Peterhead manager Jim McInally bemoaned his team’s costly concentration lapse after League 1 leaders Stranrarer recovered from an interval deficit to claim the points at Balmoor.
McInally said: “We should have been out of sight before Stranraer got their equaliser but the goals we lost were poor.
“Defensively we switched off and got done with a through-ball, which was too easy and we paid the price. After that, as we always do, we tried to push players on and Stranraer could have hit us three or four times.
“But I was again delighted with some of our play but I’m disappointed we lost because we deserved something from the game.”
Failure to pick up any points left Peterhead’s play-off chances hanging by the slenderest of threads but McInally was still upbeat after the match, despite his frustration at seeing a David Cox goal disallowed soon after Andy Rodgers had given the Blue Toon the lead.
McInally: “We should have been two goals up at half-time, yes, and then Andy was really unlucky with his effort which came off the underside of the crossbar in the second half. But against the top of the table team, we have shown we can compete.
“This is our first season in this league and Stranraer are a benchmark for us. But we need to toughen up a bit, especially defensively, if we are going to be where Stranraer are just now, but we will still keep pushing.
“I said before this match we needed to win four of our remaining matches.
“We have still got five left so we will keep going for it.”
This was the fifth time Stranraer had come out on top against the Blue Toon this season, after also dumping McInally’s men out of the Scottish Cup in November.
Stranraer manager Stephen Aitken said: “We have done great against Peterhead this season. They are probably sick at the sight of us but sometimes you get a season where you play against a team and seem to get the better of them.
“But Peterhead have done great this year and have competed really well. I think they still have a chance of getting a play-off place.”