David Cox confident Peterhead promotion can be won

DAVID Cox looked like a man on a mission on Saturday as his two early goals helped set up Peterhead for a Second Division play-off final against East Fife.

The midfielder, who has also spent time with Annan, Elgin, Montrose and Alloa since leaving Rugby Park, has proven an energetic catalyst for Peterhead during their surge of form.

Others, such as the much-lauded Rory McAllister, have tended to dominate headlines, but Cox, among others, has made it all tick during a run of ten straight victories.

The player, himself, is just happy to be edging closer to promotion success.

He recalled: “I missed out a couple of seasons ago when I was with Annan because I broke my foot just before the play-offs. “We ended up losing to Albion Rovers so that was tough to take. It will be great to be part of the final.

“The two early goals settled us down and meant we could control the game. It was exactly the start we were after.

“I believe we have a great chance of going all the way – especially with the run we are on.”

There was fresh disappointment for Queen’s Park, who suffered play-off heartache for a fifth year in a row.

In the fourth minute, Rory McAllister wriggled clear of Andrew Robertson near the byline and squared for Cox to net from eight yards.

Six minutes later, Cox again played a clever one-two with McAllister and sent a low shot beyond Neil Parry’s reach.

The visitors’ threat was minimal, mostly, and their faint hopes of staging a revival vanished when McAllister struck a third for Peterhead with a strong header in the 64th minute.

The Blue Toon will have to do without Ryan Strachan in the final after the midfielder saw red for kicking out at an opponent in the 82nd minute.

Substitute Lawrence Shank-land netted for the visitors with two minutes remaining.

Spiders’ boss Gardner Speirs bemoaned his team’s slack start.

He said: “You have got to earn the breaks in the play-offs. We did not do enough over the two legs.”