Paul Willis played in Russell but his shot was beaten away by Parry as the ‘Gers looked to respond.
But in truth, that was the closest they came in the final half hour with other half chances falling to substitutes Maxwell, who headed wide at the back post and Ross Gray, who fired over from the edge of the area.
Speaking after the match, centre-back Fairbairn said: “The last three results now have been very disappointing.
“At Queen’s Park and Elgin away it was slightly better because we kept the ball better and on another day we could’ve won, but today it was very disappointing from the start.
“We never got going, we conceded two very sloppy goals and if you play like that and concede goals the way we did today, then you’re not going to win games.”
Report by Martin Inglis.
