Archie Macphee admits his Borough Briggs winner was huge after arresting Elgin City’s damaging run of defeats.
The left wing-back’s finish, 11 minutes into the second half, was enough to end a run of six games without victory in the league and Scottish Cup.
While savouring that winning feeling for the first time since September, the goal hero felt the margin of victory should have been greater as City put six points between them and bottom of the table Cowdenbeath.
Macphee said: “It was a massive result. We needed that.
“We need to kick on now, but it’s unfortunate it couldn’t have been four or five goals this weekend, which it should have been.
“We controlled large spells of the game but we couldn’t find the net to make it more comfortable.”
Macphee’s main emotion was relief after claiming the plaudits in an important stabilising result for the Black and Whites.
He added: “The goal happened that quick, I just remember receiving the ball on the edge of the box.
“I chopped inside and just hit it with my right foot. I don’t know if it’s taken a deflection or not, but I was just relieved to see it go in.
“The main thing was that we came away with the three points and I’m just relieved we have done that.
“We carried on in the manner we performed last week against Forfar, even though we didn’t get the result there.
“We deserved better because our overall play was superb.
“We’ll look forward to the next one now at Stranraer. We will take loads of positives out of Saturday and we’ll work hard during the week to be ready.”
Elgin had top scorer Kane Hester back on the bench after two months out with a hamstring tear.
Until Macphee struck, it looked like City might need to call on their talisman from the bench.
The hosts passed up numerous first half chances to break the deadlock, with Russell Dingwall, Aiden Sopel and Tom Grivosti among those missing good chances.
Sopel was unlucky to see one effort smack the crossbar.
Darryl McHardy also fired wide from a good position and Rory MacEwan sent one into the heavens as frustration began to bubble.
Hester was about to walk down to the centre line to prepare to come on when Macphee accepted a pass on the left side of the box, cut inside onto his less-favoured right foot, and struck the net off a defender’s deflection.
City drew back a little bit after that, but Hester reminded the home fans of his ability in his first bow since injury in mid-September.
The away keeper twice had to defy the start striker, as well as pull off a brilliant save from a Euan Spark header.
After a nervy ending for Elgin, manager Gavin Price said: “I would have much rather seen the game go to bed earlier and 2-0 would have been a relief.
“It would certainly have helped my blood pressure a bit.
“But we got there, and a clean sheet was important.
“The performance was, by and large, excellent. We were just missing that final piece of killing teams off.
“With the chances we missed, we can’t keep doing that.
“Kane’s came on and he admitted afterwards he should have scored four goals. He’s naturally going to be a bit rusty but there’s absolutely no doubt that the goals will come for him.”
