Allan Hale was delighted to secure his first win as Elgin City manager after his side beat Peterhead 2-1 at Borough Briggs.
Elgin took the lead after 39 minutes in the League Two clash through on-loan Ross County midfielder Ryan MacLeman.
Robert Jones scored his second goal of the season to double the home side’s advantage after 62 minutes, before Peterhead’s Kieran Shanks netted a consolation effort from the penalty spot in the 94th minute.
The 2-1 win is Elgin’s first under Hale, who had suffered three defeats against East Fife, Spartans and Stenhousemuir prior to the victory over the Blue Toon.
It leaves Elgin ninth in the league table with 15 points, but only two behind Forfar, who sit eighth and have played one game more than the Borough Briggs men.
Meanwhile, Peterhead remain second and now 11 points, albeit with a game in hand, behind leaders Stenhousemuir. They are only two clear of third-placed Dumbarton, who have played one game fewer following their postponement against Stranraer.
Hale was pleased with Elgin’s performance which secured his first win, as he said: “I’m delighted. It was pleasing to see a positive performance.
“We carried on what we did against Stenhousemuir last weekend. I thought the discipline of the team defensively, especially in the second half, was really good and we carried a good attacking threat.
“It was good to see more signs of the team that I want us to be. I can’t praise the players enough for their application. They deserved the win.”
After securing his first win as Elgin boss, Hale hopes his side, who next host Stranraer on January 6, can use it as a catalyst for a good run of form.
He added: “This is something to build on. We can’t just win one game in every six or seven – we have to be looking to put a bit of a run together and close that gap.
“We’ve got four home league games in six and we have to use that to our advantage. We want to make this a very difficult place for teams to come.”
Elgin score first goals under new manager Hale
In the first half, there were early chances for Elgin’s Jones, who hit a tame effort in the opening minutes, before Russell Dingwall saw his effort blocked inside the box.
Peterhead also had opportunities with Scott Ross having a header saved by Elgin goalkeeper Thomas MacHale. Striker Rory McAllister was also denied by McHale and Shanks had a close-range strike blocked.
Elgin forward Jones struck an audacious effort for the home side, hitting the ball in the air to tee himself up for a bicycle kick which soared well over the bar.
Blue Toon goalkeeper Stuart McKenzie was called into action as he saved MacLeman’s free-kick from 20 yards out, following a Ryan Strachan foul on Elgin defender Rory MacEwan.
But MacLeman did give Elgin the lead only moments later as he cut inside and struck the ball into the bottom corner beyond McKenzie at his near post.
Peterhead were forced into a substitution at the break as Jordon Armstrong replaced captain Jason Brown, who had gone down with a knock upon his return from injury.
In the second half, it was Elgin who created the first opportunity when Dingwall sent a delightful chipped ball forward to Matt Jamieson, but goalkeeper McKenzie was alert and claimed the ball at the winger’s feet.
And it didn’t take long for the Blue Toon to have a go as Hamish Ritchie unleashed a powerful strike from 35 yards out which flew beyond the post.
There was another chance for McAllister who hit an effort from a tight angle inside the box well wide of the target, before, at the other end, Elgin made it 2-0.
The Blue Toon gifted the home side possession, which allowed Dingwall to play the ball into the box – which evaded substitute Armstrong – and gifted Jones a tap in at the near post.
After going 2-0 down, Peterhead did have chances to pull a goal back with substitute Robert Ward trailing his shot wide and Aaron Reid heading an effort off target.
McHale denied player/co-manager Jordon Brown from point-blank range when the Blue Toon substitute looked to head home after connecting with a Ward cross.
Dingwall should have added a third for Elgin when he was one-v-one with McKenzie, but the midfielder delayed his shot and the goalkeeper smothered the ball at his feet.
Peterhead did pull a goal back when Shanks dispatched an injury-time penalty – following a foul on Ward by Ross Draper – but it came too late as the Blue Toon suffered successive League Two defeats for only the second time this season.
And Peterhead co-manager Ryan Strachan was left feeling frustrated after the loss to Elgin, as he said: “It is just sheer frustration.
“We wanted to see a reaction after last week and ultimately we did OK in the game, but we’ve conceded two really silly goals and it cost us. We never really recovered from that.
“We have got a massive January coming up and need to get some more points on the board to reduce the deficit at the top of the table.
“A lot of the teams around us are doing well just now, but we’re going through a bit of a rough spell – and that needs to end quickly. Hopefully, we can shift the momentum in the big games we’ve got coming up.”
Conversation