Pope dishes out last rites to end sad Rovers’ season

May 13 2009 by Colin Paterson, Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser

Montrose 1 Albion Rovers 0

TALK about unlucky 13.

There was to be no happy ending for Rovers at the end of two months of disappointment and frustration.

In the wind and rain on the north-east coast, Paul Martin’s men suffered a fourth straight defeat as their campaign finally fizzled out.

A 14th minute goal from Gordon Pope earned Montrose a top-half finish in the third division table.

Such dizzy heights are now a distant dream for the Coatbridge part-timers. A season that looked set to enjoy a thrilling finale ended, instead, with a miserable stretch of 13 games without a win.

“It’s really sad for the players as we have come up short on so many occasions,” boss Martin told the Advertiser.

“We passed the ball well at times on Saturday, but when we created chances, we didn’t take them.

“There were a lot of disappointing things from the weekend and this horrible run we are on now continues into next season.

“You can’t soft-soap that and it is something I will be focusing on when we all return for pre-season training.”

Martin, undoubtedly, has a rebuilding job on his hands, but his hands will be tied, to a certain degree, by the budget he has at his disposal.

The one area that needs addressed urgently is the forward line. In 36 league games, Rovers struck 39 times, with only rock-bottom Elgin City posting a poorer return.

Ian Harty was brought in but has been inconsistent. Marc Pollock is a raw talent who is still learning his trade and, by Martin’s own admission, been used too often.

Mark Archdeacon arrived on loan from Motherwell but failed to perform. The injury to fellow loanee Marc McCusker was as big a setback as Pat Walker leaving the club at the end of August to travel the world.

Another creative midfielder would be a welcome addition to complement the industry of Steven McKeown, Danny Ferry and possibly Ciaran Donnelly if he re-signs, as well as help ease the pressure on Bobby Barr, should he still be at Cliftonhill come the start of next season.

In defence, the re-signings of Alan Reid and Michael McGowan would be a boost. The capture of a new centre-half would provide much-needed competition for places.

Jamie Ewings has already put pen to paper, but another goalie will be required if back-up David Scott leaves or isn’t offered fresh terms.

On top of all this, Martin needs to recruit a new assistant manager after Paddy Connolly’s decision to leave last month. A busy few weeks lie ahead.

Montrose opened the scoring at the weekend when Pope converted a Hugh Davidson assist from Kevin Bradley’s corner.

Harty offered Rovers their best hope of finding a goal but he was denied on four separate occasions ahead of the interval.

A curling shot from Callan Adam forced Montrose keeper Tony Bullock into a good save at the start of the second half. Paul Stewart was thwarted by Ewings at the other end.

With six minutes to go, the Rovers shot-stopper’s day was prematurely ended when he received a second bookable offence following a foul on Bradley just outside the box.

It was an incident that only made Rovers fans wish for the season to end quicker. The last few weeks have been depressing but the finishing line has been reached.

Advertiser man of the match (3pts) - Ian Harty. Worked hard up-front. Bobby Barr (2pts), Robert Walker (1pt).

Moment of the match: Ewings’ red card dashed any hopes of a late comeback .

Montrose: Bullock, Hegarty, Sinclair, Davidson, Pope, Crighton, Bradley, Milligan (Stewart 32), O’Reilly (Leyden 63), Nicol (Maitland 70), Black. Subs not used: Tweed, Kelly(gk).

Albion Rovers: Ewings, Reid, Fleming, McKeown, Walker, McGowan, Ferry (Crozier 74, Scott 84), Donnelly, Harty (Pollock 73), Barr, Adam. Subs not used: McGoldrick, Andreoni.

Booked: Fleming. Sent-off: Ewings.