Match Report - By Grant Hood

STRANRAER 2-0 BRECHIN CITY

The home side enjoyed their first 3-point haul of the season against Brechin City following a 2-0 victory at Stair Park. Goals from joint perennial City nemeses Willie Gibson and Craig Malcolm secured a victory which saw The Blues move 3 points clear of bottom club Stenhousemuir in Ladbrokes League One and left a City side bereft of a first victory of 2017.

The match itself only survived a 2.15pm pitch inspection due to the receding overhead conditions which left both sets of players with a somewhat challenging playing surface - albeit those that of a Brechin City persuasion would doubtless have seen the pitch as eminently playable.

As was the case at Bayview the preceding week, the Glebe Parkers started the game on the offensive and indeed had the ball in the homesters' net after only 4 minutes. Ally Love, returning from suspension, had a shot blocked which fell for skipper Paul McLean whose shot was deflected wide. From the resultant corner, Dougie Hill headed home only to be penalised for a hugely inauspicious foul - much to the consternation of his team-mates and those in the away technical area.

For the first 15 minutes or so, the only home threat came from set piece plays resulting in headers which caused a greater challenge to the worryingly uninterested home ball boys rather than to 'Buzz' in the City goal.

Sadly for those of a Cemetery End Persuasion, after 22 minutes the homesters were to enjoy a spectacular breakthrough as a 25-yard effort from Willie Gibson took a undeservingly wicked deflection and pinged into Graeme Smith's top left corner leaving the Glebe Park custodian stranded. 1-0 to the home side in a game which, up until that strike, had been evenly balanced.

From a purely partisan Brechin City viewpoint, arguably the game's turning point arrived 34 minutes in.

Skipper 'Pabs' McLean strode forward in the majestically confident fashion that the Glebe Park faithful had been pining for for months, only to be crudely taken right out by Stranraer's Morgan Neill. Frustration was to abound for the travelling City faithful and the backroom team as, instead of allowing the City legend that is Andy Jackson clear a clear opportunity to pile on the pressure, the referee saw fit to stop the play instantaneously and deny the Glebe Parkers any potential advantage - his interpretation being that a caution for the home defender demanded a greater priority,

A similar skipper surge early in the second half was unceremoniously halted in a cynical manner, with a caution for the homester's Liam Dick. Sadly for City, this again resulted in nothing other than midfield mediocrity.

The conventional second half flurry of substitutions cautions failed to see the game turn in Brechin City's direction and, sadly for the faithful City travelling support, Darren Dods' men conceded a clinching second goal after 78 minutes.

The concession of a free kick on City's right, saw Willie Gibson perfect a killer delivery into City's penalty area, resulting in home striker Craig Malcolm glance a header home to destroy any hope that City had of salvaging anything from the game. Notably for the Stair Park side this would result in a post-match presentation to the home striker, this being his 100th goal for The Blues - albeit only his fourth against City.

Sadly, from a Brechin City viewpoint, the match itself evolved into an altogether comfortable blend of late substitutions and cautions, with any further scoring more likely to come from the home side than the visitors.

Ultimately, Darren Dods and his team were to make the not insignificant journey home pointless, full in the knowledge that with games in hand, The Club was heading into exactly the same stage of the season that, last time around, and with surface conditions easing, The Club would ultimately execute one of the most impressive final quarters in living memory.

Other Results - Ladbrokes League One

Alloa Athletic 2 Airdrieonians 1

First half goals see The Wasps consolidate 2nd place in League One

Peterhead 1 East Fife 1

Share of the spoils for The Blue Toon and The Fifers