It’s Seventh Heaven as Spiders extend lead
BRECHIN CITY 0 QUEEN’S PARK 2 League leaders Queen’s Park extended their lead at the top of the table to seven points following a 2-0 victory over bottom club Brechin City at Glebe Park.
The Spiders grabbed the lead after just four minutes when great play from Jai Quitongo created an opening for Bob Mchugh, who blasted a close-range drive past David Hutton in the City goal.
They doubled their lead 10 minutes later when Louis Longridge headed home a Michael Doyle cross.
The visitors were piling on the pressure and they should have made it 3-0 a couple of minutes before the break, but Longridge scooped the ball past the post with the goal at his mercy.
City came more into the game in the second half, but they were dealt a severe blow quarter-of-an-hour from time when Bobby Barr was sent off for a foul on Darren Lyon.
The visitors were then happy to keep possession to see the game out.
ELGIN CITY 1 STIRLING ALBION 1
Stirling, keen to avenge two defeats to Elgin this season, started the better side with Jack Leitch firing over from one of the first half’s few chances.
City found their feet and Smart Osadolor dragged wide from good position before ex-stirling man Josh Peters volleyed over against his old club.
Stirling grabbed the lead on 62 minutes when former Elgin player Declan Byrne seized upon a miskick by Darryl Mchardy to surge to the line and cut back for Andy Ryan to slam home.
Kurtis Roberts then hit the bar for the Binos with an audacious half-volleyed attempt from fully 35 yards.
But Mchardy atoned for his error by getting on the end of a Russell Dingwall free-kick to nod in Elgin’s 72nd-minute equaliser.
Both teams chased a winner, but a draw was about right over the piece.
EDINBURGH CITY 3 STENHOUSEMUIR 1
Edinburgh City made it three wins out of three since the resumption of the League 2 season, two goals from on-loan Livingston midfielder Raffael de Vita and a late strike from Danny Handling proving sufficient to see off the challenge of a battling Stenhousemuir side for whom Craig Little was red-carded in the dying moments.
The Capital side looked lively early on, Liam Brown coming close after eight minutes.
It was Brown who provided the assist for De Vita’s 16th-minute opener, his pass leaving the Italian frontman free to send the ball past Martin from a tight angle.
De Vita doubled City’s lead with a fine individual effort just after the hour mark.
Mark Mcguigan pulled one back for Stenny on 73 minutes, but Handling’s stoppage-time effort, allied to Little’s straight red for violent conduct, ensured there would be no comeback.
COWDENBEATH 1 STRANRAER 1
Stranraer started brightly and, in eight minutes, Thomas Orr’s low eight-yarder was superbly blocked by home keeper Nicky Hogarth.
Five minutes later, the hosts took the lead. A long lob was headed clear by the visiting defence, but was met by the home side’s Gavin Morrison 25 yards out, and his fierce right-foot shot took a wicked deflection off a defender on its way past Greg Fleming.
Stranraer retaliated and, five minutes later, James Hilton’s close-in flick was held by Hogarth. Shortly after, Hilton got on the end of a fine Orr cross, but blazed wide from only four yards out.
Hilton saw the keeper defy him again before the half-hour, but, at the other end, Robbie Buchanan’s 20-yarder was only inches wide.
Just before the hour mark, it took a fine tackle by home defender Jamie Todd to thwart a piece of opportunism by Stranraer’s Cammy Elliott, who made space for himself.
With 24 minutes left, Stranraer got level when a long free-kick hoodwinked the home defence, leaving Ayrton Sonkur with the easiest of chances to head home.
ALBION ROVERS 1 ANNAN ATHLETIC 1
An injury-time strike from Sam Jamieson gave Albion a valuable point at the bottom.
Annan exerted early pressure and both Aidan Smith and Alex Mccaw had efforts blocked in quick succession.
Jamie Leslie hit back for Albion, but his 20-yard shot slipped wide of the post.
Annan stepped it up towards half-time. Iain Anderson prodded a shot wide when Albion failed to clear a corner and then David Cox headed wide.
Anderson went close again with another header from a Mark Docherty free-kick as Albion lived dangerously.
Ryan Stevenson almost broke the deadlock at the other end with a 20-yard shot which had Alex Mitchell at full stretch.
Annan continued to look the more likely in the second half and Harry Stone did well to block a Smith header.
The goal finally arrived 20 minutes from time when Anderson finished well following good work from Tony Wallace.
Annan had Jordan Lowdon sent off in the final minute after a second booking and Jamieson had the final say for Albion.