Match Report - By Match Secretary

CITY really should have been sitting with 9 poins from the opening three games on Saturday night, after a stunning first half hour that saw them race into a 2-0 lead, cut Peterhead open time and time again, but ultimately fail to get the extra goal that would have sealed victory.

Credit has to also be given to a Peterhead side that fought back when they should have been dead and buried. The Blue Toon came out fighting in the second half and City produced a contrasting display compared to the highs they had hit in the first.

The game started at a tremendous tempo and Ian Diack was denied after creating space for himself on the edge of the penalty area. Calum McDonald deflecting his shot for a corner.

Brechin had started well and were playing the ball around confidently on the excellent Glebe Park surface. With Janczyk and Nimmo picking up all the early scraps in the heart of the midfield, it wasn't long before the home side had their noses in front. And what a goal it was, Darren Smith worked the ball up the left hand side of the pitch, before passing inside to Gary Twigg on the 18 yard line, Twigg's great 'dummy' let Ian Nimmo in on goal and he looked up before calmly slotting past the helpless Kula.

The 'Blue Toon' hadn't been seen much of at this stage as an attacking force, but they had two opportunities from corners between City's goals, one from Bobby Mann and one from Calum McDonald and both were allowed too much space for free headers, which thankfully they didn't take advantage of.

Back came City and Twigg had a great chance when he held off Donald, lobbed Kula, only for the ball to finish the wrong side of the upright in the side netting. Darren Smith then went on a run that took him past two or three Peterhead challenges, the skipper elected to go for goal, when, perhaps, a pass to Twigg at the far post may have been the better option and he fired wide of the target.

City were two goals up in the 16th minute and at this stage it was no more than they deserved. Darren Smith was once again the creator. He opened up the heart of the home defence with a clever through ball which Nimmo met on the volley and hammered past Kula.

City continued to hold the upper hand and Diack, who seemed to suffer from a hamstring strain at this stage, made ground on the left side of the penalty area and crossed to Twigg at the far post only for McDonald to make a saving clearance and head the ball for a corner.

Next to go close for City was Davie Murie. He tore down the right flank and was played in at the edge of the box by a clever Byers pass. The full-back struck a sweet right-foot drive, but was denied his first City goal by an excellent save as Kula parried the ball away for another City corner.

Peterhead had shouts for a penalty waved aside by Ref Tom Robertson, when Bavidge fell to the ground under pressure from Ward, but the official was having none of it.

The half finished as it had started with Nimmo trying to carve out an opening on the edge of the Peterhead penalty area only to have a shot at goal charged down by the combined efforst of Mann and McDonald.

City must have come off at half-time wonderwing why they were only leading 2-0 and they were made to pay in a second half, that never really saw them recover the same great movement of the ball and fluencey they had displayed in the first half. Craig Nelson ws called upon to make his first real save on the stroke of half-time and the big stopper prevented a certain goal when he raced off his line to deny Gunn from 10 yards out.

City also missed Ian Diack, who was taken off at half-time as a precaution not to allow a hamstring strain to deteriorate.

Peterhead came out fighting from the off and had clearly had a rollicking from Neale Coope at half-time. It took them until ten minutes into the half to pull a goal back. On-loan Ross County player, Craig Gunn, firing in from the right side of the City box, with Brechin defending too deeply.

Peterhead threw everything at City in the second half, but Brechin were still a threat going forward and they had a great opportunity to finish the game off once and for all when a lovely through ball from Charlie King gave Kevin Byers a clear run on goal, but teh advancing Kula was once again the Peterhead hero diving full-length to deny Byers with his legs. Had that one gone in it would have been game over.

Bobby Mann was unusually wayward with a couple of free-kicks. But Peterhead at this stage looked the more likely to throw themselves a lifeline.

However, Brechin were really angry about the goal when it did come. City felt they should have been awarded a free-kick for hand ball out on the left-flank, seconds before Peterhead were awarded one and from Sharp's swerving cross, Bavidge glanced a header home past an all too static City rearguard.

There was more trouble for Brechin on the final whistle, a cross to the far sie of the penalty area saw Mann land on Ward and the striker immedietaly raised his hand for attention for his opponent. Ward was stretchered off with an ankle injury, which may keep him out for a few weeks.

All in all, a good game of football and while City are still at the right end of the table. They need to reproduce the form they showed in the opening 45 minutes for 90, if they can do that, they have a chance of competing at this end of th table for the rest of the season.

There were some excellent individual performances with Janczyk and Nimmo tireless in midfield.