ELGIN CITY 0 SHIRE 2

Another Brian Graham double, another Shire win. The top scorer’s 17th and 18th goals of the season made the difference against an eager Elgin City team and in the process secured Shire’s play-off position.

The performance on a hard, rutted pitch maybe wasn’t a classic from Jim McInally’s men but it was certainly worthy of the three points. The goals were both opportunist but nevertheless well-taken and decent reward for a hard-working performance.

Shire made just the one change from the team that had beaten Montrose seven days earlier, and it was an expected one with the fit again Craig Donaldson replacing Dean Richardson.

Jim McInally stuck with the same 3-5-2 system as well, keeping the back line of David King, Michael Bolochoweckyj and Craig Tully. Up front the partnership of Andy Rodgers and Brian Graham, a success against Montrose, was allowed to continue.

Elgin had old Shire favourite David Craig at the centre of their defence but it was the visiting back line that saw the earliest of the pressure. A Steven MacKay free-kick from twenty yards went just wide and King then was forced to make a last-ditch saving tackle to stop Colin Cameron going clean through on goal.

After seven minutes Shire mounted a first serious attack. Rodgers released Graham down the right and his cross had to be headed away from the in-rushing Rodgers by Paul Kaczan.

Elgin had the majority of possession but were finding it hard to negotiate a way past the three-man back line. Consequently, Peat had very little to do other than the routine.

Shire’s main tactic involved getting the ball forward quickly to Graham and Rodgers but they weren’t afraid to have a shot from distance either.

After 16 minutes Donaldson had a shot from distance then went narrowly wide. A couple of minutes later Derek Ure’s in-swinging corner kick had the keeper punching clear under pressure from Graham.

With 22 minutes on the clock minutes Shire hit the front, although not without a little controversy. McNulty’s goal kick landed straight at Rodgers’ feet and he tried an instant volley back which lacked power. The ball landed nicely for Graham, though, and he beat the stranded keeper with a superb lob.

Elgin’s protests that Graham had been in an offside position when he received the ball were loud and long but in vain. Their manager, Ross Jack, got a warning from referee Steven Nicholls and the game continued.

Ross O’Donoghue tried his luck from distance as Elgin tried to get back into the game and that gave Peat a rare opportunity to make a save. The defence in front of the Shire keeper was hard pressed at times to keep the Elgin front two of Campbell and Shallicker quiet, but they coped and there were few really nervy moments.

Jamie Stevenson was starting to see more of the ball as the game wore on and he might have made it 2-0 after 29 minutes with a delicate chip which went onto the roof of the net.

And a minute later a Ure corner kick had the Elgin defence in all sorts of bother. Tully headed back across the face of goal and Graham somehow blasted the ball over the bar from inside the six yard box.

Shire started the second period in positive fashion and after 48 minutes a good run from Rodgers produced a decent shot from the edge of the box which McNulty did well to stop.

Elgin, though, never stopped trying to fight their way back into the game but simply couldn’t get the right final ball into the box. The longer the half went on the more it resumed the pattern of the first with the home team hogging possession and Shire seemingly happy to catch them out on the break.

At least Shire made a better first of the tactic than they had in the first. On 57 minutes Tully’s long ball out of defence sent Graham clear b ut his shot from the edge of the box was saved. Not that it mattered too much because Graham’s eighteenth goal of the season was only another three minutes away.

This time the increasingly influential Stevenson did the spade work with a lovely feint down the right which sent him clear of the defence and he crossed low for Graham, running in from the centre, to slide the ball past McNulty with an outstretched leg.

There could have been more goals. Stevenson pitched another cross in from the right which Rodgers backheeled into the path of Graham but his shot was saved at the near post by the Elgin keeper.

The home team’s vulnerability to the quick counter attack was underlined quite a few times before the end and Shire should have taken advantage. The best of the lot was instigated by Donaldson who played the ball through to Graham. His effort rebounded into the path of Rodgers but he couldn’t find the back of the net.

Another lovely bit of skill from Stevenson close to the end set up Paul Weaver for a shot but his effort from the edge of the box went just over the bar.

ELGIN CITY : McNulty, Nicolson, MacDonald(Crooks 67), Kaczan, Craig, Gillespie(Edwards 75), Cameron(Jack 71), O'Donoghue, Campbell, McKay, Shallicker.

SHIRE ; Peat, Hay, Tully, King, Bolochoweckyj, Weaver, Donaldson(Dunn 75), Stevenson, Graham(McKenzie 70), Ure, Rodgers(Richardson 90).

REFEREE : S. Nicholls

ATTENDANCE : 381.