Ross County loan striker Matthew Wright hopes his maiden strike for Elgin City – which came in their 1-1 League Two draw with East Fife – is the first of many.
The 20-year-old gave City a half-time advantage before East Fife battled back for a point in a contest between two sides still looking for their first league wins.
Wright is pleased with his opportunity at Elgin to show County manager Malky Mackay he can find the net regularly and enhance his chances of making a breakthrough in Dingwall.
“I’m slightly disappointed because we didn’t win the game,” he said. “We started the game well and our first half performance was good. We were getting behind on the second balls and that’s how we got my goal.
“Going into half time we looked quite comfortable, but the sloppy goal we gave away kind of kills the game for us.”
Wright’s goal arrived in the 14th minute when he latched on to a precise through-ball from Elgin captain Brian Cameron and applied a deadly low finish in off the post.
Wright added: “We were starting to move the ball well and Brian got it in midfield.
“I saw him having a look at me, so I peeled off the back of the defender and he slipped me through.
“I took my touch and finished it past the keeper.
“I’m happy to get off the mark and hopefully it’s the first of many.
“I spoke to the Ross County manager, who said I’ve come here to play games and hopefully score a load of goals.
“That’s what I’m here to do and I want to keep doing that.”
Cameron fired an early chance wide for Elgin, but provided the assist for the opening goal on 14 minutes.
After Wright’s opener, Jonathan Page headed inches wide for the Fifers, who had a spell of pressure and threatened the goal from Jack Healy’s free-kick on 25 minutes.
Home keeper Tom McHale then had to touch away a dangerous Ryan Schiavone towards the end of the first half.
East Fife goalie Allan Fleming then palmed away a lofted effort from Elgin’s Russell Dingwall on the stroke of half time.
Play became very scrappy in the second half with a succession of yellow cards spread between both sides for petty fouling.
East Fife were holding the upper hand, though, forcing the home side deeper into their own territory.
The pressure told on City when defender Nathan Cooney dived into a challenge on Jack Healy on the left side of the box and a penalty was awarded.
Alan Trouten clinically netted from the spot to level on 73 minutes.
Three minutes later, the Methil men had a golden chance to go ahead when Gregor Nicol broke behind the Elgin defence and played across the face of goal for fellow sub Nathan Austin, who collided with the post and couldn’t turn the ball home.
City forced a series of free-kicks and corners near the end, but it was too little, too late as Fifers’ keeper Fleming was seldom tested.
City player-boss Ross Draper was pleased to see his loan attacker notch his first goal, but was disappointed that his team didn’t build on a good first half display.
“It was the old classic – a game of two halves,” Draper said.
“I thought we were dominant in the first half, really good on the ball, There were still things to improve on in terms of decision-making and keeping the ball a little bit better.
“In the second half, maybe credit to them that they came out and pressed us a bit higher and caused us problems.
“But, if we look at ourselves, we didn’t adapt to it well and didn’t deal with that.”
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