Pictures and reaction from Borough Briggs as Elgin City fail to confirm League 2 safety following 2-0 home defeat to Stenhousemuir
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
ELGIN City haven't yet escaped the relegation trap door, manager Gavin Price has warned his team.
A flat City performance resulted in a 2-0 defeat at home to Stenhousemuir, while bottom side Cowdenbeath won at Annan.
The gap between the bottom two closed to nine points with three games left to play and Elgin still have the Fifers to play in their next home game.
Price said after the game: "We've still got three important games to go and we've got to make sure that we get back to what we've been doing next week (at Stirling Albion).
"We are not safe yet. We still need points on the board.
"It was below par from far too many of the boys today. They've been told that and they can't allow that to happen again."
Elgin were well off the pace in a first half dominated by Stenhousemuir.
After Rabin Omar had a goal disallowed for offside on ten minutes, City were largely on the back foot.
Keeper Daniel Hoban saved well from Adam Brown and Adam Corbett, before Corbett headed home from a Brown corner on 15 minutes - completely unmarked.
Angus Mailer flicked wide from a Matthew Cooper cross at the other end while Kane Hester volleyed wide, but Stenny had the bulk of possession and territory.
They nearly got a second when ex-Elgin centre back Sean Crighton flicked on a throw and Brown nodded over the target on 33 minutes.
Corbett then scored again four minutes later from another header but was adjudged to be offside.
Brown curled a 25-yard free kick just past as the Warriors finished the half on top.
A minute after the break, a push on Josh Peters in the Stenhousemuir box went unpunished as Elgin looked to get a quick response.
There were signs that Elgin had improved but it was only in the final 20 minutes that they gave visiting keeper David Wilson anything to do.
Wilson comfortable saved two Omar efforts and pulled off a fine double stop from sub Matheus Machado's low shot and Omar's follow-up.
Cove Rangers loan defender Ross Draper almost grabbed his first City goal with a header from a Russell Dingwall which was scrambled off the line.
But on 84 minutes it was game over when a rare error by City keeper Daniel Hoban gifted Stenny a decisive second goal.
Michael Miller floated a speculative ball into the Elgin box from the left side and it sailed over Hoban's head into the net.
The Stenhousemuir player didn't even celebrate his fortuitous goal, but it sealed what had been a deserved win for the Warriors, who are still in with a chance of making the promotion play-offs.
Elgin keeper Hoban said: "Things like that happen in football but I'd rather it didn't happen to me.
"I just got caught underneath the ball. I took a step forward and misjudged it.
"It's done now, there's nothing I can do about it now. We just need to put it right next week as a collective."
Elgin: Hoban, Cooper, Towler, O’Connor, Draper, Mailer, Dingwall (O’Keefe 81), Cameron, Hester, Peters (Machado 72), Omar (Allen 87).
Subs: Sopel, MacKay,, McHale.
Stenhousemuir: Wilson, Corbett, Teats, Crighton, Jamieson, Wedderburn, Brown (J Lyon 81), Miller, O’Reilly, Christie (R Lyon 81), Thomson.
Subs:Graham, Hughes, Tapping, Moreland, Smith.
Ref: Steven Reid
Att: 585
