Brechin blew a chance to move closer to the League One play-off positions, when a first-half hat-trick from Martin Grehan saw them crash 3-1 at home to Stranraer.
The sides cancelled each other out in the opening quarter of the game, and it was Stranraer that took the lead on 26 minutes, hitting on the break with Grehan tapping home from a Mark Docherty pass.
On 34 minutes Paul McLean was booked for bringing down Andy Stirling on a run into the box and Grehan scored from the spot. David McKenna then missed a sitter when he failed to connect with a Sean Winter pass in front of goal.
Stranraer made it 3-0 on 40 minutes when Grant Gallagher headed down for Grehan to blast home. Brechin got a goal back on 59 minutes when Robert Thomson slipped the ball through for Andy Jackson.
Hopes of a fightback were dashed on 66 minutes when McLean collected a second booking for another foul on Stirling. A Bobby Barr drive that was pushed away by David Mitchell was the closest Brechin came to scoring again.
At the other end Smith had to make an outstanding double save from McKenna and Grehan. Brechin boss Ray McKinnon said: “We were abysmal in the first half, the worst we have played all season.
“To lose three goals on the counter-attack was suicidal.”
He added: “We needed to score the next goal at the start of the second half and did so, but decision-making hurt us again when Paul McLean got sent off, which ended our chances of coming back.”
McKinnon took no consolation from the fact Brechin did not lose any ground on fourth-placed Ayr.
“In the last two weeks we have had great opportunities to claw our way into the play-off spots but have lost twice. We must work hard and try to address this next week.”