Peterhead defender Cameron Eadie reckons securing a Betfred Cup bonus point against Brechin City gives the Blue Toon a strong starting point in their preparations for the League 2 season.
Following a 0-0 draw in 90 minutes at Glebe Park, defender Jason Brown netted the decisive penalty in a 5-4 shootout victory for Jim McInally’s men.
It was a poor encounter in Angus but Eadie was encouraged by the Blue Toon holding their own against a higher level of opposition.
He said: “The main thing was trying to get the fitness and work together as a team but it’s always good to get the bonus point. It’s still quite early and you want to get into winning ways.
“Brechin have just come down from the Championship and they are still a league above us.
“I think we did quite well – even though we weren’t up to the standard we can play at we still dealt with them quite well.
“We have played three games in pre-season and I’ve played 90 minutes in all of them. I think I’m there or thereabouts so I just need to keep this momentum going.”
Eadie joined Peterhead from League 2 side Elgin City earlier this summer with the 20-year-old making 37 appearances for the Borough Briggs men last term.
The former Falkirk defender hopes to be in promotion contention with his new club. He added: “The manager got in touch, he asked me to come up and train and offered me a deal.
“From playing against them last year I know what they are about. They only missed out on promotion by a point last year so they will be up there again so it felt like commonsense.
“Last year was my first full season playing.
“It was a good learning experience for me, with all the travelling I was in at the deep end but I enjoyed it. In League 2 it’s not always the best football but it gets you physically ready for playing in the first team.”
Eadie and fellow new addition Ross Kavanagh, who joined from Stirling Albion, were in from the start against City with the visitors threatening first through McAllister, whose 21st-minute strike from the edge of the box was deflected wide by Paul McLean.
Blue Toon goalkeeper Greg Fleming was called into action for the first time on 28 minutes to palm Dene Shields’s header around the post before the experienced attacker was thwarted by Jamie Stevenson on the line from the resulting corner. Brechin threatened again towards the end of the first half when Sean Burns’ free kick clipped the crossbar on its way over.
Chances were few and far between at the start of the second half, with Fleming doing well to beat away a strike from debutant Giuliano Morena, before tipping Shields’ header over the bar.
The stalemate resulted in a penalty shootout and, after Morena’s effort was tipped on to the bar by Fleming in sudden-death, Brown calmly rolled home to send the bonus point back to Balmoor.
Brechin City – Brennan 6, McLean 6, Burns 6, Hill 6, Spark 5 (Melingui 73), Orsi 6, J Tapping 6 (Lynas 63), Shields 7, Smith 6, Morena 7, C Tapping 6. Subs not used – Sinclair, Henry, O’Neil.
Peterhead – Fleming 7, Norris 6 (Home 79), Kavanagh 5 (Ferry 61), Eadie 7, J Brown 6, S Brown 6, Stevenson 6, McLean 6, McAllister 6, Leitch 6, Gibson 6. Subs not used – McCracken, Buxton.
Referee – David Dickinson 6
Attendance: 301
Man of the match: Cameron Eadie