Peterhead ended their run of poor form in emphatic style with a 5-0 demolition of Dumbarton.
The Blue Toon went into the match on the back of six defeats in seven matches, while the Sons had moved up to second after a four-match unbeaten run.
Jim McInally’s side produced a five-star performance on a rain-soaked afternoon at Balmoor that saw the home side open their account after just four minutes through Ryan Conroy with his first goal of the season.
Playing against the strong wind in the first period, there was no further scoring but the home side took full advantage of the elements after the break, with Hamish Ritchie adding the second and Jason Brown the third with a close-range effort.
The pick of the goals was number four, a powerful drive from Josh Mulligan that went in off the post before Scott Brown marked his 200th appearance for Peterhead with a late penalty kick to complete the scoring.
Blue Toon assistant manager Davie Nicholls said: “It was tough in the first half and I think the conditions played a major part in the game.
“But we always seem to do well in conditions like that, particularly playing against the wind. I thought we played the weather really well.
“We pushed on in the second half into more of a 4-3-3 but then going back into a 4-5-1 when they were on the ball.
“The conditions played a really big part but nothing can take away from the goals as some of them were really terrific.”
Nicholls felt the early goal helped settle any nerves, adding: “It was important.
“There was a great deal of work involved in it with regards the shot Hamish (Ritchie) had and the ricochet but sometimes you need that wee bit of luck and in the last few weeks we’ve certainly not carried any luck and today we got that.”
Nicholls was also pleased with the two early goals in the second half which effectively killed the game as a contest.
He said: “Josh Mulligan down the right hand side caused a lot of problems last week against Queen’s Park and today he was unplayable at times.
“He certainly has a massive future ahead of himself and it was great to see him getting a goal as well because that will bring him on too.
“It was terrific for Scott to score on a big occasion for him but it was a real team performance.
“Everybody played their part and the boys who came off the bench contributed really well and that’s what we need moving forward, we need to use this as a catalyst to kick on and move up this league.”
Peterhead remain second bottom of League One but are now five points ahead of struggling East Fife.
Nicholls, whose side travel to Alloa on Saturday, added: “I thought the defence did really well considering they have come in for a bit of criticism over the last few weeks.
“They stood up today and it’s always good for a defender to get a clean sheet.
“They can be really pleased with their performances. Everybody can as it was a really good team performance.”
