Competition for places can only be a good thing, according to midfielder Aaron Healy.
The summer signing has featured in 16 of Stranraer’s 18 games so far this season.
Alongside players including James Dolan and Daniel McManus, Healy has given Chris Aitken plenty of options.
And those choices have now increased with the return of Dom Plank.
Speaking after the goalless draw against Edinburgh City last weekend, Healy was confident that those options would spur on each player.
He said: “No matter where you go you are going to have competition.
“It is good because it obviously pushes you on yourself as well.
“When you do get the chance, you need to take it.
“If it was the case that I was the only one then I would probably come every week thinking that I did not need to try.
“I need to give 100 per cent every week just to try to earn my spot in the team.”
Stranraer travel along the A75 this weekend looking to continue their fine form.
Five wins and two draws from the opening quarter of the League Two campaign have the Blues sitting top of the pile.
However, one of the teams to have beaten Healy and his team-mates this term are Saturday’s opponents Annan Athletic.
Healy said: “It is trying to right that wrong.
“We were actually alright in that game, it is just we didn’t score and they ran up the park and did.
“That was the difference.
“Playing on their Astroturf park should probably suit us as well.
“We have got a lot of players who like to play.
“We want to go and get three points, no matter what it takes.”
Healy was manager Aitken’s first signing of the close season as he looked to build on a promising first full campaign in the Stranraer hotseat.
The former Queen’s Park and Dumbarton man made the switch from Arthurlie, where assistant manager Stevie Aitken previously played.
He said: “The manager had been in contact early and I just jumped at the chance.
“There was something about Stranraer and they were always a club that I had my eye on.”
Last meeting
Ally Roy’s second half goal was all that separated the two sides when Annan visited The LIME Stadium at Stair Park earlier this season.
Stranraer had chances in the first half with Jordan Stuart and Aaron Healy going for goal. Many in the ground thought Stranraer had broken the deadlock through Aaron Quigg but his effort was agonisingly the wrong side of the upright.
However, after the break, Annan were the team who got the goal. Max Currie did well to block Roy’s first effort but the ball broke back to the striker who squeezed the ball home.
Stranraer: Currie, Dunne, McLuckie, Gillie, Ecrepont, Stuart (Dolan 52), Quigg, Healy (Traynor 80), Bruce, Hughes (Cleland 71), Dobbie.
Not used: Nair, Lynch, Cameron, McManus, Binnie and Henderson.
Annan Athletic: Albinson, Clark, McKnight, McDermott, Carrick, P Smith, Gibson, A Smith, Cooper, Roy (Connolly 86), Maxwell.
Not used: Martins, Bryson and Sliwinski.
Last five meetings
- Stranraer 0 Annan Athletic 1 (Roy) at The LIME Stadium at Stair Park on August 8, 2026
- Annan Athletic 1 Stranraer 0 (A Smith) at Galabank on March 28, 2026
- Stranraer 0 Annan Athletic 0 at The LIME Stadium at Stair Park on February 7, 2026
- Annan Athletic 2 Stranraer 2 (Gaffney and A Smith; Russell (Pen) and Lang) at Galabank on December 27, 2025
- Stranraer 0 Annan Athletic 1 (Watson) at The LIME Stadium at Stair Park on October 4, 2025
Last five games
Stranraer
- DRAW v Edinburgh City (H): 0-0
- WIN v East Kilbride (H): 4-3 (Quigg, McManus and Dunne x2)
- LOSS v Berwick Rangers (A): 3-2 (Foster and Dunne)
- WIN v Elgin City (A): 1-5 (Mason x2, McManus x2 and Dobbie)
- WIN v Dumbarton (H): 3-1 (Mason and Dobbie x2)
Annan Athletic
- LOSS v Stirling Albion (H): 0-1
- WIN v Hibernian B (H): 2-1 (Maxwell and O’Donnell)
- DRAW v Queen of the South (A): 1-1 (Dixon)
- LOSS v Forfar Athletic (A): 1-0
- WIN v Elgin City (H): 2-0 (Maxwell and Roy)
Last time out
Stranraer
Lineup v Edinburgh City: Currie, Dunne, McLuckie, Nair, Coll, Quigg, Healy (Plank 71), Traynor (Stuart 67), McManus (Dolan 46), Dobbie, Mason (Cleland 71).
Not used: Lynch, Cameron, Foster and Henderson.
Annan Athletic
Lineup v Stirling Albion: Albinson, Clark, McKnight, Watson, Muir, P Smith (Buchanan 56), Niang (D Williams 74), Gibson, Dixon (Roy 66), A Smith, Maxwell (O’Donnell 74).
Not used: C Williams and Sliwinski.
Five facts
- Saturday’s goalless draw with Edinburgh City was only Stranraer’s second goalless draw of 2026. The last one came against this weekend’s opponents Annan Athletic on February 2.
- The contest with Edinburgh City was also Chris Aitken’s 100th game as Stranraer manager, including his time as caretaker boss between Brian Reid and Stevie Farrell’s time in the hot seat. Aitken took charge of a Scottish Cup clash in Aberdeen in January 2017.
- Connor Cameron was not the only Stranraer player celebrating a birthday on Friday. The full-back turned 22. Alongside him, Ross Irving turns 25, PJ Crossan (28), Martin Grehan (42), Daryn Smith (46), Steve Kerrigan (54) and Harry Curran (60).
- Stranraer went top of the league last weekend. The last time they were top of the league was going into the penultimate game of the 2014/15 season. Defeat to Greenock Morton meant the Blues missed out on top spot – and the league title – by just two points.
- The last time Stranraer played on October 10 was six years ago. On that day, Stranraer opened the campaign with a trip to Galabank. The League Cup contest would go to penalties after Owen Moxon cancelled out Ruari Paton’s goal. Stranraer would win 5-4 in the shootout. The away team was: Fleming, Robertson, Burns, Sonkur, Devitt, Gallagher, Millar, Duffy (Orr 82), Stirling, Victoria (Elliott 58), Paton (McManus 77). Not used: Cummins, Hamill, Hilton and Walker.
Admission
Tickets and admission details for Saturday’s game are available from the Annan Athletic website.
Podcast
Check out the latest edition of club podcast Look Blues Talking for a full review of the draw with Edinburgh City, post-match reaction from returning playmaker Dom Plank, and previews of the weekend’s action and our midweek meeting with Kilmarnnock B.
Coverage
If you can’t make the journey to Annan on Saturday, 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 on Sunday morning, with the dream team of Laurence Nelson and Brian Martin reunited again on commentary.
Photos: Dylan Heron (DylzVisualz), Bill McCandlish, Colin Poultney (Collarge Images)