Uncharted territory lies ahead for Sean Docherty and many at Stranraer.
The Blues tackle Clyde at New Douglas Park on Saturday before resting up to face the same opposition at the LIME Stadium at Stair Park on Tuesday night.
The unusual situation means Stranraer could find themselves a point ahead of their rivals, 11 points behind them or somewhere in between in the race for a play-off spot.
Docherty said: “Tuesday night will be a hard one but I think we can take it to them on Saturday as well.
“I’ve never faced the same opponent in quick succession before.
“It will be interesting.
“We will try to win the first game and then worry about the second one!”
Docherty came back into the starting line-up against Edinburgh City earlier this month in the absence of Evan Dunne.
Keeping his place against Dumbarton, he then started in last weekend’s 2-1 win over East Kilbride.
It proved an eventful afternoon as he was penalised for a foul on Bobby McLuckie in the box before improving as the game went on.
However, his afternoon was cut short as he was forced off six minutes before the break with the score at 1-1.
He said: “I don’t know if it was anger or what but I thought I played better after I gave away the penalty.
“Then, I had a wee feeling in my Achilles and I don’t want to take any risks at this point of the season.
“There is no point in doing that.
“Myself and Kirsten (the physio) will assess it.”
Coming into last weekend’s game, East Kilbride had won seven games in a row compared with Stranraer’s unwanted hat-trick of defeats.
Both of those runs came to an end as both Matty Gillies and Lewis Reid got their first goals for the club.
Docherty, who joined last season from East Fife, said: “Stevie Aitken was saying before the game that every team throughout the league has gone on a bad spell.
“That was our spell there, hopefully, and we just continue to get three points.
“I thought we were really good – apart from me giving away the penalty!
“I thought the boys played excellent.”
Last meeting
There were plenty of chances at New Douglas Park but, ultimately, no goals when the sides met back in November.
Deryn Lang stole possession and was then denied by Jay Hogarth as the visitors had the first chance of the game with not even a minute played. The goalkeeper then punched clear a Finn Ecrepont free-kick before Josh Lane did brilliantly to keep out Sam Campbell’s close range effort.
Former Stranraer man James Hilton called the Stranraer goalkeeper into action after the break but neither team could find a breakthrough.
Clyde: Hogarth, Campbell, Howie, Hynes (Lyon 70), Leitch (Redfern 68), Niang (Dunachie 76), Fleming, Murdoch, Hilton, Connell (Williamson 68), Sutherland.
Not used: Nevans and Kinnear.
Stranraer: Lane, Ecrepont, Reid, Rough, Stuart, Quigg, McKnight, Gillies (Hunter 62), Russell (Sharp 81), Lang (Dunne 89), Edgar (Plank 62).
Not used: Coll, Hughes, Dolan and Henderson.
Last five meetings
- Clyde 0 Stranraer 0 at New Douglas Park on November 8, 2025
- Stranraer 1 Clyde 1 (O’Donnell; Hilton) at Stair Park on August 23, 2025
- Stranraer 1 Clyde 2 (Russell (Pen); Rennie x2) at Stair Park on March 29, 2025
- Clyde 2 Stranraer 0 (Rennie and Williamson) at New Douglas Park on February 8, 2025
- Stranraer 1 Clyde 1 (Russell (Pen); Allan) at Stair Park on December 28, 2024
Last five games
Stranraer
- WIN v East Kilbride (H): 2-1 (Gillies and Reid)
- LOSS v Dumbarton (A): 2-0
- LOSS v Edinburgh City (A): 4-1 (McGrath)
- LOSS v Elgin City (H): 1-2 (Cleland)
- WIN v Spartans (H): 2-1 (Cleland and Quigg)
Clyde
- LOSS v Spartans (A): 2-1 (Connell)
- DRAW v Forfar Athletic (A): 1-1 (Redfern)
- LOSS v East Kilbride (H): 1-3 (Dunachie)
- DRAW v Dumbarton (A): 0-0
- WIN v Edinburgh City (H): 5-0 (Hilton x3 (Pen x1), Hynes and Connell)
Last time out
Stranraer v East Kilbride: Currie, Reid, McGrath, Docherty (McKnight 39), Coll (Ecrepont 70), Quigg, McManus, Gillies (Hunter 85), Dolan, Plank (Cleland 70), Lang.
Not used: Hughes, O’Donnell, Turay and Tas.
Spartans v Clyde: Hogarth, Robson, Howie (Campbell 84), Dunachie, Hynes, Cuddihy (Fleming 88), Leitch, Redfern, McGinlay (Cannon 72), Murdoch, Connell (Connolly 88).
Not used: R Lyon, D Lyon and Kinnear.
Five facts
- Following both Lewis Reid and Matthew Gillies finding the net last weekend, Beejay Coll is the only outfield player in the current Stranraer squad not to have scored or assisted a goal in their Stranraer career.
- Reid and Gillies both scored their first Stranraer goals in the victory over East Kilbride. The last time Stranraer had two players score their first goal in the one game was back in August when Jordan Stuart and Scot Rough scored in the 4-1 win over Rangers B. Tommy Sharp and Corey O’Donnell were also on target.
- Saturday marked appearance number 100 in a Stranraer shirt for Max Currie. His debut came in a 5-1 win away to Stenhousemuir on Boxing Day 2015. His first Stair Park appearance was off the bench in a 1-0 win over Ayr United. He replaced David McGurn with nine minutes left after Jamie Longworth scored.
- The last two occasions that Stranraer have played Clyde have ended in draws. You need to go back to the turn of the millennium for the last time there were three consecutive stalemates between the two sides. The run started in August 1999 when there was a goalless draw. The final game for the two sides before the new century finished 2-2 (Jamie Smith and Billy MacDonald for Stranraer, Tom Woods and Alan Grant for Clyde). Brian Carrigan found the net for the hosts in a 1-1 draw, with Keith Knox scoring a late leveller for Stranraer.
- Stranraer face Clyde on Saturday and then tackle them again on Tuesday. The last time the Blues faced the same opposition back-to-back in league fixtures was just before the Covid-19 pandemic brought football to a halt in 2020. That saw Stranraer lose 4-1 at Montrose on March 7. Paul Watson and Liam Callaghan scored while Craig Johnston scored a double for the hosts, while an Allan Fleming own goal was Stranraer’s response. The two sides then met on March 10 at Stair Park where Russell McLean scored the only goal. The home team that day was: Currie, Robertson, Allan, Cummins, Hamill, McManus, Thomson (Fyfe 80), Stevenson, Victoria (Johnstone 67), Elliott, Stirling. Not used: McIntyre, Phillips, Dunn, Wilde and Burgess.
Admission
You can buy tickets online via the Clyde website:
- Adults: £17
- Concessions (Over 65s and Students): £14
- Under 18s: £10
- Under 12s: £5
Coverage
If you can’t make it to New Douglas Park, 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 on Saturday night, along with full match footage the next day.
Extended highlights will be available via YouTube on Sunday, with Laurence Nelson and Brian Martin calling the action.
Photos: Bill McCandlish, Colin Poultney (Collarge Images)
