Spiders stay on win trail despite rare loss
STENHOUSEMUIR 1 QUEEN’S PARK 3
Queen’s Park moved five points clear of the chasing pack at the top of the table with a comfortable win at Stenhousemuir.
The Spiders took the lead through Simon Murray in the fifth minute, and they deservedly doubled the lead in the 32nd minute when Bob Mchugh flashed a Louis Longridge cross into the net. The Warriors looked to have been awarded a lifeline when Peter Grant was sent off for his second booking just after the resumption. The visitors, though, went three up on 48 minutes when Jai Quitongo ran through the middle before picking out Longridge to fire home.
In the 69th minute, the Warriors were awarded a penalty after Tommy Muir was tripped by Lee Kilday, and Muir stepped up to convert the spot-kick to seal victory.
This was the first goal that the Spiders had conceded since the restart.
BRECHIN 2 ALBION ROVERS 4
Lewis Wilson set Rovers on the road to victory after just three minutes when he blasted the ball into the roof of the net after a Matty Aitken effort had been parried into his path.
The visitors kept up the pressure and they doubled their lead in the 34th minute when Paul Gallagher drilled a shot home from the edge of the box.
City fought back, however, and they reduced the deficit a couple of minutes later when Rory Currie lashed the ball in.
Albion started the second half with two quick goals from Ryan Stevenson and Callum Wilson in the 51st and 56th minutes to wrap up the points.
City’s Christopher Mckee was sent off a couple of minutes from time for a second bookable offence, before a Michael Paton free-kick a couple of minutes later made the scoreline more respectable.
This win considerably eased Albion’s relegation worries, but piled the pressure on bottom club Brechin City.
ANNAN 1 STIRLING ALBION 2
The visitors piled on the pressure from the start and Andrew Ryan had a shot blocked on 10 minutes. He should have put his side ahead two minutes later, but fired straight at the keeper.
The pressure paid off in the 18th minute when Dylan Mackin slotted home from close in.
The visitors’ David Wilson shot narrowly past on the half-hour, but Annan started to get into the game. Their first real attempt came in the 35th minute, but Tony Wallace’s shot from 15 yards was saved.
Albion went two up when Andrew Ryan scored from the penalty spot in the 55th minute after he was fouled in the box.
Maxwell Wright pulled Annan back into the game four minutes later when he headed home from a corner. Annan’s Tony Wallace was given a red card for violent conduct deep into stoppage time.
COWDENBEATH 1 ELGIN 0
Desperate for points, Cowdenbeath attacked strongly early on and Craig Barr and Kris Renton went close.
City retaliated and forced two corners which put the home defence under pressure, but they survived. Cowden took the lead in 12 minutes when a high ball into the City box saw keeper Thomas Mchale hesitate and Kris Renton headed the ball in.
Three minutes later, a long Ryan Finnie throw was met by home skipper Barr and Mchale pulled off a good save.
City then broke from a Cowden corner and Russell Dingwall went into the home box, but fired inches over.
On the hour, O’keefe cut in from the right and his shot flew just wide. At the other end, Kyle Miller tested Mchale with a low 18-yarder.
Then Harvey Swann had a run past three Elgin defenders in 71 minutes which saw him fire in a low drive which was blocked by Mchale, then the keeper made a superb one-handed save from the winger two minutes later.
STRANRAER 0 EDINBURGH C 1
Little over five minutes had been played when City caught the home defence napping. Josh Campbell was unlucky to see his effort from 12 yards come back off the crossbar, but Liam Brown was lurking to nod the ball home.
Stranraer slowly came back into the game, but too often they failed to work Calum Antell in the Edinburgh City goal.
Their best effort of the opening period came on 24 minutes after a fine team move down the left. Tom Orr cut the ball back to Matty Yates, who rolled the ball to the onrushing Grant Gallagher. Unfortunately, the Stranraer captain got it all wrong and sliced his shot wide of the post.
Stranraer pushed for a leveller after the break and should have equalised eight minutes after the restart only for Joao Victoria to blast over from six yards.
The hosts continued to carve out the better chances in the second half and they were denied a goal by a fine Antell save.
Defender Tom Devitt managed to direct James Hilton’s corner on target, but the goalkeeper was equal to it and tipped it over the bar.