Alloa and Stirling finally managed to play this game at the third time of asking after both previous dates had been rained off. Stirling came into the the game a bit more confident after there 3-2 win over Forfar at the weekend and where hoping to gain some revenge after there 4-0 defeat by Alloa in the previous derby match.

Stirling lined up in a 4-4-2 formation with Nugent at right back,Scotland and McNally in the middle and Devine at left back. Paul Hay was pushed out to the right wing, Canning and Aitken in the middle of midfield and O'Brien on the left wing. Dunn and Di Giacomo where both back up front with MacDonald dropping onto the bench.

The game started pretty lively with Stirling earning a foul just outside the box and Devine's free-kick was saved by the keeper. Alloa then got on top for the next 5 minutes and in the 6th minute Alloa had the ball in the back of the net with a shot off the post, but the Alloa player was judged to be offside.

Stirling then had most of the possession, but it was Alloa who had another shot that whizzed past the post in the 17th minute. Canning was then booked a minute later for a foul from behind.

Stirling then took the game to Alloa and almost had a goal after some fantastic play which involved several 1-2's and the latter was between O'Brien and Hay in which Hay's accurate hard drive from the edge of the box was turned round the post by the Alloa keeper. From the resulting corner the Bino's took the lead. Hay's cross wasn't cleared properly by the Alloa defender and Nugent was on hand to stroke it low into the net from about 15 yards to give him his first goal of the season and only his second goal in over 100+ appearances.

On 30 minutes Paul Di Giacomo made a typical surging run down the right hand side and sent the ball across the goal,but no one was on hand to take advantage. The same player had a shot from just outside the box that whizzed past the post after beating 2 defenders.

Stirling kept up the pressure and Paul Di Giacomo had a shot from the edge of the box that again the keeper did well to save. It was a different story a few minutes later when Paul Di Giacomo was violently hacked down from behind and the Binos player reacted by hitting the defender on the head with the ball. The Alloa player made a total meal of this and Di Giacomo was red carded. The Alloa player somehow escaped the same punishment and was only yellow carded. A few minutes later the same Alloa player clearly dived in the box and again no action was taken by the referee who seemed intent on spoiling the game and giving everything Alloa's way!

The sending off was obviously a key event and Alloa piled on the pressure before half time. Just before the break a scramble in the Binos box lead to Browne Ferguson having a bicycle kick hit off the crossbar.

The Bino's kept the same shape in the second half and where hoping to hang on to there 1-0 lead. Alloa took advantage of this and piled the pressure on for long spells. Alloa managed to find a way through the Binos defence when one of there players took a long throw in and Myles spilled the ball (as he was being fouled) only for it to land at Townsley's feet and he tucked it away. This goal was again very similar to the second goal we conceded in the Forfar home game on Saturday.

At every given opportunity the same Alloa player was used the long throw in's to put pressure on Myles and again Myles was fouled nearly everytime, but the ref did nothing about it.

Stirling's only real shot of note was from a Aitken shot on the edge of the box on 60 minutes after great play by Dunn on the right.

Alloa's last real effort on goal came when they won a free kick on the edge of the box and the resulting cross was headed just wide by Brown. The game fizzled out with Alloa pressurizing the Bino's defence,but to no great effect.

Looking overall at the game, it was spoiled by a very dodgy referee who seemed to favour Alloa in most decisions. He was fooled most times by the Alloa players cheating and play acting and in the end it cost the Binos all 3 points. Credit does have to go to a battling Bino's side that played nearly 60 minutes of football with ten men. In particular Dunn, Canning and Hay all had exceptional games and this was certainly a better point for Stirling than Alloa as it still leaves us seven points ahead of them in the league.

Apologies to regular readers for the shortness of this match report as Ian is taking a long needed holiday (I hope your enjoying yourself Ian). Scott Johnstone will be doing the match report for Saturday and things will be back to normal when Ian returns for the Morton match.