A year of two halves for Albion Rovers

Dec 30 2009 by Colin Paterson, Airdrie & Coatbridge

IT has been a year of two halves for Albion Rovers. The end of last season was one to forget; the start of this campaign one to recall fondly.

Advertiser sports reporter Colin Paterson reflects on the key questions and issues relating to the club as Rovers look ahead to the start of a new decade in which they hope to win promotion for the first time since the 1988-89 season.

2009 – a good or a bad year for Rovers?

THE past 12 months have been generally good. On the pitch, boss Paul Martin has dramatically improved the quality of player at Cliftonhill, which has resulted in the team challenging in the top half of the Third Division.

Off it, the board of directors run a tight ship with the club posting a five-figure profit in their last set of accounts. This has allowed Martin to build a more competitive squad.

How good a job is the manager doing?

THERE’S no doubting the fact that Martin has been impressive in the Rovers dugout. After nearly a year and a half in the post, he has cobbled together a squad capable of giving the league’s big guns a run for their money.

The process has not been easy, however, and he may have found himself under pressure had Rovers endured a poor start to this season after his side finished the last campaign without a win in their final 13 games.

The squad required surgery and Martin proved himself up to the task. Of the starting 11 that defeated Berwick Rangers in their first match of 2009, four players are no longer with the club, one will never play for Rovers again and one is an unused substitute every week.

A number of quality signings, six weeks of hard work on the training pitch in the summer and a positive attitude have all contributed to Rovers’ encouraging results and form over the past five months.

Should this continue, and the club remain challengers, expect to see bigger sides, both part and full-time, to cast their net towards Coatbridge in their search for a new manager.

How will he be judged over his handling and comments with regard the Bobby Barr and Livingston affairs?

FAIRLY. In the case of Barr, he had no choice but to send the playmaker packing. Had Martin allowed his authority to be questioned by him, he would have lost the respect of the rest of the dressing room.

Barr is a fine player but has as many good matches as bad. He is the type who can turn a dull 0-0 draw into a 1-0 win but also has the potential to remain on the periphery of games. By adding Adam Strachan, the gaffer has brought in a good replacement.

As for Livi, Martin was one of the most outspoken people in the game when the crisis-hit Lions flirted with extinction. By questioning their right to trade while insolvent, he was simply saying what many were thinking.

Such views were honest, and although he earned an SFA censure and pariah status at Almondvale, he also won a lot of respect for speaking out and telling a few home truths.

What has been the key factor in the Rovers success story so far?

THE defence. Rovers have been a tough nut to crack this term with the rearguard action keeping 12 clean sheets so far.

Keeper Derek Gaston has been a revelation since joining up from under-21 football while the ambitious duo of Alan Reid and Michael McGowan are steady influences in the full-back positions.

There were concerns in pre-season when player/assistant manager Todd Lumsden suffered ankle ligament damage, but the performances of Mick O’Byrne and Alan Benton have been so good that the Geordie may not get back into the starting line-up.