A superb individual goal by Brora midfielder Andrew Greig just six minutes from time clinched the points for league leaders Brora Rangers.
Just when it looked as if a patched-up Locos’ side had done enough to secure a point Greig produced a wonderful finish which gave visiting goalkeeper Scott Matheson no chance.
Although Brora manager Davie Kirkwood was happy with the three points he felt some of his players did not perform to the best of their ability.
He said: “There were too many players who didn’t reach their potential. It was one of those games where we had to grind out a result and we did.
“The players were snatching at things and passing the ball when they should have been driving into space. But we can’t always do that when there are 10 players behind the ball.
“It was just one of those games where we just had to be patient.”
There was little in the way of clear-cut chances in an uneventful first half.
Locos created the first real opportunity in the 16th minute when Martin Laing picked out Martin Bavidge with a precision pass, but the veteran forward drove his effort just wide of Joe Malin’s right hand post.
At the other end, Colin Williamson headed over following a Zander Sutherland free kick then a couple of minutes later Martin MacLean forced a good save from Locos’ goalkeeper Mathieson as Brora went in search of an opener.
The tempo of the match increased at the start of the second half and Sutherland was unlucky with a shot from inside the Locos’ box which crashed off the upright.
Efforts from Scott Graham and Steven MacKay followed in quick succession as Brora turned the screw, but the Locos’ goal remained intact. Brora were playing into a strong wind at this stage and when an attempted clearance from Malin was blown back towards his goal it took a last-ditch tackle from new signing Craig McKeown to block a shot from Martin Laing.
But most of the action was at the other end and Dale Gillespie was not far away with a rising shot which just cleared the crossbar.
The breakthrough finally came in the 84th minute when the ball fell for Greig on the edge of the 18-yard box. The wide man cut inside and curled a delightful shot into the far corner of the net for a goal fit to win any game.
Locos’ co-manager, Kenny Coull, who came on as a late substitute, said: “It was always going to be a tough game. We had to structure our team based on limited numbers but the players all did a job. I thought we gave them a good run for their money. It took a quality goal to win it.”