SHIRE 3 ALBION ROVERS 0

Shire claimed a first three point haul in thirteen games with a vital win over Albion Rovers at Firs Park.

After a generally dull first half played in driving rain with a swirling wind, they took advantage after the break, scoring within two minutes of the re-start and from there never looked back.

But they had to wait until Rovers had Willie Martin and Alan Benton sent-off before adding two more goals.

Pre-match injury scares over David King and Scott Gibb proved unfounded and both took their places in a starting eleven that was unchanged from Tuesday's 1-1 draw with Dumbarton.

The weather was likely to spoil the match as a spectacle and that's how it turned out.

Rovers had the best early chances, especially a Willie Martin glancing header that was hooked off the line by Gibb and a glaring miss from Danny Ferry on 31 minutes when he was clean through on goal.

A minute later Andy Rodgers crossed from the left and Andrew Brand's header forced the first serious save of the match for Rovers' keeper David Scott.

After 42 minutes some nice interplay saw Brand lay the ball off to Derek Ure 25 yards from goal and although his effort had pace it lacked direction and went wide of Scott's left-hand post.

Right on half-time Rodgers should have given Shire the lead. He took advantage of a bad defensive mistake and was well-placed to cross the ball for the unmarked Craig Donaldson, but he instead chose to go it alone and blasted over the bar.

A minute after the re-start a good piece of work down the right from Donaldson won a corner which Kevin McBride delivered for Michael Bolocheweckyj to head goalwards.

It seemed as though Rovers' Richard Buckley had booted the ball to safety, but both referee and linesman were convinced it had crossed the line and Shire were 1-0 ahead.

Rovers protested that Donaldson had handled the ball in the build-up to winning the corner and their Assistant Manager, Paul Martin, carried his argument too far and was sent to the stand.

It was the first of a number of run-ins with authority involving the visitors. After 52 minutes referee Hornby penalised Jamie McKenzie for backing in to Bolocheweckyj and that led to a verbal outburst from Martin.

Whatever the Rovers' striker said to the referee was deemed serious enough for Mr Hornby to produce a red card and send Martin to the dressing room.

With a man advantage Shire had a decent chance to put the game beyond Rovers when Rodgers burst clean through on goal but the Shire man tried to lob the keeper from the edge of the box and it drifted high and wide.

After 63 minutes another darting run from Rodgers was about to take him clear from the defence when he was caught late by a desperate lunge from Benton.

The Rovers centre-half had already been booked in the first half for kicking the ball away at a Shire free-kick and a second yellow for his foul on Rodgers meant an early bath for him.

The extra two men, and additional space, that Shire now enjoyed meant chances came frequently, and Marc McKenzie, on in place of King, crossed to the unmarked Donaldson at the back post but his shot was well-saved by Scott.

From the resulting corner kick Kevin McBride delivered the ball perfectly for Stephen Oates to rise and meet it with a powerful header that flew past the stranded Scott to make it 2-0.

Shire pretty much attacked at will after that. Three minutes later Gibb made progress down the right and although his centre was just too high for Rodgers in the middle, McBride ghosted in unmarkedat the back post to send a volley crashing into the far corner of the net.

After going 3-0 up Shire ought to have scored more. Donaldson's turn and shot from the edge of the box produced a decent save from Scoot, and twice Rodgers was clean through with only the keeper to beat but his first effort went wide and his second was straight at Scott's legs.

Shire : O'Connor, Gibb(Moffat 80), K. McBride, Oates, Bolocheweckyj, King(McKenzie 68), Donaldson(Black 74), Brand, Rodgers, Nicholls, Ure.

Albion Rovers : Scott, Buckley, Reid, R. Walker, Benton, Ferry, Barr(A. Martin 80), McKenzie, W. Martin, G. Watson(Connell 80), P. Walker.

Referee : W. Hornby

Attendance : 262.