and down like Stirling Albion". In 1966 the club became the first British team to play in Japan. The 1970–1980s Under the vastly experienced Bob Shankly, Stirling made progress, achieving consecutive 3rd-place finishes in 1971–72 and 1972–73, narrowly missing out on promotion to the top tier. On retiring to the boardroom, Shankly was succeeded for one season by Frank Beattie but then handpicked his long-term protege, former Albion player Alex Smith, who had been cutting his managerial teeth at Stenhousemuir. Smith's first season in 1974–75 saw the club finish 8th, three points behind Alex Ferguson's St Mirren in 6th. That slim margin would prove crucial as league reconstruction meant it was the difference between staying in the 2nd division or starting afresh in the new 3rd tier. Over the next two seasons, Smith began a major rebuild of the playing staff that would create one of Albion's finest squads. To a core of long-standing regulars including midfielder Robert Duffin, half-back James Clark and goalkeeper George Young, he added, among others, centre-half John Kennedy from Partick Thistle, Clyde full-back James Burns and Hibernian youngsters Allan Moffat and David Steedman. Midfielder Robin Thomson and teenage winger Graeme Armstrong also arrived from non-league football. Albion opened the 1976–77 season with a League Cup campaign that saw them nearly topple Premier Division Aberdeen in the quarter-finals, losing the first leg 1–0 at Pittodrie but then winning the return by the same score at Annfield with a Robert Gray header. The Dons won the replay at the neutral ground of Dens Park, Dundee, 2–0, before beating both Rangers and Celtic on the way to lifting the trophy. Albion went on to win the Second Division crown that season, conceding only 29 goals in 39 matches and taking the title with several games to spare. Back in the 2nd tier, Albion finished a creditable 5th in 1977–78 and enjoyed comfortable mid-table finishes in the subsequent two seasons. However, despite consolidation on the pitch, Annfield's infrastructure was in dire need of repair and the club's cash supplies began to run low. The 1980–81 season started memorably with a stunning 1–0 win over Celtic in the first leg of their 2nd-round League Cup tie thanks to a Lloyd Irvine goal. They took an early lead in the 2nd leg at Parkhead too with a Matt McPhee free kick, but minutes away from a famous victory, a late Tommy