Match Report - By Steven Mew

Stranraer made the long trip north this afternoon to take on City in a game which had all the ingredients of a cracking match. Before the game, both sides were level on 14 points but Stranraer’s awful goals against column meant City’s goal difference was far superior. Both outfits will be looking to challenge for the play-off’s come the end of the season but with Morton running away with the title and Stirling and Ayr progressing well, a win was a must for either side.

City travelled down to Stair Park early in September and despite City creating numerous chances, they succumbed to a 3-1 defeat with Paul McMullan scoring a contender for goal of the season to finish City off in the dying seconds.

City manager Michael O’Neill made two changes to the side that lost narrowly to Stirling Albion a week ago. Iain Russell and skipper Steven Ferguson came into the side with Richard Walker and Steven Hampshire making way.

O’Neill has made it clear to the players that they must start games more positively and that they must stop gifting the opening goal to the opposition, which leaves City with a mountain to climb.

Stranraer manager Gerry Britton, who left City to fill the vacant managerial seat at Stair Park in the summer, fielded a side which included former City utility man Alex Burns, who has put in some impressive performances of late. David Hamilton, who has netted an amazing 9 goals from midfield so far this season, also started for the visitors as they looked to bounce back from their 3-0 defeat against Morton last weekend.

The Brechin side took O’Neill’s advice and they pushed forward in search of an early opener and they found it with just seven minutes on the clock. Paddy Connolly played the ball in for Darren Smith, who evaded the challenges of two defenders before sliding the ball past keeper Scott Black to give City the lead.

City continued to put the visitors under pressure and midfielder Kevin Byers, who is nearing full fitness, dragged a shot just wide of the post after 19 minutes. However, City were given a scare just five minutes later when the unmarked Michael Moore headed wide from Mark Crilly’s free kick.

Brechin won a free-kick just outside the box just before the half hour mark and Callaghan played the ball in the path of Kevin Byers, who drilled a shot over the bar.

But the game boiled over as the first half drew to a close when striker Michael Moore elbowed Stuart Callaghan as they were both chasing a loose ball. The referee immediately flashed the red card and this sparked a reaction from Moore, who proceeded to strike Callaghan in the face as he walked towards the tunnel. The referee had no hesitation to show Moore a second red card, which could result in a hefty ban for the Stranraer skipper.

The referee blew to signal the end of the first half just a minute later and things were going to plan for City who were looking to add more goals in the second half against the ten men of Stranraer.

And as expected, City piled men forward in the second half in search of a second goal and they nearly found it when Scott Walker narrowly headed over from a Kevin Byers corner.

However, City were not to be denied as they doubled their advantage on the hour mark when the referee pointed to the spot after John Ward had been bundled over inside the box. Iain Russell, still without a goal in City colours, stepped up to take the spot kick and his penalty was perfectly dispatched into the corner, giving Black absolutely no chance. The relief on Russell’s face was evident and the players and fans alike were delighted for him as he has worked so hard this season without any reward.

One thing that both the manager and the Chairman have been stating all season is that once Russell got the monkey off his back, he would start banging the goals in and they proved to be right when Russell added a third just a couple of minutes later. Darren Smith made a good run down the right hand side and his precise cross was finished acrobatically by Russell at the back post to spark wild celebrations amongst the City supporters.

With the game already won, City took their foot off the pedal and Stranraer created a couple of decent chances in the closing stages when Craig Nelson made a good stop to deny Stevie Nicholas. ‘Nelly’ was once again called into action five minutes later when he superbly palmed away Nicholas’s long range effort.

Overall, a job well done for City and the win takes us up to into 4th place in the table, above Cowdenbeath who lost 1-0 to Peterhead up at Balmoor. Brechin travel to Station Park next weekend to take on local rivals Forfar and three points is compulsory if City are to stay in the play-off places. But as with any local derby, City will have to work hard to come away with a victory.

Other Results - Bell's League Division 2

Alloa Athletic 3 Morton 2

Morton slumped to their first defeat of the season as Alloa produced a shock 3-2 victory against the league leaders.

Ayr United 5 Forfar Athletic 0

Ayr United ended their goal drought in devastating style as they piled on the misery for woeful Forfar with a crushing victory.

Peterhead 1 Cowdenbeath 0

Peterhead ended their recent poor run with a narrow 1-0 victory over mid-table Cowdenbeath.

Raith Rovers 1 Stirling Albion 2

Stirling extended their unbeaten away record with a deserved 3-1 win.