Stirling Albion midfielder Mark Ferry has already created a small piece of history in 2014 by scoring two match winning goals in the space of two minutes and he is hoping to enjoy more landmarks both personal and on the football pitch this year.
Ferry has a special birthday coming up this weekend and having secured promotion with two different clubs he is out to make it three promotions with three different clubs with the Forthbank men.
The left sided player said: “I hit the big 30 this weekend and as well our game with Berwick Rangers I have some celebrations to look forward to when I get home. Hopefully I will be celebrating again later this season but there is still a long way to go.”
“I have won promotion twice in my career already. I did it via the Play-Offs from the Third Division with Queen’s Park in 2007 and then by winning the Second Division title with Raith Rovers two years later.”
Ferry talked through those campaigns saying: “With Queen’s we came with a really late run and won 8 games on the trot to get us into the Play-Off zone. We were in outstanding form going into the Play-Offs and that just carried on.”
“We won both legs of the semi-final against Arbroath and then both legs of the Final against East Fife and you cannot ask for any more than that.”
That team is fondly remembered by those who played in it with Ferry saying: “Paul Paton, Paul Cairney, Stuart Kettlewell who have all gone on to play in the top flight and we had other good players as well such as Mick Dunlop and Alan Trouten. A lot of the boys moved on at the one time but we all keep in touch. Of course I am still pals with DC – David Crawford who is the goalkeeper at Stirling Albion.”
“He was an usher at my wedding and will be at my thirtieth birthday party as well. However one thing I can confirm is that we are not pals on the pitch. I don’t think he is pals with anyone on the pitch but to be fair he is a good goalkeeper.”
Whilst Queen’s Park’s promotion push was a late run Raith’s promotion was a steady race where we were neck and neck with Ayr United throughout.
Ferry said: “It was settled in our favour at Hampden of all places when we beat Queen’s Park 1-0 on the second last Saturday of the season. Ayr were playing Alloa at Somerset Park and things tipped in our favour as we had taken a 1-0 lead. Ayr went in front just before half time and all I can remember in the second half was hearing a huge roar from the considerable support Raith had brought through with them that day.”
“Ironically it was Greig Spence who is now at Raith Rovers who caused it by scoring for Alloa. We saw things out and Ayr never scored again so we the league that day. It was nice to win it at Hampden as Queen’s did not win promotion there as we played our play-off at Firhill due to the UEFA Cup Final.”
“I was with Raith for 3 seasons as we stabilised in the First Division and also reached a Scottish Cup semi-final. I enjoyed my time there and even had a spell playing at left back before joining Stirling Albion 2 years ago. My spell in defence came about due to a horrible run of injuries that the club had and I was happy to play it but you don’t get as many chances to get forward as much as I normally do.”
“Since I came to Stirling we have had a few ups and downs. We were struggling in the Second Division by the time I got here after a disappointing season in the First Division. We did improve but we did not improve enough and we did not get enough points on board and were relegated.”
“Last season we made a really slow start to life in the Third Division then bizarrely we became the first team to beat Rangers when Brian Allison’s goal got us a 1-0 win in October.”
Even that success failed to get Stirling going last season and Ferry said “We never kicked on from that and it was not until last January that things began to fall into place. We went on a great run and climbed the table from bottom spot to just outside the play-offs. We had given ourselves just too much to do.”
“This season we have been more consistent but still have not won as many games as we would have liked. However we know that we can go on the type of run that will transform your season.”
Ferry explained one key difference in this campaign by saying: “We have managed to discover the knack of winning games without playing at our best. That has certainly been the case with our last two wins over East Stirling and then Queen’s Park.”
Ferry scored the winners in both games within a few minutes of each other as he explained: “I curled home an injury time winner against the Shire and the following Saturday scored the goal that beat Queen’s Park in the third minute.
“It is pretty good going to score two winners within a very short period of time. It was strange being up against Queen’s Park last week with the captain during my time there, Richard Sinclair, and his replacement and my former team mate Tony Quinn in charge. They are great guys and it is good to see them involved.”
Ferry said: “It is disappointing to see my old team at the bottom of the table but they have had a hard time. Gardner Speirs had done a great job there but a bit like our team broke up totally in 2008, their team from last season broke up.”
“Hopefully they will get up the table however there is no Lowland League for them to worry about until next year”
Winning games and scoring goals is nothing new to Ferry who said: “I have had a decent scoring ratio throughout my career and it is something that I have always liked doing. I am up to 5 for the season and I am keen to get more.”
“Apart from the spell at Raith I have been in midfield and I am back playing there again – mind you I am glad of a jersey.”
Before his recent double blast it had been 2 months since Ferry had found the net and he had two very good reasons why that was the case.
“My wife and I had our first baby on October 22 – Mark Junior and it is has taken me a bit of time to get used to things,” said Ferry before adding, “That was probably affecting me as I was also out of my sleeping pattern. I was also carrying a foot injury that needed a cortisone injection to help cure it. I got that a few weeks ago and in the games I have played since I have scored so touch wood I am fine.”
Ferry and Stirling head over the border this weekend to face Colin Cameron’s Berwick and Ferry said: “I read that Berwick and Ian Little had parted and they have brought in Colin. That has probably made our hard job harder. Shielfield is always a tough venue and usually when a new manager comes in players get a lift as they are not playing with a pressure on them as managers usually change due to bad results.”
“However we are going there looking to win.”
The Forthbank men currently sit 5 points behind Peterhead and can still win the Division with Ferry saying: “We won the first 3 games of the season but not been consistent enough since. We have won the last two and it would be great now to win three in a row again.”
“A hat-trick of promotions in my career would be terrific. Having done it both ways – Play-Offs and winning the title I know which way I prefer. The play-offs are good but you get a medal for winning the title. You can never get enough medals in your career.”
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