Brian Reid admits Albion Rovers’ late collapse against Annan was a “very sore one”, as they were unable to back up their midweek win over Elgin City in their push for safety in League Two.
Rovers looked like heading for a vital point on Saturday over a side sitting third in the table, but Josh Galloway and Tommy Muir struck in the final seven minutes to inflict a 13th defeat of the season on the unlucky Cliftonhill side.
They went into the clash on a high after a thumping 3-0 win over Elgin last Tuesday night, but they were missing a number of key players, including star man Charlie Reilly.
Reid refused to blame that for the result and said those who came into the side needed to show more composure after a couple of early chances came back to haunt them.
“It was a very sore one to take,” admitted the Rovers gaffer, whose side are second bottom of the table and four points clear of Bonnyrigg.
“We were well in the game and we were probably the better team in the second half.
“We started on the front foot then it looked like it was just going to peter out, with neither really creating much.
“We had a great chance in the first half when their goalie pulls off a great save from Joe Bevan one-on-one and Adam Fernie had a great chance with a one-on-one as well, blasting the ball over the bar when you are looking for a wee bit of composure.
“Our goalkeeper has not really had a save to make but he ends up picking the ball out of the net twice in the last seven minutes.
“It’s a big disappointment because the least we should be coming away with is a point - and we’ve come away with nothing.
“But, as I said to the players, we can’t rely on one guy like Charlie Reilly. We need them to step up.
“We did create a few chances but we’ve got to show some composure in the final third and punish teams when we are on top.
“We were a bit rash in our decision making and these are the crucial moments between winning and losing games.
“If we’d scored first I’m sure we’d have won the game.
“I can’t fault the players for their effort but they need to show more composure.”
Another tough test awaits on Saturday when Rovers travel to second-place Stirling Albion.
The sides have drawn 1-1 in both of their previous meetings this season and Reid says they always believe they can beat the top sides in the division.
He said: “We know anyone can beat anyone in this league. Dumbarton, top of the league, losing to Elgin on Saturday shows you that, so every game is tough.
“We’ve proven ourselves against the sides up at the top of the table and we believe we can do it again.
“Hopefully we can get some players back from injury for Saturday.”
Follow Lanarkshire Live Sport on Twitter via @LanLiveSport, like us on Facebook or find us on Instagram for the latest sports news, pictures and video.
