Late Sole Goal Sinks Binos

The third set of fixtures in the KDM Trophy brought Stirling Albion North to face Inverness at the Caledonian SarensPSG Stadium. The hosts had won their previous two Challenge Cup fixtures and the Binos have one win and one defeat.

Inverness went with a strong squad, both on the bench and on the park with plenty of attacking options and Ross Millen appeared on the bench. Stirling once again put Robert Duffy between the sticks with their danger expected to come from Ross Cunningham and Russell MacLean. And it was Cunningham that opened the scoring after half an hour with a superb strike before Zimba levelled four minutes later in an open first forty-five. Less action after the break until Stewart Murdoch was red carded for clattering Oscar MacIntyre. Liam Sole waited until the 94th minute before grabbing the winner to make it three from three for Inverness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 After a minutes applause for Jimmy Bone the match got underway and Ross Cunningham was first to make a keeper work with a shot from just outside the box, Ross Munro saving low down. A second effort from Cunningham slipped wide and at the other end Danny Devine was blocked at close range and Alfie Bavidge shot wide. It had been a bright opening fifteen by both sides. Adam Brown's free kick was comfortably saved by Munro and there was no takers for Liam Sole's low cross into the box to the relief of the Binos defence. Joe Chalmers was denied by Duffy and Alfie Bavidge was unlucky not to open the scoring after great play by Sole down the left with Chanka Zimba's follow up looking like it came off the bar. Just after the half hour Cunningham's willingness to have a go paid off as he cut inside after beating two defenders before firing high into the net from twenty plus yards for a tremendous goal for the Binos. That lead was short lived when Zimba scored from close range four minutes later, who else but Liam Sole with the assist. Zimba was blocked from adding a second near to the interval from close range and on the interval Mckay headed over before also shooting wide.

HALF TIME: 1-1

 Billy Mckay continued where he left the first half with Duffy saving at the expense of a corner. Substitutions littered the final third of the game with play becoming disjointed. Plenty huff and puff in the second half but we failed to blow the house down. With fifteen minutes left the Binos were reduced to ten men when Stewart Murdoch was sent off for a late challenge on Oscar MacIntyre. We laid siege on the valiant defenders of the Albion thereafter and Mckay, Sole, Longstaff and MacLeod were all thwarted. Mitchell Robertson had a couple of go's late in the game as we tried to snatch a win from the jaws of a draw. Aaaaand finally, after sixteen corners, we eventually score from one. Liam Sole was yer man as he won the match in the 94th minute. Talk about leaving it late.

Pic from CaleyJags.com

 FULL TIME: 2-1

 More detail to follow

Sole Goal...

No Listen...

Date:  05/09/2025  Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 0543 Referee: Graham Grainger
 
Inverness CT: 2

• Manager: Scott Kellacher

• Lineup:  Munro; MacLeod, Devine, Robertson, MacIntyre, Sole, Chalmers (Alonge 84),

• Wotherspoon, Bavidge (Longstaff 63), B McKay, Zimba (MacKinnon 72)

• Subs (not used):  Ross; Millen, Kerr, Strachan, Savage, R Thompson

• Scorers: Zimba (35), Sole (90+4)

• Booked: Wotherspoon (52)

• Sent Off: none

Stirling Albion: 1

• Manager: Alan Maybury

• Lineup:  Duffy; McGeachie, Murdoch, Hamilton (McNab 72), C Thomson (Banner 72), Carse,

• Cunningham, Brown, Ewen (Featherstone 72), McLean (Harkness 59), Cannon

• Subs (not used): Gaston; Knox, K Thomson

• Scorers: Cunningham (31)

• Booked: none

• Sent Off: Murdoch (76)