More injury time woe for Elgin City but manager Gavin Price remains upbeat
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ELGIN City boss Gavin Price is staying positive despite seeing his team suffer more injury time agony.
The Black and Whites conceded a 95th minute equaliser in Tuesday night's 2-2 draw at Stenhousemuir.
Just three days earlier, they lost a stoppage time winner to Stirling Albion so two late blows have been hard for Price to take.
But he refused to blame a makeshift defence for letting two points slip at Ochilview, and remains confident that Elgin will pick up their good form and battle back towards the play-off places.
"The goal on Saturday cost us a point and it cost us two points last night, so it’s doubly as sore," he said.
"Yet there are so many positives to take from the game. For spells of the game we were unplayable, with our passing and movement and the chances we were creating.
"I am still so optimistic about what this squad and what we can achieve this season. We obviously need to get the points on the board at some point but if we are true to what we are doing we will be there or thereabouts."
Two goals in a two-minute spell by Kane Hester and Rory MacEwan gave City a 2-0 lead, with Stenny quickly getting one back through a Botti Biabi penalty.
Rabin Omar hit the post for Elgin after the break but just as they looked like they would hang on for victory, Warriors centre back Andy Munro headed home at a corner deep into stoppage time to leave the visitors shattered.
"We were unfortunate only to be 2-1 ahead in the first half," said Price. "We’ve conceded a penalty which I would say was a bit dubious and it came from nothing.
"When we’ve got teams by the throat we’ve got to be that bit more ruthless, killing teams off and not making these wee errors,. If we do that we will be fine.
"It’s just so frustrating. With the late goals we've conceded at Brechin and against Edinburgh City twice, and now the last two games we could be sitting well into the play-off positions and six or seven points better off.
"It’s a quality to have in the squad to score late goals rather than concede them. It’s that mental side that we really have to be better at.
"The players are obviously hurting and I wasn’t too hard on them because of what they gave in the game.
"Nobody’s meaning to lose a goal right at the end, it’s heartbreaking for the players who have worked so hard to try and get those three points.
"But it didn’t happen and we just have to go and try to make sure it does happen at Cowdenbeath on Saturday."
City were short of defensive personnel at Ochilview, with Andy McDonald too ill to play and David Wilson injured, though both were named on Price's sub's bench.
That meant a first league start for club captain Darryl McHardy, but he then picked up a dead leg and had to be substituted in the second half.
Price was forced to draft right back Matthew Cooper into central defence and switch Rory MacEwan to right back.
MacEwan scored with a header while he was playing in right midfield, moments after Hester lashed home his 12th goal of the season from a Daniel MacKay cross.
But Stenny's comeback keeps City off the play-offs pace for now, with a tough trip to Cowdenbeath this weekend.
