Following their midweek 6-nil victory against East Kilbride, The Spartans made the arduous journey to Moray in a long week on the road to face Elgin City FC at Borough Briggs.
The Spartans looked to continue where they left off on Tuesday night with an unchanged starting XI, as they took the game to the hosts from the off on a heavy surface that made for tricky conditions underfoot.
However, against the run of play, it was the hosts who took a tenth minute lead courtesy of Jack MacIver’s deflected shot that left Paddy Martin little chance despite his despairing dive.
Spartans rallied and after some fine work by Mark Stowe who turned his man on the touchline, the ball made its way to Jamie Dishington who was lucky to lose his footing as he lined up a shot at Tom Ritchie’s goal.
That equaliser did come in the 31st minute after Mark Stowe was manhandled in the box with Referee Graves pointing to the spot, much to the frustrations of the home faithful. Marc McNulty stepped up to slot home to put Spartans on level terms.
There was little time to celebrate as six minutes later, Kane Hester regained the lead for the hosts that once again saw Spartans having to play catch-up once again.
But for an offside flag on the stroke of half-time, Spartans could have found themselves further behind as the players headed down the tunnel for some respite from the dipping Morayshire temperatures.
H.T: Elgin City 2-1
It took just two minutes after the restart for Spartans to once again restore parity to the scoreline. Some delightful work from Jamie Dishington saw him carve open an opportunity to send the ball into the box for Bradley Whyte to find the net.
There was a feeling of déjà vu when Elgin found themselves back in front just five minutes later, when Jack MacIver scored his second of the afternoon, much to the delight of the home fans.
Cammy Russell and Kenzi Nair replaced Ethan Drysdale and Sean Welsh on the hour mark as Spartans manager looked to refresh legs in the hunt for a third equaliser of the night.
And that came with just over twenty minutes left in this pulsating SPFL 2 clash. Kieran Watson done exceptionally well with the assisted header down into the path of Cammy Russell who drilled home from six yards.
Could there be one final twist to separate the sides as the game entered the final quarter of an hour?
But for a matter of millimetres and a subsequent goal-line clearance by Jack Murray, Marc McNulty’s effort that hit the post and took a journey in slow motion across the goal line could very well have been that moment.
Further changes were made with Murray Aiken replacing Bradley Whyte and this was followed shortly after when Kevin Waugh traded places with Jamie Dishington.
Despite a final attempt at either end to steal the points at the death, the final whistle brought eventual closure to a game that offered everything and more.
F.T: Elgin City 3 – 3 The Spartans
Reflecting on the draw, interim captain and Malt & Hops Man of the Match James Craigen praised the team for their determination. “Something we’ve worked on this season is believing in what we’re doing and going into every game confident. But sometimes when you face adversity in a game and you take a setback it’s important that you stick together, believe in the process and keep fighting for one another.”
Next up for The Spartans is a Scottish Gas Scottish Cup 5th Round tie against Dundee United at Tannadice Park next Saturday at 3pm. Details on purchasing match tickets and subsidised bus travel can be found here https://spartansfc.com/2026/01/28/scottish-gas-scottish-cup-spartans-supporters-tickets-now-on-sale/
