The 2nd Division Championship flag was unfurled at the first league game of the season at home to Hamilton Academical. City were determined to pick up their first victory of the season as early as possible but it was always going to be difficult against Accies, who had just turned full time during the summer and were tipped as dark-horses for the title. As expected, Hamilton took the lead through John Robertson but Grant Johnson equalised for City with just over an hour on the clock. As the game entered stoppage time, City fans were all delighted with the point but they were all silenced as against the run of play, Lee Hardy netted the winner for Hamilton in the dying seconds to cruelly deny Brechin a share of the points.


Hamilton applaud City onto the park.

That was a huge blow for City who battled hard throughout and deserved at least a share of the points, but they had a chance to put that defeat to one side as they took on Partick Thistle in the 1st round of the CIS Cup just several days later. Once again the Campbell twins went head to head but with no goals after 120 minutes, it was Dick who went home with the bragging rights as his Partick troops won 3-1 on penalties.

City’s first away game of the season was down at Dumfries as they faced Queen of the South down at Palmerston. Like in the previous match against Partick, City didn’t have too much luck in front of goal but Craig Nelson kept Queen’s at bay with a string of fantastic saves in a 0-0 stalemate. This was Brechins first point of the season and it was hopefully something to build on.

Build on it they did, as they picked up another point, this time at home to Airdrie United. Grant Johnson once again gave City the lead in the first half but once again the Brechin defence went to sleep as Stephen McKeown smashed in a late equaliser for Airdrie ten minutes from time. To concede two late goals in the first three league matches was disappointing, but it certainly looked promising as this time two seasons ago, we were still without a single point with a far worse goal difference. There seemed to be no real gulf in class between ourselves and the full time sides we had played.


City celebrate Grant Johnson's opener against Airdrie.

Next up for Brechin was a trip to Love Street to face a St Mirren side tipped for the title. They had started the season disappointingly however as they lost 3-2 to Dundee on the opening day and were held to a 0-0 draw against Stranraer at home, so this was a must-win game for them to prove they were rightly tipped for the Championship. Stewart Kean netted a first half penalty to put the home side in front but the Brechin defence held firm for the rest of the game, and were rewarded when City were given a penalty mid-way through the second half. Maybe this was our chance to snatch an undeserved share of the points for once, but it wasn’t to be as summer signing Craig McEwan blasted his spot kick high over the bar and into the Brechin fans behind the goal.

Once again City had a break from the league as Morton came calling to Glebe Park in the 2nd round of the Bell’s Cup. They also had someone familiar in their ranks, in Chris Templeman who spent three and a half memorable seasons at Glebe Park before departing for Morton mid-way through last season for a figure reported to be around £80,000. The inevitable happened as Templeman scored against his former club to give Morton the lead before Derek Lilley added a second just before the break. That was the way it finished and City fans were worried about the lack of chances created against the 2nd division outfit, albeit full time.


Chris Templeman celebrates scoring against his former club.

This was when City fans began worrying about the poor start the side had made to the season. Two points from a possible twelve and knocked out of two cups already, it wasn’t positive reading.

There was a shock departure at the end of August, as David Craig left the club to join Dick Campbell’s Partick side in the 2nd division. Although Craig found it difficult to break into the first team and was plagued with injury, his departure came as a shock to City fans as he had only been at the club for barely three months. Alex Burns, who was given a month to prove his fitness after impressing the management team in a pre-season friendly against Peterhead, was given a new contract which would keep him at the club until the end of the season. Ian Campbell also snapped up another experienced striker in Gerry Britton, who was hoping to get the vacant managerial job at Dundee but once he was told he wouldn’t be considered, he decided to turn part time which would allow him to continue his studies as a lawyer.

City were aiming to get their first league victory against Clyde at Glebe Park, a team Brechin were victorious against in the Bell’s Cup at the start of the season, albeit over 120 minutes. All was going smoothly for Brechin as they took the lead after just four minutes when debutant Gerry Britton played in Steven Hampshire to open his account for the season. City couldn’t hold onto their lead though and a rare Craig Nelson blunder allowed Paul McHale’s shot to bobble into the net to give Clyde a deserved share of the points.


Steven Hampshire opens the scoring against Clyde.

Still without a win, City travelled to Dingwall to take on a Ross County side who had started the season quite well. A solitary Alex Burke goal mid-way through the first half gave County all three points. The season was starting to look very similar to the one two seasons ago, when City went without a win until November, although this was only mid-way through September City fans were hoping the first victory arrived before it was too late.

Things went from bad to worse for City as they defeated on their home patch by relegation rivals Stranraer which took the Blues five points clear of Brechin. Kevin Byers gave City an ideal start with just a couple of minutes played but Stranraer's centre back Murray Henderson scored two headers in two minutes from identical crosses from the same side by the same player, which just underlined how much City needed a rub of the green. Barely five minutes later Blues’ captain Allan Jenkins added a third to give Stranraer an unassailable lead. Kevin Byers reduced the deficit in the second half but it wasn’t enough as Stranraer went home south with all three points.


Kevin Byers celebrates his 2nd goal against Stranraer - But it wasn't enough.

City’s poor start only yielded 3 points from a possible 21, but it was still enough to keep them above Queen of the South in the table, who only had 2 points to their name after seven games.

A large crowd of just over 2,000 crammed into Glebe Park for the eagerly anticipated local derby against Dundee at the start of October. A double from Simon Lynch sandwiched a Steven Craig goal to put Dundee three goals up after barely 35 minutes, and although Stuart Callaghan’s spectacular goal just before the break gave Brechin hope, they were on the end of yet another defeat.


Stuart Callaghan is congratulated on his goal against Dundee.

Brechin ended the first quarter of the season without a victory as they lost 3-1 to St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park. Steven Hampshire’s deflected strike cancelled out Ryan Stevenson’s early opener but late goals from centre half Kevin James and Trinidad and Tobago internationalist Jason Scotland sealed all 3 points for the Perth side. City were now bottom of the table as Queen of the South had beaten Airdrie Utd 1-0 at Palmerston.