Win lifts Montrose into play-off place

Montrose hoisted themselves into the play-off places with a hardfought victory at Berwick.

Striker Chris Templeman scored the only goal of the game in the first half and afterwards he said: “It was a difficult game, but we got the three points and that’s all that matters.

“We are now up to fourth, and with two games to go we want to remain there, although we know it won’t be easy. We have Annan next week and Clyde in the final game of the season.

“It has been a dramatic turnaround after we found ourselves bottom of the table at one stage, but there is a good team spirit within the camp and the arrival of the four loan players gave us a lift.”

Manager Stewart Petrie added: “That was a big win for us, it lifted us into the play-off places, and that is something we could only have dreamed of earlier in the season.

“At the start of the year survival in this league was the name of the game. We have done that, and now we have got ourselves into the top four we want to remain there.

“Berwick made it difficult for us, and we knew they would, because they are fighting for their lives at the bottom of the table and when a team is in that position they can be dangerous.”

Berwick might have taken the lead as early as the first minute. Steven Thomson cut the ball back into the box from the byeline, but Michael McKenna somehow missed the ball completely when he went to shoot.

There wasn’t much goalmouth action in the opening 20 minutes.

The visitors always looked the more likely side to score, and they took the lead after 38 minutes when Chris Templeman smashed the ball into the roof of the net after Berwick failed to clear a long throw-in into the box by Iain Campbell.

Montrose rarely threatened in the second half, but they had done enough to take the points.