The University of Stirling men’s football team returned to winning ways in the Lowland League, seeing off Civil Service Strollers 2-0 at Christie Gilles Park.
Ben Maciver-Redwood and a Ciaran McAninch penalty gave the Uni a two-goal lead at halftime. The hosts were also reduced to ten men before the break, allowing Stirling to comfortably see out the second half.
Head Coach Chris Geddes said: “It was a really pleasing win. We asked the boys before the game to win because we were fed up with playing well and not picking up points.
“We got the points today though which rounds off a good week for us with the BUCS win on Wednesday too.”
Strollers started the game brightly and looked dangerous going forward. Robbie Cole saw his shot saved by Yan Gromov Godik, with the resulting succession of corners providing plenty of danger for the Uni to deal with.
Stirling began to press the Strollers’ back line and won the ball high up on many occasions. Maciver-Redwood and Jack Docherty combined well to release McAninch in behind, but his shot was tame and comfortable for Thomas Welsh.
Docherty was a key component of the Uni’s buildup throughout and after beating three Strollers’ defenders, managed to slip Maciver-Redwood through. His shot blazed over but Welsh caught the striker, giving away a penalty.
McAninch stepped up, but Welsh redeemed his error and dove to his right to keep the score level.
It would take only seven more minutes though for Stirling to take the lead. Docherty played a searching ball down the left for Maciver-Redwood, who chopped inside and powered the ball past Welsh with the aid of a deflection
The afternoon went from bad to worse for Strollers when Maciver-Redwood turned Matty Shaw to break in on goal, leading Shaw to pull back his man and receive a straight red card.
From the resulting free-kick, Isa Aslanoglu saw his strike blocked by a hand in the Strollers wall, giving the Uni a second penalty. McAninch made no mistake this time, firing straight down the middle to give his side a two-goal advantage.
The task for Stirling then was to remain composed and concentrated in the second half, sitting off their opponents and limiting any mistakes.
This resulted in very few chances in the half, with Maciver-Redwood coming closest to adding to the lead. He broke through on the left side and once in the box, saw his attempted cut-back intercepted when he potentially could’ve shot himself.
Strollers were forced to finish the game with nine players, with no substitutions available to replace the injured Harry Girdwood. This had no impact on the proceedings though as the Uni saw out an impressive win away from home.
They will now turn their attention to Tuesday night’s trip to Dunbar in the East of Scotland Qualifying Cup.
University of Stirling: Gromov Godik, Lavery, Service, Aslanoglu, Heal, Scally, Russell, Stokes, McAninch, Docherty, Maciver-Redwood