Rovers deserve to climb table to make play-off positions

Oct 15 2008 by Colin Paterson, Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser

THEY say that the league table doesn’t lie but with just a quarter of the season gone, the Third Division listings surely do an injustice to the endeavour of Paul Martin’s Albion Rovers side, writes Sam Tennentt.

Nine points from nine games and seventh position are the stark statistics but dig deeper and we start to see a different story.

Sixteen goals scored is an offensive record that should easily see the Rovers secure a play-off berth.

Even with the departure of top scorer Pat Walker, the team is creating and converting chances at an impressive rate.

Of course, the other side of the equation does not look so good.

Fifteen goals conceded, and yet it would be harsh to suggest that the Rovers defence had not performed well over the last nine games.

Unfortunately we seem to get punished for every individual error we make during the game while our opponents appear to be able to consistently conjure up goals against the run of play.

Our last game against Montrose is a case in point.

I’ve rarely left a game more disappointed with the result.

After being dominant for almost the entire game, and creating a hatful of good chances, Rovers were punished for one defensive lapse.

This time it was a poor refereeing decision that caused the defence to switch off.

No excuses, however, as it should be clear to all Third Division players by now that erratic decisions by the match officials are par for the course at this level.

The Montrose result and the current league standings also underline another aspect of Rovers performances over the last few years – the failure to perform at Cliftonhill.

On every statistic our away performances are superior and it must be a priority for the management team to address this.

My own view is the playing surface, although improved greatly in the last couple of seasons, tends to prefer more physical teams at the expense of skill and speed which Rovers have in abundance this term.

I truly believe that, this season, we have the best group of players we have had since the days of Kevin McAllister and Paul McManus.

Bobby Barr has been sensational and there have been superb contributions from Pat Walker, Ross Harris, Marc Pollock, Michael McGowan and Alan Reid.

A special mention also for keeper David Scott who has overcome some early season criticism to put together a series of excellent performances in recent games.

I have also been impressed by the rate at which the management team have brought in new faces.

Too often in the past few seasons, Rovers have persevered with the existing squad while others have brought in quality players on loan or on free transfers.

The additions of Todd Lumsden, Kevin Watt and Harris have made a real difference to the team and the recent acquisitions of Stephen Canning and Brendan Crozier show that the current regime is working hard behind the scenes to bring in good players when they become available.

As we enter the second quarter of the season I’m very optimistic about our chances of climbing the table.

On our day we are capable of beating any team in this division and if we continue to make goalscoring opportunities, cut out defensive lapses and improve our home form, we will be in the play-off frame at the halfway mark.

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