Russell McLean and Josh Mulligan scored second-half goals to give Peterhead the points in an entertaining 4-2 win over Alloa Athletic.
Steven Boyd put Alloa in front against the side he played for last season, before Niah Payne’s goal and a Scott Brown penalty put Jim McInally’s side ahead.
Despite having goalkeeper David Hutton sent off the hosts were level at the break, with Charlie Gilmour on target.
But McLean’s header and a well-taken finish from Mulligan saw the Blue Toon emerge victorious.
Peterhead switched to three at the back for this game, bringing in Andy McDonald to play alongside Jason Brown and David Wilson, Hamish Ritchie pushed up alongside Niah Payne in attack. New signing Grant Savoury was on the bench.
It took less than 10 minutes for Boyd to find the net against his former club, finishing off a clever Alloa counter-attack by converting Euan Henderson’s flick.
The visitors were then forced into an early change as Ryan Conroy went off injured on 17 minutes, with Flynn Duffy brought on in his place.
A surge from Andy McCarthy created an avenue for a Peterhead response, with his pass rolling across the face of goal as he went down under Mark Durnan’s challenge.
From a similar scenario Peterhead got themselves level before the half-hour, with McCarthy again supplying the cross and Payne getting a touch at the near post to divert it in.
The game tilted in the Blue Toon’s favour on 35 minutes. Scott Brown shot from 25 yards and goalkeeper Hutton spilled it, before bringing down Payne as he chased the rebound.
Having just been booked two minutes earlier, Hutton was given a second yellow and sent off. Brown made no mistake from the spot to score his sixth of the season.
The lead lasted barely a minute though as Daniel Church’s cross was met first-time by Gilmour to crash in from close range.
McInally moved to a back four at half-time, replacing Andy McDonald with striker McLean, and tested replacement stopper Keir Burt with Brown seeing a near-post strike beaten away.
McLean repaid his manager’s faith on 58 minutes as he got above the Alloa defence to head in Duffy’s corner.
The towering forward almost doubled his tally on 70 minutes as he met Ritchie’s corner but could only nod against the crossbar.
Adam King flashed a shot wide in the second half for Barry Ferguson’s men but Peterhead, in particular Brown, were controlling the game.
The points were finally secured with five minutes to go as Payne cut the ball back for Mulligan, who slotted past Burt into the bottom corner.
