Watch Elgin City's dramatic winner as Moray club remain in League 2 after caretaker manager Ross Draper’s stoppage time goal lands victory over Dumbarton while Albion Rovers lose
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Elgin City are safe!
The Black and Whites beat Dumbarton 1-0 with a stoppage time header from caretaker manager Ross Draper, while Albion Rovers lost at East Fife.
Those results mean City can’t finish bottom and can go to Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic next week knowing they will play League 2 football next season.
Elgin brought back Matt Jamieson and Brian Cameron, who missed the defeat at Stranraer a week earlier.
Both sides looked nervy in the early minutes with the first chance falling to Dumbarton, Ryan Blair volleying wide from an Aaron Lynas cross on 12 minutes.
Then Ally Love appeared to foul full back Rory MacEwan but the ref allowed play to go on and Love’s snapshot to the near post was saved by Elgin keeper Tom McHale.
Elgin were dealt a blow midway through the half when midfielder Angus Mailer got injured as he made a tackle and had to be replaced by Dylan Lawrence.
The first sniff of goal the home side had came after half an hour when Kane Hester broke away and slipped a pass to sub Lawrence, whose shot was saved by keeper Harry Broun.
Blair had a deflected shot saved by McHale as the Sons chased an opener.
At the other end in stoppage time Hester also saw a drive deflected for a corner as a tame first half ended goalless.
Hester should have done better on 59 minutes after latching on to a loose Blair passback, his weak effort being cleared in the six-yard box.
Dumbarton had the best chance of the match on 65 minutes when Martin McNiff played a through ball which Ross Draper let run and Ally Love was through on goal but his lob over McHale went over the target.
Sub Mitchell Taylor’s cross-cum-shot flashed across the goalmouth and wide as City chased the goal they so desperate;ly needed.
Darryl McHardy’s deflected 20 yarder was palmed away by Broun on 82 minutes.
In stoppage time Elgin won a free kick on the right and Russell Dingwall’s kick was met by a glorious Draper header to find the net and spark wild celebrations.
Elgin: McHale; MacEwan, Draper, McHardy, Cairns; Dingwall, Mailer (Lawrence 26, Allen 85) Cameron; Reid, Hester, Jamieson (Taylor 71).
Subs: Cooper, Findlay, Hoban.
Dumbarton: Broun; Lynas (Wylde 71), Buchanan, Grant, McNiff (Lynch 71); Blair (McKee 62); Orsi, Wilson (Gray 62), Carswell, Love; Byrne (McLean 62).
Subs: Vata, Long.
Ref: Dan McFarlane
Att: 790
WATCH: below, Elgin City players applauded off the pitch
