Berwick Rangers preview

Chris Aitken has plenty of assets at his disposal as Stranraer battle it out near the top of Scottish League Two.

The squad is set to be strengthened further with the return of Dominic Plank, who made a loan switch from Hearts permanent in the summer.

The talented midfielder is well into his rehab after a hamstring injury ended his campaign prematurely last season.

Now, he is gearing up to show what he can do in a blue shirt once again but acknowledged getting into the high-flying team would not be easy.

He said: “I think that is a good problem to have.

“It is a good problem for the gaffer to have.

The midfielder initially arrived on loan last season

“You would rather that than not winning and maybe a bit of pressure on.

“It is a team game and as long as we win that is the main thing.

“I’m buzzing to get back but all in good time.”

The 20-year-old impressed on his 28 appearances on loan from Tynecastle last term.

And he revealed that the capital club have been helping him as he looks to get back playing as well.

He said: “I have been at Hearts and it has been a full-time rehab.

Plank has working through his injury rehab with former club Hearts

“I am lucky to have been working with one of the top physios there.

“It has been good.

“Rehab is never enjoyable but it has made it as enjoyable as it could be.

“I feel in a really good place.”

Stranraer are in action against Berwick Rangers on Tuesday night in the KDM Evolution Trophy.

The trip to Shielfield Park is likely to be too early for Plank but one major milestone has already been ticked off as he has returned to training.

He said: “I am just aiming for the Edinburgh City game, I think.

Plank is a firm favourite with Blues supporters

“Anything before October 3 is just a bonus, really.

“I need a couple of weeks of training and I am still going on the advice of Hearts.

“I have been lucky enough to be with one of the top physios there.

“I have been out that long and there is no point in me rushing it an extra week.

“The boys are flying.”

Last meeting

James Hilton scored his first Stranraer goal when the teams last met

Stranraer picked up a commanding victory when Berwick Rangers visited The LIME Stadium at Stair Park seven years ago.

Cameron Elliott got the opener when his diving header from a Jordan Allan cross found the back of the net. Not content with getting an assist, Allan then scored his first for the club with a crisp volley across goal.

Connor McManus curled home a lovely effort from outside the box before Elliott was brought down in the box. Mark Stewart stepped up to beat Sean Brennan to wrap up the first half scoring.

James Hilton caught out the goalkeeper with a free-kick before Stranraer were awarded a second penalty of the afternoon. Substitute David Dangana was brought down and Stewart netted for a second time from 12 yards.

Stranraer: Burgess, Robertson, Allan, Cummins, Hamilton, D Smith (Pignatiello 67), McManus, Hilton, Thomson (I Smith 73), Stewart, Elliott (Dangana 56).
Not used: Hamill and Currie.

Berwick Rangers: Brennan, Gray, Chalmers, Waugh, Lumsden, Barr, Wright, Windram (Jack 78), Forster, Healy, Rose (Purves 69).
Not used: Kidd.

Last five meetings

Stranraer 6 Berwick Rangers 0 (Elliott, Allan, McManus, Stewart (Pen x2) and Hilton) at The LIME Stadium at Stair Park on July 20, 2019
Berwick Rangers 1 Stranraer 0 (Handling) at Shielfield Park on May 5, 2012
Stranraer 1 Berwick Rangers 3 (McColm; Noble, McLaren and Ferguson) at The LIME Stadium at Stair Park on March 3, 2012
Berwick Rangers 2 Stranraer 2 (Notman and Currie; McColm and Malcolm) at Shielfield Park on January 14, 2012
Stranraer 2 Berwick Rangers 1 (Aitken and Malcolm; McLaren) at The LIME Stadium at Stair Park on August 20, 2011

Last five games

Stranraer

WIN v Elgin City (A): 1-5 (Mason x2, McManus x2 and Dobbie)
WIN v Dumbarton (H): 3-1 (Mason and Dobbie x2)
WIN v Forfar Athletic (A): 0-3 (Dobbie (Pen), McLuckie and Dunne)
LOSS v Celtic B (H): 3-4 (Dolan (Pen), Healy and Trialist)
WIN v Kelty Hearts (H): 2-0 (Dobbie x2)

Berwick Rangers

DRAW v Musselburgh Athletic (H): 0-0
LOSS v Civil Service Strollers (A): 2-1 (Leitch)
LOSS v Tranent (H): 1-2 (Binnie)
WIN v Hibernian B (H): 1-0 (Pyper)
WIN v Greenock Juniors (A): 2-3 (McCrystal, Mbewe and Mackay)

Last time out

Stranraer

Lineup v Elgin City: Currie, Ecrepont, Nair, McLuckie, Dunne (Cameron 81), Quigg, Traynor (Dolan 69), Bruce, McManus (Healy 74), Dobbie (Foster 81), Mason (Cleland 74).
Not used: Coll, Gillie, Lynch and Henderson.

Berwick Rangers

Lineup v Musselburgh Athletic: Hayward, Mair, Robinson, Harris, Somers, Binnie (McCrone 72), Snoddy (Deh 72), Mbewe, Leitch, Nelson, Klimionek (Turner 86).
Not used: Mackay, McConnell, McCrystal, Gregory and O’Connor.

Five facts

Seb Mason and Daniel McManus both scored doubles against Elgin City on Saturday. That is the first time two Stranraer players have scored more than once in a game since 2013. On that occasion, Jamie Longworth scored a hat-trick and Chris Aitken netted a double in a 6-3 win over Ayr United. David McKenna was also on target for Stranraer while Michael Moffat scored a treble for the home side.
Stranraer’s 5-1 win away from home was their biggest win on their travels since April 9, 2022. On that occasion, an early goal from Matty Yates was followed by second half efforts from Tom Muir, Ayrton Sonkur, Craig Ross and Paul Woods as the Blues won 5-0 at Albion Rovers.
It has been more than 23 years since Stranraer and Berwick Rangers last battled out a goalless draw. There have been 18 meetings since then.
Evan Dunne will make his 50th appearance for Stranraer when he next steps on the pitch. Currently, he has made 43 starts and six substitute appearances for the club. The full-back has also scored five goals along the way.
Meanwhile, Finn Ecrepont’s next start for Stranraer will be number 100. He has made 99 starts, alongside 22 appearances from the bench. He has also scored five goals along the way. His debut came in a 1-0 defeat to Stirling Albion on January 28, 2023. The Stranraer team was: O’Connor, Girvan, Ross, Ecrepont, McIntosh, Brady, Hilton, Forrest (Robertson 89), Walker, Brown (Gallagher 65), Duffy (Malcolm 65). Not used: Ellis, Dunn, Eze and Connelly.

Admission

We visit Shielfield Park for the first time in 14 years

Cash and card gates are in operation at Shielfield Park.

Pricing is as follows:

Adult – £13
Concession – £8
Under 16 – FREE

Our friends at Berwick also offer a Matchday Special discounted bundle with admission, a pie and a drink – this is priced at for £18 adults, and £13 for concessions.

We encourage Blues supporters to book this deal online in advance for convenience and to assist the home club.

All fans enter at the gates next to turnstile block B, and once inside, visiting fans should go to sections G and H in the main stand.

Podcast

Check out the latest edition of club podcast Look Blues Talking for a full review of the win over Dumbarton, post-match reaction from Seb Mason, and previews of the weekend’s action and our cup trip to Berwick Rangers on Tuesday night.

Coverage

We’ll bring you all the action from Shielfield Park

We hope to see you in Berwick but if you can’t make the journey south of the border, you can follow our live matchday updates on X (formerly Twitter).

The manager’s post-match reaction will be available on YouTube following the game.

Club 1870 subscribers get a first look at the goals, along with full match footage.

Extended highlights will be available via YouTube later on Wednesday, with Laurence Nelson and Cameron Ritchie on commentary.

Photos: Dylan Heron (DylzVisualz), Bill McCandlish, Colin Poultney (Collarge Images), Berwick Rangers