Following last weekend’s hard fought victory over Stirling Albion at NDP, Robbie Horn opted to make just one change for the trip to Elgin as Lee Currie dropped out the squad and was replaced in the starting XI by skipper Jonny Stewart.

The boys were up against it from the start as the hosts took the lead after just four minutes. Rory MacEwan picked up possession in midfield and slipped the ball into Brian Cameron, who surged forward and unleashed a fierce strike into the bottom corner of Mark Weir’s net.

A couple half chances fell to either side but in the 15th minute, Elgin City came close to doubling their advantage. Slick play on the left flank allowed Darryl McHardy to find Tom Findlay with a cutback, but the attacker smashing his reactive shot wide.

Callum Connolly soon got on the end of a Neil Martyniuk corner, with his flick on nearly getting tapped in at the back stick by Bob Wilson — if not for some brave defending

Russell Dingwall was next to test Weir, with his sweet driven volley stinging the hands of the Rose number one.

A great chance came for Wilson — sandwiched in between spurned chances by George Hunter and Kevin Smith — as the centre-back’s bouncing header from a corner was collected with relative ease by Elgin ‘keeper Daniel Hoban.

McHardy closed out the first 45 with a glancing header that zipped just wide of the mark.

Hunter came agonisingly close to equalising for the Rose eight minutes after the interval, when a goal mouth scrambled finish with the forward volleying from close range — only for his effort to be blocked by MacEwan on the goal line.

Elgin then had five legitimate chances to kill the game off in a short spell of struggle for the Rose. McHardy’s awkward lob was tipped over by Weir, before the shot-stopper was forced into a strong save by Cameron on the edge of the box.

A gilt-edged chance then fell to the home side when Hester’s drilled low ball across goal wasn’t tapped home by Findlay at the back post.

Weir was again called into action twice in quick succession. First, the Rose ‘keeper stopped Hester from a dangerous one-on-one; before quickly getting down the ground to parry a fierce Dingwall effort hurtling towards the bottom corner wide off the mark.

Just as Elgin appeared to be taking back control, McGachie managed to work the ball into the path of Hunter — after latching into a Horne channel ball — but the forward was blocked out by a defiant Elgin defence.

Then the clincher came for the home side. Complete miscommunication at the back allowed Hester to intercept a lax pass by Scott Gray and coolly slot beyond a helpless Weir from distance.

Game over, 2-0 Elgin City. A chance to bounce back comes next Saturday as the Rose host Annan Athletic at New Dundas Park.

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