Match Report - By Grant Hood

Brechin City remain anchored at the bottom of Ladbrokes League One after a 3-1 defeat away to new league leaders Dunfermline Athletic.

On a day when much of the SPFL fixture list was decimated due to extreme weather and Scottish Cup replays, the game kicked off in front of over 2300 hardy souls, on a playing surface which was a credit to the local ground staff.

Notable absentees from the City starting line-up were Club Captain "Tiger" Molloy who was suspended after racking up 6 yellow cards, and left-back Willie Dyer following his red card misdemeanour against Stenhousemuir a fortnight ago.

Amidst a strong swirling wind, the first half was dominated by The Pars, with the most notable early effort being an unconventional flick from El Bakhtaoui which saw the ball touch the top of the crossbar on its way over. The impressive home No10 remained at the heart of the action as he forced City keeper "Buzz" into a save low to his right, followed quickly by an exciting foot-race to a long through ball, which squirted to safety over the touch-line. EL BAKHTAOUI wasn't to be thwarted for long though as he gathered possession inside the box, evaded a sliding challenge from boss Darren Dods, and slid the ball under the onrushing City keeper to put the home side ahead after 34 minutes.

To the clear relief of the Fife support, a second goal arrived 4 minutes before half-time. The ball was driven into the danger area from inside City's penalty box on the right and, after a couple of ricochets, the ball landed at the feet of former Brechin City loanee MICHAEL PATON, who didn't pass up the easiest of opportunities from a central position inside the 6-yard box.

A recurring theme of the first half was the danger posed by The Pars' Joe Cardle as he cut inside from the left touchline looking to create either a shooting opportunity for himself or link up with others. This continued into the second half when, after 54 minutes, he did exactly that and fired in a vicious dipping shot which "Buzz" did well to tip over the crossbar at full stretch.

Three minutes later saw the arrival of City's first meaningful attempt at goal as Alloa Athletic loanee Isaac Layne fired a low drive just wide of the home goal from 22 yards. Shortly afterwards Jonathan Tiffoney sought to emulate Joe Carle and, after cutting in from the left, fairly pinged a 30-yard effort which was heading for top left corner, only for Sean Murdoch, the home custodian, to divert the ball for a corner.

A stunned silence fell around East End Park on 66 minutes as City pulled a goal back. The Reds were no longer the strangers to the home penalty box as they had been in the first half, and a long free kick fell kindly to Player-Manager Darren Dods around the penalty spot. He was doubtless convinced that he'd scored his first goal for the Glebe Park side as he thundered a shot goalwards - only for Murdoch to block. Happily for City though, he could only divert it upwards meaning it fell kindly for ISAAC LAYNE to head home unchallenged from close in.

The game then saw the by now customary flurry of substitutions, and it was one of those, DAVID HOPKIRK, who fired home the clinching goal from inside the City box with some 20 minutes left - a low shot which went through the legs of skipper-for-the-day Paul McLean and keeper Graeme Smith.

With the two-goal cushion restored, confidence flowed back through the home side, allowing their supporters a more relaxing final spell than City would ideally have liked. Despite this, much of the drive and spirit which had been missing in some of the recent lacklustre defeats was evident and should provide encouragement for City fans and players alike going into the upcoming run of crucial home fixtures.