Peterhead were downed 2-0 at FC Edinburgh as Innes Murray and Danny Handling’s goals settled a drab contest at Meadowbank Stadium.
The Blue Toon had kept their in-form hosts at bay for much of the game and it appeared to be heading for a draw, until Murray and Handling struck late on.
The win sends Edinburgh top of the pile in League One, while Peterhead remain at the foot of the table.
Peterhead made two changes from the 2-2 draw with Dunfermline, with Ramez Hefzalla dropping to the bench and Paul Dixon out. In came Jordon Brown and Danny Strachan.
Edinburgh, playing back at Meadowbank this season, surged forward with purpose early on, with Kieran MacDonald travelling forward from left back and crossing for Ouzy See, who diverted the ball wide.
They came close again on eight minutes when Handling played through Ryan Shanley, with a combination of goalkeeper Tom Ritchie and Andy McDonald keeping them at bay.
Ritchie was required again to keep out Murray as high-flying Edinburgh sought to press home an early advantage.
Jack Brown had Peterhead’s first sight of goal, firing over the top from 25 yards as the visitors appeared to have weathered the early pressure.
Given the Blue Toon’s shortage of strikers, Ryan Dow was ploughing a lone furrow up top for Jim McInally’s side. The former Ross County and Dundee United man ran the channels well but at times was in desperate need of support from others in a blue shirt.
Edinburgh enjoyed plenty of the ball but poor decision-making was costing them. Murray had a great opportunity to release two team-mates in better positions, however he dawdled in possession and allowed Ryan Strachan to recover when he eventually decided to shoot.
They were again restricted to trying from range at the start of the second half, with a promising run from Allan Delferriere resulting in Shanley trying his luck from 25 yards. Ritchie clung on.
Murray was again involved in Edinburgh’s next opportunity, out-pacing McDonald and crossing to the back post where See was unable to get a clean contact on the ball.
The game had descended into a scrappy contest low on quality, with neither side showing the requisite class in the final third to force a breakthrough.
A neat interchange between Danny Strachan and Dow put the latter in a decent shooting position but the opening was quickly snuffed out.
Delferriere should have done better with his next sight of goal, presented to him by John Robertson, but he shot firmly at Ritchie who was able to beat it away.
The Peterhead rearguard was finally broken inside the final 10 minutes when Handling played through Murray, who was able to stay ahead of the final defender and wrap the ball inside the near post.
Ritchie was at full-stretch again in the closing stages to keep out a 20-yard effort from Handling but from the resulting corner, he tapped home unmarked from close range.
