Match Report - By John Hoey

Montrose 2 Brechin City 4

Brechin City look to be in fine fettle ahead of next Saturday's Ramsdens Cup opener against Peterhead at Balmoor Stadium after a comfortable 4-2 victory over Angus neighbours Montrose at Links Park in the final pre-season game of the season for both sides.

City went in at the interval two goals up with trialists Jack Kerwan and David Ross on the mark and a further goal from substitute Alan Trouten half way through the second-half made it 3-0.

Ross McCord pulled a goal back for the hosts from the penalty-spot in the 72nd minute but Trouten added a fourth goal for City six minutes later with youngster Kieran Sturrock scoring a further late consolation for Montrose five minutes from time.

It was a really good work out for City with manager Ray McKinnon taking the opportunity to field all of his first-team squad at some stage of the game along with a number of trialists. The only first-team player who didn't take part was full-back Johnny Brown who is fighting his way back to match fitness.

The first half was fairly evenly contested in the early stages but City gradually began to exert pressure on the home defence and this paid off on the half-hour mark when they grabbed the opener.

A Stuart Anderson free-kick was blocked by the Montrose defence and the ball fell nicely for trialist Jack Kerwan who slotted home from close-range

City kept up the pressure and they doubled their lead seven minutes later when the ball was played through the home defence for trialist David Ross who kept his cool before picking his spot in the bottom corner of the net.

City made a number of changes after the break with a trialist goalkeeper, Steven Jackson, Alan Trouten, Bobby Barr, Allan Walker, Craig Molloy and Ryan Donnelly taking the field.

The hosts certainly had more pressure in the early part of the half and they came close to reducing the deficit in the 59th minute when a McCord shot came back off the cross-bar with Terry Massson rifling the rebound just past the post, but City weathered the storm and went upfield to make it 3-0 after 68 minutes when Gerry McGlauchlan headed the ball down in the Montrose penalty-box for Barr who passed to Trouten who thundered the ball home.

McCord reduced the deficit from the penalty-spot four minutes later before Trouten took advantage of another great pass from Barr to make it 4-1 with ten minutes remaining before youngster Kieran Sturrock notched a further late consolation for Montrose five minutes from time.

Additional Brechin City Substitution -
Moyes for Trialist (63 minutes)