Elgin City 2 Peterhead 1: First win for Elgin City manager Allan Hale as Black and Whites finish year on a high in derby clash against Peterhead
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Allan Hale got the opening win of his Elgin City managerial career in Saturday’s League 2 derby clash with Peterhead.
City produced a determined performance to see off their title-chasing visitors and extend the gap on bottom-placed Clyde to six points.
Hale brought back Ross Draper into his starting line-up and Ryan MacLeman also came in to replace the suspended Brian Cameron and Mitch Taylor, who dropped to the bench.
Ross County loan striker Matty Wright was also named among the home subs, marking his comeback after a long spell out through illness.
Peterhead looked to dominate possession from the off with Elgin keen to hit on the break. Robert Jones fired over on six minutes after Russell Dingwall laid a MacLeman pass into his path.
Elgin were doing well to deal with the attacking threat of Rory McAllister, Kieran Shanks and ex-City man Conor O’Keefe, with chances limited in the opening 20 minutes.
Peterhead began to probe for an opener and Shanks tested Tom McHale from the edge of the box on 23 minutes.
The City keeper then dealt with a Scott Ross header and a McAllister drive.
McAllister then had a clear sight of goal but his effort was blocked and City scrambled clear as Shanks tried to force home the loose ball.
Elgin glimpses of goal were rare with Jones forced to try an audacious 25-yard volley which flew over the target.
O’Keefe was putting dangerous balls across the goal of his former club but again the home defence managed to mop up the danger on each occasion.
City won a free kick near the edge of the box on 37 minutes but MacLeman’s strike was deflected off the wall and gathered by Stuart McKenzie.
Two minutes later the Moray men opened the scoring, perhaps slightly against the run of play.
Russell Dingwall surged forward from his own half and played the ball right to MacLeman, who seized on a slip by Danny Strachan to cut inside and fire a low effort inside McKenzie’s near post.
Rory MacEwan headed wide from a Matthew Cooper cross on the stroke of half time as City took some confidence from their opening goal.
As expected, Peterhead wasted no time in chasing an equaliser from kick off in the second half and Hamish Ritchie wasn’t too far away with an ambitious 35-yard attempt.
McAllister wasted an opportunity from a Ross cross, cutting inside from the left but slicing wildly off target.
Elgin doubled their advantage on 62 minutes with a superly worked goal down the left, Dingwall advancing to play a low ball to the near post for Jones to slide home in clinical fashion.
Jones nearly added his own second on 70 minutes, firing a tight angle drive forcing McKenzie to save at his near post.
Two minutes later Blue Toon should have pulled one back when sub Rob Ward got in behind the home defence but with just McHale to beat he sliced well wide of the far post.
City had keeper McHale to thank on his 150th appearance for the club for a brilliant save at point blank range to stop Peterhead sub Jordan Brown’s header on 79 minutes.
The yellow cards mounted up for the home team with captain Cooper joining Blair McKenzie, Draper, Jake Dolzanski and MacEwan in referee Alastair Grieve’s notebook.
The visitors pushed hard in the closing minutes but some resolute Elgin defending kept them at bay.
City broke on 89 minutes and sub Liam Harvey put Dingwall clean through on goal only to delay his shot too long then fire straight at McKenzie.
McHale was denied a clean sheet on his milestone appearance when Draper brought down Ward in the box for a penalty deep into stoppage time.
Shanks slotted past the Elgin keeper to pull one back but there was no time left for the visitors to score again as the Black and Whites held on for a deserved victory.
Elgin: McHale, Cooper, Dolzanski, Ewan, McKenzie, MacEwan (Harvey 78), Draper, MacLeman, Dingwall, Jones (Barron 89), Jamieson (Wright 89).
Subs: Cairns, Taylor, MacInnes, KIng.
Peterhead: McKenzie, Jason Brown (Armstrong 46), Ross, R. Strachan, D. Strachan (Jordan Brown 63), Ritchie (Ward 63), McCarthy, Jack Brown, O’Keefe, McAllister (Reid 73), Shanks.
Subs: Goldie, Wood.
Referee: Alastair Grieve
Att: 678
