It wasn’t the start to the season we were looking for as we crashed out the League 1 City after extra time. The game started in a downpour and City had a chance in three minutes when Wedderburn slipped and presented a chance to Andy Jackson who fired a left foot 18 yarder just over.

However, in 13 minutes we took the lead. A nice move down the left saw Sean HIGGINS hold off McLean’s challenge and then cleverly beat the defender before firing a low right foot shot past keeper Smith from eight yards. And then there was a chance for Robertson five minutes later, when Stewart provided the pass, and he blasted inches over from the edge of the box.

City tried hard to force their way into the game and in 28 minutes Jackson got his head to a cross from Hamilton but the ball was grabbed by Thomson, then Fusco fired a 25 yarder over. Five minutes from the break McCormack’s long cross split the Cowden defence but Jackson headed wide from a good position. The Blues came close to adding to their tally in 50 minutes when O’Brien latched on to Robertson’s cross and the big defender fired in a low shot which produced a top class diving save from Smith.

After a quiet spell City levelled the game after 68 minutes. Sub Robbie THOMSON fired in a 16 yarder after a Robertson pass cannoned off O’Brien and Thomson dived over the ball and it hit the back of the net. Johnston replaced O’Brien and almost immediately the front man sent in a low shot which the keeper deflected and Higgins should have netted from five yards out.

City almost grabbed a second with 10 minutes left when Thomson burst into the box and his low shot was blocked by the keeper and Miller completed the clearance. There were no more goals and the tie went into extra-time and three minutes into it City took the lead when Thomson made a hash of dealing with a tame Brash shot and Alan TROUTEN poked the ball home from close in. Johnston almost levelled things five minutes later when his shot was cleared off the line by Jamie McCormack and in the 108th minute City wrapped up the win when Ryan FERGUSON’s shot took a deflection and flew into the net.

TEAM: Robbie Thomson, Kenny Adamson, Thomas O’Brien (Craig Johnston 72), John Armstrong, Nat Wedderburn, Jon Robertson, Craig Sutherland (Darren Brownlie 86), Sean Higgins, Chris Kane (Iain Campbell 98), Sammy Stewart & Kyle Miller. Subs not used – Aron Lynas, Jack Wright, Liam Callaghan & Thomas Flynn. Goal: Higgins (13). Bookings: O’Brien (72), Adamson (79).

BRECHIN CITY: Graeme Smith, Jamie McCormack, Colin Hamilton, Paul McLean, Darren McCormack, Gary Fusco (Robbie Thomson 67), Alan Trouten, Craig Molloy, Andy Jackson, Callum Tapping (Ross Brash 74) & Bobby Barr (Ryan Ferguson 70). Subs not used – Steven Jackson, Gerry McLaughlan & Ben Tough. Goals: Thomson (68), Trouten (93), Ferguson (108). Bookings: Trouten (32), Tapping (59), Hamilton (66).

REPORTER: Andrew Mullen.