Jamie Stevenson fired Peterhead three points clear at the top of Ladbrokes League 2 and insists the Buchan men are determined to stay there.
The Blue Toon have played a game more than title rivals Montrose and also have a much better goal difference but this was a crucial win against Stirling, who had won five games on the bounce.
The 33-year-old midfielder smashed the ball past Cammy Binnie from outside the box just after the hour mark to give Jim McInally’s men a precious victory on a miserable afternoon at Forthbank.
It was far from pretty but Stevenson knows the result is all that matters at this stage of the campaign.
Stevenson said: “It’s a massive win for us. We’ve been chasing Montrose since August and this is the first time we’ve been ahead of them.
“It’s the right time of the season to be where we are – there are eight games left and we just need to keep working hard.
“The goal at the start of the season was to win the league and obviously that’s not changed. I think at one stage we were nine points behind Montrose with games in hand. We had a wee sticky spell recently with a few draws but that’s three wins in a row now.
“It’s a massive week with this game, Stenhousemuir on Tuesday and Montrose on Saturday. We are in a fantastic position and we have players who have won leagues before. I don’t know what the situation is with Montrose but the shoe is on the other foot and it’s up to them to try and catch us.”
In a match of few clear-cut chances, Peterhead impressed with their workrate and organisation and enjoyed more of the possession but Stirling were twice denied by the woodwork.
In the first half, keeper Greg Fleming misjudged a curling effort from Darren Smith and was grateful to see the ball come back off the post then, just after the visitors had gone ahead, Smith was denied by the underside of the bar after being picked out by Ross Kavanagh.
Substitute Aaron Norris missed a good chance for the Blue Toon at 0-0 but Stevenson made the breakthrough when he strode forward and found the net from 22 yards with the aid of a deflection. That proved enough as a resolute defence prevented Stirling from scoring for the first time in 2018 to all but end their title hopes, although the Binos remain on course for the play-offs.
Stevenson added: “It was wet and windy and it was a battle for most of the game. We’ve got a few young boys and they stood up for themselves. We’ve also got experience with the likes of David McCracken and Simon Ferry. We try to help the younger ones.”
