Finishing the season with a flourish is the aim for both Max Guthrie and Stranraer.
The Blues have only won one of their last six games but Guthrie ended a near-four month wait for goal with a strike against Spartans last weekend.
It proved not enough as the home side won 2-1 but both Guthrie and Stranraer are determined that the season will not fizzle out.
Speaking after the full time whistle at Ainslie Park, he said: “That is not going to be our attitude.
“We have got four games to go and we want to put our all into these four games and show how good we can be, pushing onto the following season.”
Looking back to last weekend, Guthrie echoed the feelings of many Stranraer fans and felt they should have taken something from the game.
He said: “It was very disappointing.
“I felt that we deserved a point at least and it just did not fall our way today unfortunately.
“I think it is just about not making silly mistakes and conceding goals that we probably should not.
“But the defenders have been brilliant all season – you cannot fault them.
“It is just fine margins in football that you need to deal with and learn from.”
Prior to last weekend, Guthrie’s last goal in a Stranraer shirt had come away to promotion-chasing East Fife.
The drought is now over and the teenager is keen to finish the season strongly.
He said: “It has been quite a frustrating last couple of months for me.
“Since I missed a few games with a groin injury, I have not had too much of a chance.
“I have just bided my time and kept training, doing what I was doing and spoke to the gaffer.
“He has been saying the same thing that when my chance comes, hopefully, I take it and keep pushing forward, learning and developing.
“For the goal, I was half expecting the keeper to fumble it and I have been working on that.
“I have been getting it drilled into me that if I am playing as a striker, and not out wide, it is about always being on your toes.
“If the chance falls, you have just got to take it.”
Now, attention turns to a trip to Forthbank and Stirling Albion.
Encounters between the two sides have been close this campaign, with the three league meetings resulting in a win, a draw and a loss.
On top of that, Stranraer fought back from two goals down to draw 2-2 – before losing on penalties – in the League Cup.
Looking back to the last meeting, Guthrie said: “Last time we played there, we felt it was a tight game but that we probably deserved it.
“We just need to go back there and do what we did today and get the three points.”
Last meeting
First goals for Stranraer from Kirk McKnight and Robbie Foster helped Stranraer to three points against Stirling Albion.
An even first half was brought to life in the closing stages when McKnight’s clever flick with his chest gave Stranraer the lead.
Before the home fans had stopped celebrating, Elliot Dunlop doubled the lead when he tapped home Ryan Edgar’s low cross.
Any chance of a comeback was killed off in stoppage time when Foster turned and fired home from close range.
Stranraer: Lane, Ross, Docherty, McKnight (Foster 68), Ecrepont, Reid, Robertson, Dunlop, Quigg, M Grant (Guthrie 74), Edgar (Hawkshaw 81).
Not used: Brindley and Kane.
Stirling Albion: Gaston, Sula (Carse 20), Kerr, Constable (Deveney 55), L Grant, McNab, Waugh (Wright 80), Harkness, Brown (Carrick 55), Hilson, Shanley.
Not used: Weir, Knox, Graham and Smith.
Last five meetings
- Stranraer 3 Stirling Albion 0 (McKnight, Dunlop and Foster) at Stair Park on February 22, 2025
- Stirling Albion 1 Stranraer 1 (Kerr; Russell) at Forthbank Stadium on December 21, 2024
- Stranraer 0 Stirling Albion 2 (Sula and Brown) at Stair Park on September 28, 2024
- Stirling Albion 2 Stranraer 2 (Stirling Albion win 4-2 on penalties) (McKinley and Roy; Edgar and Lang) at Forthbank Stadium on July 23, 2024
- Stranraer 1 Stirling Albion 1 (Robertson; Leitch) at Stair Park on March 18, 2023
Last five games
Stranraer
- LOSS v Spartans (A): 2-1 (Guthrie)
- LOSS v Clyde (H): 1-2 (Russell (Pen))
- LOSS v Forfar Athletic (H): 0-1
- WIN v East Fife (A): 0-3 (Hawkshaw (Pen) and Lang x2)
- DRAW v Peterhead (H): 0-0
Stirling Albion
- WIN v Elgin City (A): 0-2 (Carrick and Knox)
- WIN v Edinburgh City (H): 2-1 (Graham and Shanley)
- LOSS v Peterhead (H): 1-2 (Shanley)
- DRAW v Bonnyrigg Rose (A): 1-1 (Own goal)
- DRAW v Spartans (A): 0-0
Last time out
Stranraer
Lineup v Spartans: Kane, Brindley (Ecrepont 55), Ross, McKnight, Reid, Robertson, Dunlop, Quigg, M Grant (Hawkshaw 77), Foster (Guthrie 52), Lang (Edgar 77).
Not used: Docherty and Lane.
Stirling Albion
Lineup v Elgin City: Gaston, McGeachie, Constable, L Grant (Graham 41), McNab, Carse, Knox, Waugh, Crane, Carrick (McKinstray 89), Shanley.
Not used: Cringean, Weir, Deveney, Boyle, Wright and Smith.
Five facts
1. Midfielder Fraser Campbell played the majority of his senior football with Stranraer. He started his career at St Mirren, where he made three league appearances, before joining Stranraer in 1987. He would go on to make 23 league appearances for the Blues. He turns 60 on Saturday.
2. Stranraer have not won on their last seven visits to Stirling Albion. In fact, the last time Stranraer won against Stirling Albion in Stirling the only goal was scored by Andy Stirling, who also played for Stirling Albion.
3. It has been 11 years since Stranraer last played on April 12. That saw the Blues make the trip to Arbroath, where a Paul McManus goal before half time gave the hosts the lead. Alan Cook scored twice before the 50th minute to put Arbroath well on top. Sean Winter pulled one back but Paul Sheerin wrapped up the win before Adam Forde scored a consolation.
4. Stranraer have won 12 games in all competitions this term with half of them coming with a clean sheet. The first six wins all came despite Stranraer conceding a goal and the most recent six have all come alongside a clean sheet.
5. Spartans led 1-0 at half time last weekend and would go on to win 2-1. The last time Stranraer trailed at the interval and came back to take all three points was March 2018. It was a trip to Gayfield where goals from Omar Kader and Gavin Swankie had Arbroath 2-0 up. However, three goals in the last 22 minutes gave the visitors all three points. Stephen Okoh, Grant Anderson and Scott Agnew scored. The visiting team was: Currie, Neill, Lyon (Hawkshaw 70), Hamill, Robertson, MacPherson, Woods (Gray 79), Agnew, Anderson, McGowan, Dykes (Okoh 62). Not used: Barron and McLaren.
Admission
Entry at Forthbank is via an e-ticket (purchased via Stirling Albion’s ticketing website) or cash only at the gate.
Admission prices are as follows:
- Adults – £17
- 65 and over – £12
- Students (with valid ID) – £8
- 17 and under – £8
- 12 and under – FREE (when accompanied by a paying adult)
Coverage
We have live matchday updates on X (formerly Twitter) for those not travelling to Forthbank, 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.
Extended highlights will be available via YouTube on Sunday, with Laurence Nelson joined by Cameron Ritchie on commentary.
Photos: Bill McCandlish
