Cove Rangers dug themselves out of a hole late on as Blair Yule snatched a point late on against Arbroath.
Arbroath had led for much of the game courtesy of an early goal from Michael McKenna, as Dick Campbell’s men looked to have taken all three points at Gayfield.
However Yule found the corner of the net as the 90th minute ticked over to grab Cove a point.
Cove made one change from the 2-0 win over Queen’s Park, with Fraser Fyvie replacing the injured Luis Longstaff.
The visitors got off to the nightmare start and were behind inside five minutes. Bobby Linn’s cross from the left was met by McKenna at the back post and his unmarked header went in via a deflection off Shay Logan.
Charlie Gilmour looked to find an instant response for Cove but his low drive from 25 yards was clung on to by Derek Gaston.
Cove hit the bar on 13 minutes, when Jack Sanders flicked on Logan’s free-kick and Gerry McDonagh glanced a header off the frame of the goal.
McDonagh was at the centre of things again for Cove’s next opportunity when they felt he was fouled by McKenna inside the Arbroath box. Chris Graham – the referee for their 4-4 game with Hamilton a fortnight ago – was not interested.
The Red Lichties had a penalty shout of their own ignored when the home side felt Sanders pushed Kieran Shanks to the ground, as he went to meet Marcel Oakley’s centre.
Graham was often the centre of attention in a feisty contest, booking McKenna and David Gold and then dismissing another spot-kick shout for the home side when Gold appeared to be caught by a high boot from Gilmour.
Cove felt they had a reasonable case for a penalty 10 minutes into the second half, when Blair Yule was played through by Fyvie but appeared to be bundled to the ground by Little as he got his shot away. Graham, again, gave nothing.
Clear-cut chances were hard to come by for both sides, given the game had descended into a scrap, but former Arbroath man Yule ought to have hit the target just after the hour from the edge of the box.
Jim McIntyre’s side went direct too often and played into Arbroath’s hands, with Cove failing to look after the ball in possession and allowing the game to develop into a battle.
But as stoppage-time approached, Leighton McIntosh knocked the ball down and Yule benefitted from the scramble as he turned his shot into the bottom corner.
ARBROATH (4-4-1-1) – Gaston 6; Oakley 7 (Fosu 71), O’Brien 6, Little 6, Hamilton 6, McKenna 7, Gold 6, Jacobs 6 (Tait 71), Linn 7 (Corfe 58), Allan 6 (Hoti 65), Shanks 5 (Hilson 65). Subs not used – Gill, Hancock, Isiaka.
COVE RANGERS (4-4-2) – McKenzie 6; Johnston 5, Sanders 5, Reynolds 6, Logan 6, Fyvie 5 (Dunne 75), Yule 6, Gilmour 6, Scully 6 (Masson 75), McDonagh 5 (McIntosh 56), Megginson 5 (Vigurs 90). Subs not used – Gourlay, Ross, Towler, Neill, Leitch.
Referee – Chris Graham 4.
Attendance – 1,706.
Man of the match – Marcel Oakley.