Albion Rovers came into the season in a state of flux. They had lost successful long-term manager Darren Young but were willing to gamble on Brian Kerr, who had the tough job of putting together a squad on a shoestring budget.
His decision to invest heavily in certain players, such as Alan Trouten, gave the team a degree of quality that was evident in the early weeks of the season, when their attack-orientated team enjoyed a terrific start. Rovers were scoring goals freely and picking up some impressive results, particularly on the road.
By the end of September, though, they had ran out of steam. A home win over Raith Rovers was a rare high point and for much of the season thereafter they were on an interminable slide towards the foot of the table.
Loss followed loss, with injury problems hurting a thin squad badly. There was little consistency in the team selection because of physical problems, and this would only grow more evident in the second half of the season.
Connor Shields was sold to Sunderland, with the young striker having excelled in the first half of the season along side Trouten. Once he had departed, though, the goals began to dry up.
What did not change, however, was Rovers’ inability to defend. They conceded on a frighteningly regular basis and simply could not find victories. Kerr changed his combinations in the rearguard on a regular basis, but it made little difference.
Going into the final day of the season, they still had a chance of survival if they could upset Ayr United, but they were unable to and the strong start they had made to the campaign was frittered away.
Trouten has already signed for Alloa next season and the budget will be cut. Tough times lie ahead.
