Peterhead’s plight at the bottom of League 1 intensified yesterday as their home blues con-tinues with a defeat to the division’s bottom club Stenhousemuir.
A Rory McAllister own goal gave Stenny the lead and they secured all three points in a poor game at Balmoor Stadium when full back Jamie McCormack added another.
The win allowed Stenhousemuir to leapfrog Stranraer into ninth place and within a point of Jim McInally’s side.
Two home league wins highlights the pressing issue facing the Blue Toon manager as his team head into 2017 with much to ponder.
Kicking off in ferocious, swirling winds, it was the home side who threatened first through McAllister, but the forward’s shot was blocked by McCormack.
The visitors responded strongly, however, with Mark Gilhaney forcing a save from Blue Toon goalkeeper Fraser Hobday at his left post.
There was hesitancy among the Peterhead defence and goalkeeper which the visitors were keen to expose and there were a few nervous moments for the home side in a low-key opening 20 minutes.
The Blue Toon eventually settled down, but were unable to impose themselves for a sustained period in what was a dogged and stop-start first half featuring little in the way of goalmouth action.
The frustration felt by home attacker McAllister was clear for all to see with the forward kicking an advertising hoarding behind the goal after a run down the left wing came to nothing.
This was not a day for fluent football, but Peterhead produced their best move of the first half just before the interval with a sweeping passing move ending with Jamie Redman laying Ryan Baptie’s cross into the box into the path of Scott Brown, but the midfielder shot wide from the edge of the box.
The home side continued the second half where they ended the first, on the front foot, and early pressure should have paid off when Redman’s ball sent Nicky Riley clear on goal.
The midfielder took the ball past Stenny goalkeeper Colin McCabe, but snatched at his chance, shooting wide.
Peterhead were to rue that squandered chance when the visitors took the lead in the 70th minute.
It was a scrappy one with Alan Cook’s curling corner deflecting off the unfortunate McAllister past Hobday at the goalkeeper’s near post.
Jordon Brown was sent on before the match restarted and he almost restored parity instantly with a low drive, but McCabe parried his effort before the Stenny defence cleared the rebound.
It went from bad to worse for the home side as the visitors doubled their lead 11 minutes from the end when Hobday parried Cook’s 35-yard free kick and full back McCormack scored from the resultant rebound.
A miserable end to a horrible day for Peterhead.
