Peterhead 3 - 1 Queen’s Park: Blue Toon to final

Peterhead remain on course for promotion to the Second Division after recording a tenth successive win to see off Queen’s Park, who suffered play-off heartache for the fifth year in a row.

Scorers:

Peterhead: Cox 4, 10; McAllister 64

Queen’s Park: Shankland 88

Taking a one-goal lead into the Balmoor second leg, Jim McInally’s men netted twice in the first ten minutes through David Cox before Rory McAllister put the seal on the victory in the second half.

The Blue Toon boss said: “I cannot speak highly enough of the players. To win ten games on the bounce is magnificent.

“Sometimes you can go that amount of games undefeated but to win ten in a row speaks volumes for their workrate, their energy and their talent. If we can just see it through for another two games, it would be a dream season.

“Now we are into the final and we have the second leg at home so who knows what could happen at Balmoor next Sunday?”

Peterhead put the tie out of sight in the early stages thanks to a quickfire double from Cox, pictured. The first goal came in the fourth minute, McAllister squaring for Cox, who slotted home from eight yards. In the tenth minute Cox played a clever one-two with McAllister at the edge of the penalty area and sent a low shot beyond Neil Parry.

The Spiders’ threat was minimal and their faint hopes of staging a revival vanished when McAllister added a third for Peterhead in the 64th minute.

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

Substitute Lawrence Shankland scored a consolation for the visitors with two minutes remaining but they will remain in the Third Division for another season.