Elgin City boss Gavin Price was left frustrated after his side let slip a two-goal first-half lead at Forthbank to end up drawing 2-2 with Stirling Albion – as both teams picked up their first point of the League Two campaign.
First-half goals from Russell Dingwall and Kane Hester had the Black and Whites on course for all three points, but Robert Thomson and Aaron Dunsmore had levelled things up by the hour mark.
City had defender Darryl McHardy sent off for a second yellow card with 12 minutes left, but they saw the game out to pick up what remains an important point after their opening weekend home defeat to East Fife.
‘We showed some naivety’
Price, who takes his team to Forfar next, said: “From where we were in the game, it’s two points dropped, but we didn’t start the second half well at all. We had a chance to take a grip of the game, but we showed some naivety.
“The first goal was a basic communication error – we were very clear at half-time about not switching off.
“For the second goal we conceded, the referee has impeded Kane Hester when he was in possession of the ball and that’s why myself and the players were so angry about it.
“It was good to get something after losing last week, but there is definitely room for improvement and I can’t say I’m happy with a point after being 2-0 up.
“In the second half we had to show far more composure on the ball – we need to show more initiative when have the lead; we didn’t and we paid the penalty.”
Elgin had won on their previous four visits to Forthbank and faced a Stirling side who had lost at Dumbarton on the opening day.
New loan signings Greig Young, a left-back from Raith Rovers, and Dundee winger Tom Findlay both started on a lush-looking surface.
The Binos had more of the play in the early stages, but didn’t create much and it was the visitors who took the lead in 17 minutes.
Dingwall latched on to a through ball and beat Blair Currie with a composed finish into the bottom corner from around 15 yards.
Dale Carrick should have equalised soon after but Tom McHale was out quickly to block, and Elgin doubled their advantage in first-half stoppage time.
Dingwall was the provider this time and Hester – who has a superb scoring record against Stirling – got there before Currie to hook the ball home.
Stirling’s home form has been very poor in recent years but they rallied in the second half and were back in it in 54 minutes when City switched off, allowing Adam Cummins to pick out Thomson for a simple close-range finish.
Six minutes later it was all square, when on-loan Livingston man Harrison Clark played in fellow midfielder Dunsmore, and he rounded the advancing McHale and fired the ball into the net.
McHardy had been booked late in the first half and a second yellow card was inevitable when he went in late on Jack Leitch, but Elgin held on without too many scares.
Conversation