Elgin City 1 Albion Rovers 0: Jake Dolzanski nods City to victory and into the League 2 play-off zone
Elgin City made it four wins in a row to climb into the League Two play-off places with a tense 1-0 victory over Albion Rovers.
Centre back Jake Dolzanski was City’s goal hero with a 75th minute header to maintain the Black and Whites fine run of form.
With key midfielder Brian Cameron unavailable, City manager Gavin Price drafted in Rory MacEwan in the only change to his starting line-up from Saturday’s 3-2 win at Stranraer.
Bidding for a fourth consecutive win, Elgin were almost behind with just two minutes on the clock.
Rovers won a free kick deep on the right and Charlie Reilly’s delivery was met on the edge of the six yard box by centre back Ayrton Sonkur’s header which beat Daniel Hoban but skidded inches wide of the far post.
The visitors had the better of the early exchanges and Lewis Kidd had a goalbound shot blocked, before Charlie Reilly forced a save out of Daniel Hoban on 23 minutes.
Albion centre back Luke Graham was booked for a late challenge to halt Kane Hester’s jinking run on 27 minutes.
From Russell Dingwall’s free kick, Darryl McHardy forced the ball goalwards and it broke to Hester, who was denied by a Jack Leighfield save before Dylan Lawrence knocked the loose ball wide from a tight angle.
Elgin then survived when a speculative high ball from the left deceived Hoban and bounced off the top of the bar.
Another Albion chance came on 36 minutes as Reilly made a powerful run through the centre and slipped a pass left to Michael Paton, whose strike was too close to the centre of the goal and Hoban saved.
A minute before the break, former City loanee Calum Wilson cut inside from the right and his shot on goal was blocked but spun into the path of Paton, whose blast was just wide of the top right hand corner.
City had the first sniff of the second half when an Albion defensive lapse was seized upon by Hester breaking clear into the box, but Leighfield got enough on his dinked effort to stop it crossing the line on 48 minutes.
At the other end Hoban fumbled a Paton shot but made amends with a low save when the loose ball eventually came out to Reilly for a strike on goal.
After a flurry of subs and precious little goal action, Elgin made a scoring breakthrough on 75 minutes.
A corner on the left was hoisted over by Dingwall and Dolzanski was presented with a free header which found the net despite an attempted clearance on the line which diverted the ball into the roof of the net.
Two minutes later Dingwall looked to have set up Hester in front of goal but a sliding tackle denied the City top scorer.
City had to endure six minutes of stoppage time and a flurry of late Albion corners tpo grind out a precious victory.
Elgin: Hoban, Cairns, Nicolson (Anderson 90), McHardy (Young 61), Dolzanski, Draper, Dingwall, Mailer, Hester (Allen 90), Lawrence (Antoniazzi 57), MacEwan (Findlay 57).
Subs: MacInnes, Sopel, McHale.
Albion: Leighfield, Fernie (Fagan 83), E Wilson, Sonkur, Graham, Fleming (Wright 83), C Wilson, Leslie (Duncan 83), Paton, Reily, Kidd (Roberts 64).
Subs: Testa, McColl, Smith, Dolan.
Ref: Greg Soutar
Att: 439