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Rory McAllister netted for the fifth successive cinch League One game to give us victory in a highly competitive clash at the Balmoor Stadium.

Rory put former club Peterhead to the sword when he expertly converted a 79th minute penalty, which had been awarded for a blatant push by Andrew McDonald on Morgyn Neill.

It was a welcome reward for a thoroughly professional performance from our lads, who also recorded our first league clean sheet of the season up in the Blue Toon.

Rory had also struck the woodwork with a header, and we created the best of the chances in the game, so there could be no argument over who deserved to come out on top.

We made two changes to the side from the week before, one of them enforced because Blair Yule was suspended.

Harry Milne and Jamie Masson were the duo who came in from the start.

The game was a bit of a slow starter as the two sides sussed each other out.

The first real chance came our way in the 14th minute, when Milne fed the ball through to McAllister and his cross from the left was just missed by Mitch Megginson at the edge of the six-yard box.

Cove Rangers had a penalty appeal turned away in the 21st minute, after Megginson and McAllister had combined to break through the Peterhead defence.

The latter laid the ball sideways to Masson and his shot from just inside the area appeared to be handled by Simon Ferry before it was cleared, but referee Gavin Duncan waved play on.

Scott Ross started our next attack with a long ball over the top of the home defence, which Megginson controlled well before lifting a 16-yard shot over the crossbar.

Masson was always looking to get on the ball and his next pass gave McAllister the opportunity to shoot over from 20-yards.

Peterhead’s best chance so far came in the 34th minute, when Niah Payne shot over from 20-yards after collecting a pass from Scott Brown.

Masson was at the heart of things again in the 38th minute, with a pass to Megginson, who created space for himself at the edge of the Peterhead area before sending a powerful shot wide.

We were very unlucky not to break the deadlock in the 51st minute.

Iain Vigurs played a free-kick in from wide on the left and McAllister got up above the home defence to power in a 12-yard header that crashed off the junction of the post and crossbar, to Brett Long’s right, with the keeper well beaten.

The rebound fell to Megginson, but Long denied him by spreading himself well to block the striker’s 10-yard shot.

McAllister went close again on the hour, when he managed to get to Shay Logan’s right wing cross to knock the ball inches wide of the front post, from the edge of the Peterhead six yard box.

The Blue Toon quickly broke up the park for Brown to shoot wide from 18-yards.

Peterhead’s Andrew McCarthy could count himself fortunate to receive only a booking in the 68th minute for blatantly chopping down Masson as he broke forward with the ball.

Masson resumed after lengthy treatment, but was eventually forced to limp off in the 73rd minute, with Robbie Leitch replacing him.

That was just after Peterhead got their first shot on target, although Stuart McKenzie had no problems gathering Hamish Ritchie’s effort from the edge of the area.

Fraser Fyvie threatened to score a wonder goal in the 74th minute, when he danced past three defenders during a mazy run in from the left wing but then sliced his 18-yard shot wide of the target.

We had a second penalty claim turned away by the referee in the 78th minute, when Neill’s header from a Vigurs corner seemed to have been handled by a Peterhead defender.

The referee had no choice but to award a penalty a minute later, when McDonald rugby tackled Neill at the back post and hauled him to the ground, after Vigurs had swung another corner over from the right.

McALLISTER took full advantage by slotting the spot-kick home to maintain his recent scoring streak and bring his tally for the season to an impressive six goals.

Peterhead manager Jim McInally was sent to the stand by referee Duncan before the match could be restarted.

Peterhead’s best chance came in the 84th minute, when Ritchie hit a powerful shot from the edge of the area and McKenzie dived full length to his left to make an excellent save.

There was no further threat to our goal as we defended strongly as a team to secure a welcome victory on the road.

PETERHEAD: Long, Mulligan, Conroy, McDonald, Duffy (Cook 82), Ferry (Jason Brown 75), Ritchie, Brown, McLean, McCarthy, Payne (Lyle 65).

Subs: Wilson, Cameron, Kesson, Strachan, Musanhu, Jordon Brown.

COVE RANGERS: McKenzie, Neill, Milne, Scully, Ross, Megginson, Masson (Leitch 73), McAllister, Vigurs, Fyvie (McIntosh 88), Logan.

Subs: Adeyemo, Gourlay,

Referee: Gavin Duncan.

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