A chance to move to within a place of the play-offs is on offer for Stranraer.
The Blues sit three points off the bottom of the table but also three points adrift of fifth place in a congested League Two.
A six-point deduction for Saturday’s opponents, Bonnyrigg Rose, has also lifted Chris Aitken’s side up a place in the standings.
Now, Matty Grant is calling on the team to build on some impressive recent showings and continue their upwards trajectory.
He said: “Bonnyrigg are now below us in the league, which is obviously helping us.
“That gives us even more motivation and if we beat them then we are four or five points clear of them.
“I think it will help us more than it will help them but obviously they will be heading down to get a win as well.
“We will need to expect that to happen.”
Last weekend saw Stranraer pick up three points against top-of-the-table East Fife.
Max Guthrie opened the scoring before Andy Munro pulled the hosts level.
However, for the second time this season, it was Stranraer celebrating a 2-1 win over the Methil side.
Grant was pleased to see the team show the character to bounce back from losing out away to Elgin City seven days earlier.
The midfielder, who turns 23 on Saturday, said: “At the end of the day, it is all about winning and getting three points.
“It does not really matter how you play, it is about winning.
“In this league, the teams at the bottom can beat the team at the top.
“It’s not as if it is out of the ordinary.”
Grant’s winning goal not only proved decisive in the Kingdom of Fife but also provided fans with a moment of humour when he ran into the stand to applaud the goal as his celebration.
He laughed: “I had just seen it on X on the morning of the game.
“I saw it and thought ‘If I score, I’m doing that’.
“I thought it was funny but some referees might have booked me for leaving the field!”
Previous meeting
The curtain fell on the Scott Agnew era on Stranraer’s last meeting with Bonnyrigg Rose.
The hosts had already come close from a corner before they took the lead through Kerr Young. A long throw into the box was not dealt with by the Stranraer defence and Young rolled the ball into the bottom corner.
The second came before the break when Callum Connolly’s header flew beyond the reach of the Stranraer goalkeeper.
The visitors pushed to get back into the game but only the post denied Aaron Arnott from extending the Bonnyrigg lead after the break. Finn Ecrepont’s free-kick late on was about as close as Stranraer came on a disappointing day.
Bonnyrigg Rose: Ritchie, Mailer, Martyniuk, Young, Higginbotham (Lorimer 89), Currie, Barrett, Arnott (Watson 83), Connolly, Scarborough, Cammie Ross (Murphy 32).
Not used: Wardell, Haston, McGachie and Andrews.
Stranraer: Pazikas, Cummins, Craig Ross, Gallagher, Dunlop (Edgar 72), Russell, Hawkshaw (Lang 65), Ecrepont, Hughes, McIntosh (Robertson 46), Guthrie (Grant 46).
Not used: McKnight, Brindley, Woods, Adam and Broun.
Last five meetings
- Bonnyrigg Rose 2 Stranraer 0 (Young and Connolly) at New Dundas Park on August 31, 2024
- Stranraer 2 Bonnyrigg Rose 1 (Russell and Ross; Own goal) at Stair Park on August 13, 2024
- Stranraer 1 Bonnyrigg Rose 1 (Lang; Martyniuk (Pen)) at Stair Park on March 30, 2024
- Bonnyrigg Rose 0 Stranraer 0 at New Dundas Park on February 3, 2024
- Stranraer 3 Bonnyrigg Rose 1 (Own goal, Grant, Ross; Barrett) at Stair Park on December 16, 2023
Last five games
Stranraer
- WIN v East Fife (A): 1-2 (Guthrie and Grant)
- LOSS v Elgin City (A): 1-0
- WIN v Threave Rovers (A): 2-3 (Edgar x2 and Lang)
- DRAW v Peterhead (H): 0-0
- WIN v Edinburgh City (A): 1-2 (Russell and Guthrie)
Bonnyrigg Rose
- WIN v Elgin City (H): 2-0 (Mailer and Ferrie)
- DRAW v Clyde (A): 2-2 (Ross x2)
- LOSS v East Kilbride (A): 3-1 (Ross)
- WIN v Edinburgh City (H): 2-0 (Ross and Connolly)
- LOSS v East Fife (H): 5-0
Last time out
Stranraer
Lineup v East Fife: Mutch, Craig Ross, McQueen (Cummins 68), Reid, Robertson (Grant 61), Gallagher, Russell, Hawkshaw (Brindley 77), Ecrepont (Dunlop 77), Guthrie (Edgar 77), Lang.
Not used: McKnight, Adam and Pazikas.
Bonnyrigg Rose
Lineup v Elgin City: Ritchie, Mailer, Martyniuk, Young, Somerville, Murphy, Ferrie, Higginbotham (Allen 87), Barrett (Arnott 82), Connolly, Cammie Ross.
Not used: Lorimer, Scarborough, McGachie and Andrews.
Five facts
1. If selected on Saturday, Dean Hawkshaw will become the latest member of the squad to make 100 appearances in a Stranraer shirt. The 27-year-old has made 66 starts and 33 appearances off the bench. His debut for the club came in a home defeat to East Fife in 2018 when Scott Linton and Mark Lamont scored. The home side that day was: Currie, Neill, McGowan, Hamill, Robertson, Woods (Lyon 64), Agnew (Hawkshaw 64), Okoh, Turner, Beith, Dykes (Anderson 64). Not used: Barron, MacPherson, Thomson and McLaren.
2. Stranraer’s victory at Bayview Stadium last weekend was their third away win of the season in all competitions. The last time they won more than three was the 2021/22 season when they won seven.
3. Last weekend’s goalscorer Matty Grant is among those with a Stranraer connection celebrating a birthday on Saturday. The soon to be 23-year-old has made 84 appearances and scored six goals during that time. His debut came in a 2-0 defeat at Station Park. It is also the birthday of Boyd Strachan, Tony Shepherd and Mike Oliver. Goalkeeper Strachan played more than 130 games for the Blues between 1981 and 1987 while Shepherd played a handful of games for the club in 1996 having previously played for Celtic, Carlisle and Motherwell. Oliver played for Stenhousemuir, Albion Rovers and Stranraer during the 1985/86 season.
4. In the 10 meetings between Stranraer and Bonnyrigg Rose, Stranraer have used six different goalkeepers. Luke Scullion, George O’Connor and Matty Connelly featured in the 2022/23 season while last season featured Martin McDonald and Lewis Budinauckas. Jacob Pazikas was between the sticks for the two meetings this term. In contrast, Bonnyrigg have used four different goalkeepers – Michael Andrews, Mark Weir, Paddy Martin and Tom Ritchie.
5. On eight occasions, Stranraer substitutes have found the net this season. That is more than any other club in League Two. Deryn Lang came off the bench to score against Ross County on the opening day before Elliot Dunlop scored against Raith Rovers. Lang and Ryan Edgar scored against Stirling Albion while Scott Robertson found the net against Elgin City. Edgar and Lang did it against Threave Rovers and Matty Grant netted against East Fife last time out.
Admission
Admission in the Eco Gen Stadium at Stair Park is ‘pay at the gate’ only. Season tickets are valid for Saturday’s game.
Away fans can enter the ground from the away turnstile opposite the main stand. This turnstile is cash only.
The following pricing applies:
- Adult – £15
- Concession (over 65) – £10
- Youth (5 to 16) – £5
- Under 5 – FREE
Pavilion Bar
Pop into the Pavilion Bar outside the away turnstile from 1pm for a pre-match refreshment.
Home, away and neutral supporters are warmly welcomed, and the bar accepts both cash and card.
Or, stop off at the Stranraer FC Fitba’ Bar on North Strand Street in the town centre, which is also open to all.
Coverage
We have live matchday updates on X (formerly Twitter) for those further afield, and the manager’s interview will be available on YouTube following the game.
Club 1870 subscribers can catch the goals after 10pm on Saturday night, along with full match footage later on Sunday.
Our usual highlights will be available via YouTube on Sunday, with commentary from experienced broadcasters Laurence Nelson and Cameron Ritchie.
Photos: Bill McCandlish
