Peterhead registered their first away victory in over a year by running out 3-0 winners at East Fife.
A Jack Brown strike and a double from Connor O’Keefe gave the Blue Toon their first win on the road since beating Clyde by the same scoreline on April 2 last year.
The morale-boosting victory was also a statement of intent from the Balmoor men as they look to bounce back at the first time of asking following their relegation from League One.
Peterhead were dominant throughout the 90 minutes in Methil and one of the highlights of the performance was the midfield display of 22-year-old Jack Brown who weighed in with a goal and an assist to end the club’s long run without an away win.
He said: “It’s a great feeling to finally get that away win and its all down to the hard work we showed on the pitch today.
“There were some positive signs during the Viaplay Cup games but that means nothing without results so today’s win should stand us in good stead going forward.”
Peterhead began the game well with Conor O’Keefe striking the crossbar early on with a powerful shot.
Hamish Ritchie’s well-struck effort was tipped over by East Fife keeper Allan Fleming but the dreadlock was broken in 35 minutes when Brown drove the ball home from a Kieran Shanks cross.
Brown turned creator midway though the second half when he released O’Keefe with a superbly weighted pass and his midfield partner made it 2-0 with a cool finish.
Despite losing Conner Duthie, who was stretchered off with a serious looking injury, the visitors continued to dictate play and victory was assured 12 minutes from the end when O’Keefe recorded his second of the afternoon.
He chased a long ball out of defence before unleashing a spectacular 20-yard strike which flew past the helpless Fleming.
“We worked hard today,” continued Brown.
“Hopefully this will be the start of a long, successful season.
“We know it’s a great way to begin the campaign but we won’t be getting carried away.
“We’ll be looking to take the same attitude into the games which follow, starting next week against Stenhousemuir.”
Your #BlueToon line up for today’s match against @EastFifeFC! pic.twitter.com/Q2f9hqsWGC
— Peterhead FC (@pfcofficial) August 5, 2023
Brown has previously displayed his versatility by playing on both sides of the midfield and although he adopted a slightly deeper role at Bayview, he made it clear that he is happy to play wherever he is required.
He added: “I just enjoy playing, whether it’s on the left, the right or through the middle.
“I’m playing alongside good players and playing in any of these positions isn’t a problem for me.”
Player/co-manager Ryan Strachan was another who contributed to the victory, putting in a solid performance in the heart of defence.
He said: “I thought we were great today.
“Three goals and a clean sheet – I couldn’t have asked for a better start and we might even have scored a couple more.
“East Fife are a good team but after we scored the first goal, I felt we were relatively comfortable.”