Cooper has Elgin over a barrel

ELGIN CITY 0

PETERHEAD beat the countrywide freeze for this solitary Scottish Cup tie to go ahead and they defeated Elgin City, although only those with the patience of Job who had suffered through this poor contest and not left Balmoor before the final whistle were rewarded with witnessing the single talking point of the game, the one that put Peterhead in the third round and the prospect of a visit to Somerset Park to face up to Ayr United.

It was a single blow to the face that handed Peterhead the only way that anyone was going to score a goal in this game. With the 90 minutes up and the Blue Toon crowding in the Elgin penalty area the home side’s substitute Keith Robertson went down in the box. All eyes turned towards the near-side linesman who had raised his flag evidently having spotted something. He had and told referee Brian McGarry and he in turn red-carded Elgin defender David Mackay who did not complain over the supposed transgression, an off-the-ball arm in the face of his opponent. The other Peterhead substitute Craig Cooper slammed the penalty-kick into the corner of the net, Martin Pirie diving vainly to his left. Elgin over and out.

Instantly on arrival at Balmoor an hour before kick-off there was evidence that this cup tie was in business. The Balmoor bar was heaving with patrons loading up on lager as aperitif to this attractive cup contest. Elgin City had turned up in their bus last weekend only to learn that the match had been called off. Yesterday there was no problem. Granted a chill in the air but underneath a brilliant blue sky dotted with stretched seagulls the home pitch looked a treat. Green and football friendly for a familiar fixture.

When the only other remaining proposed cup tie at Stranraer bit the dust at an early-morning juncture, Peterhead and Elgin became the only Scottish Cup participants yesterday and Balmoor something of an exception. All right there was football at McDiarmid Park and Hampden but they both have undersoil heating. Nope, at least one victory here before the game had started.

One Elgin player who did not make it here stripped and ready was midfielder David Craig who had succumbed to a peculiar ankle injury. He tripped over his granny’s wheelie bin. Striker Mike Sanderson could not make it for less-erratic reasons, his work commitments. The Moray club certainly had their work cut out here, they were not only battling against Peterhead but an odd barrier of recent history too. Since they had gained entry to the Scottish Football League Elgin had never won a cup tie. Peterhead of course reached the quarter-finals a couple of years ago, albeit with a bye from Airdrie.

Certainly Peterhead started this match favourites. Not only are they faring better in the third division - in contention for promotion while Elgin are drifting near the bottom finding goals and results hard to come by - they also went to Borough Briggs in December and hammered the men in black and white 4-0, a result which two days later was followed by the departure from Elgin of their manager Alex Caldwell. In the interim Harry McFadden has been in charge of Elgin while they sift through the list of applications.

An announcement was going to be made on Thursday but Elgin chairman Dennis Miller had decided to wait until the wake of this tie. Anyway, the short list was believed to have included Davie Baikie, former Arbroath manager, Tom Carson ex of Dumbarton and from the Highland League most likely Gregg Carroll, the boss of domineering Deveronvale. Drew Jarvie’s name had also popped up but he has popped off to Japan to join Ian Porterfield in Busan.

Peterhead’s strike force have been rampant this season and this was what the Elgin back four had mostly to worry about. Ian Stewart is having one of his best seasons in a while and alongside the former Inverness Caley Thistle striker, Martin Johnston has been drawing some glowing reports.

The 24-year-old’s contract is up at the end of the season and Johnston’s agent is said to be currently working out his future but such a prolific scorer is the kind that attracts attention from other clubs. The Stewart-and-Johnston partnership did not last the distance here, the veteran Stewart forced to hobble off in the first half, Keith Robertson replacing him.

It was Robertson who had the best chance before the interval when he burst clear in the Elgin penalty area but had his attempt blocked at close range at the far post by City keeper Martin Pirie. It was as alert as Pirie had to be during that period, his only other save of note from Kevin Tindal from long range. Johnston had one drive that screamed past Pirie’s post.

Peterhead had carved the first real opportunity of the game earlier on when Stuart Mackay was brought down on the edge of the Elgin penalty area by Graeme Grant. Winger Andy Roddie took a clever free-kick but it dipped harmlessly wide of Pirie’s left upright. As an attacking force themselves Elgin were, well, less than potent. Their average for the season is one goal a game. After 45 minutes here it looked they would fall below that.

It was Peterhead who did most of the advancing in the second half, the boys in blue heading towards the pink red sky hanging over the harbour but there were few waves of possibilities, the best up until the hour mark a dipping drive by Roddie that arched over Pirie’s crossbar. Elgin at least came a little more into it as a threatening presence through their most likely proponent of a breakthrough, Russell McBride. He forced a save from Paul Mathers with a solid effort but overall this match had replay stamped on its forehead.

Peterhead tried to spend the dying moments of the game in the Elgin half in search of some closure to this contest but it was not forthcoming. It was odds on that this tie was destined for Borough Briggs on another day. Then at the very death the literal penalty-box blow. It was a cruel ending for Elgin but it did not prevent Peterhead and their fans from celebrating entry into the third round.