Elgin City 2 Stenhousemuir 2: Black and Whites held to draw by League 2 leaders
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Elgin City fought out an entertaining 2-2 draw with League 2 leaders Stenhousemuir.
The home side started the game on the front foot in a first half they went on to dominate.
Mark Gallagher zipped a free kick past on two minutes after Keith Bray had been fouled on the edge of the box.
A minute later a Russell Dingwall angled effort drifted just wide, and Elgin continued to press forward with several good raids into the final third.
They had the ball in the net on 15 minutes, as Dajon Golding beat two men before rifling a low effort off the base of the left hand post and Bray turned in the rebound but was ruled offside.
Two minutes later, and completely against the run of play, Stenny took the lead.
They worked a short corner on the left and Matty Yates crossed for the imposing figure of Nat Wedderburn to rise highest and send a glancing header across Tom McHale into the far corner.
Gregor Buchanan then headed wide as the Warriors got a lift from their goal.
But on 27 minutes Elgin levelled from the penalty spot.
Michael Dangana was pushed by Yates at a home corner and Dingwall did the needful from 12 yards, his sixth strike of the season.
City were forced into an early substitution, Connall Ewan coming on for the injured Ross Draper.
The Black and Whites were playing some great attacking football and Bray couldn’t steer a header on target after keeper Darren Jamieson fluffed a Dingwall corner on the half hour.
Golding’s runs were stretching Stenny and he surged clear on the right before teeing up Dingwall for a chipped effort wide.
The pressure told on 36 minutes as another Golding surge on the left saw his low cross deflected up into the path of Brian Cameron who swept a clinical finish high into the net from ten yards.
It should have been 3-1 a minute before the break when Caley Thistle loanee Bray was put clean through but was thwarted as he tried to round Jamieson who got a hand to the ball before the danger was cleared.
As expected, Stenny came out fired up for the second half and showed why they were top of the league.
City tried to respond but Golding couldn't keep his volley down after a Dangana cross was nodded into his path.
They drew level on 56 minutes when Euan O’Reilly crashed home a low drive from a tight angle after Yates set him up on the right side of the box.
The scorer nearly got a second but forced a yates free kick wide midway through the half.
Both teams forced corners but couldn’t carve out clear chances, while a succession of subs broke up play and didn’t allow the game to flow in the same way as it did in the first half.
City did press for a winner but their efforts were thwarted, a hard-earned point their reward in the end.
Elgin: McHale, Cairns, Dolzanski, Draper Ewan 29), Booth, Gallagher, Dingwall (Jeffreys 83), Cameron, Bray (MacLeman 69), Golding (Jones 83), Dangana (Taylor 69).
Subs: Jamieson, Kelly.
Stenhousemuir: Jamieson, Lynch, Stirling (Berry 58), Buchanan, Bilham, O’Reilly (Rodden 74), Wedderburn, Jacobs, Anderson, Aitken, Yates (Brown 74).
Subs: Meechan, Lyle.
Referee: Duncan Williams
Att: 791
