07-08-2025
Albion Rovers boss 'not worried' about Tranent defeat as side have picked up more points than expected
Sandy Clark has been relatively pleased with the Cliftonhill side's showing early on in the Lowland League
Albion Rovers boss Sandy Clark says he won't worry too much about Saturday's 4-0 defeat to Tranent after starting the season with more points than he bargained for.
Cash-strapped Rovers have had to make big changes to their squad over the summer, but they have accrued four points from their first three games with a 3-3 draw against Cumbernauld Colts last weekend and a 2-1 win at East Stirling last midweek preceding Saturday's defeat.
The Coatbridge side conceded two goals in quick succession in the first half, with Harry Girdwood and Cameron McKinley on target. After the break McKinley added his second of the day just a minute in, while a Dean Brett penalty completed the scoring.
Clark said: 'It is a disappointing result, but if you had said to me last week, with the circumstances that the club finds itself in, that we would have four points after the first week of games, I'd definitely have taken that.
'So it is not the end of the world, by any manner of means.
'Tranent were by far the better team on Saturday and I think they are going to be up there challenging at the top of the league this season with the players they have.
'The funny thing is we actually competed well against them, but we just made terrible mistakes for all four of their goals. They were all preventable.
'I can't ask for any more effort from the boys. They were just too good for us on the day.'
Rovers now host Gala Fairydean this Saturday and on the midweek win over Shire, Clark added: 'East Stirling was a game against a side similar to where we are at right now and I thought we did well. We lost a poor goal in that game as well and that is the current theme at the moment we need to try and stop.
'We deserved the three points there last week and it is about how we bounce back from Saturday for the Gala game.'
Clark doesn't expect any new additions ahead of the weekend, saying: 'We've got a squad now where there is not a lot of scope for bringing more players in. The loan market is there but if players aren't going to improve the team, we won't bring players in just for numbers.
'The co-operation agreement with Kilmarnock keeps the door open continually, if they are ever looking to put someone out that we think is good enough.
'I don't think anything else is likely to happen quickly there so we should have the same squad for this weekend as we did on Saturday there.
'There has been good bits in all our performances, so we need to take the positives and try to be better defensively to stop giving away cheap goals."
