Brechin have a mountain to climb after the first leg of this SPFL Championship semi-final against Alloa.
The Wasps had by far the better chances throughout with former Newcastle striker Michael Chopra opening the scoring and then deep in stoppage time on-loan Dundee defender Kyle Benedictus netted a second for the Wasps.
Brechin boss Ray McKinnon made a whole host of changes from the team that was defeated by Stranraer at the weekend with regular first-choice picks Alan Trouten, Bobby Barr, Colin Hamilton, Andy Jackson, Gerry McLauchan and keeper Graeme Smith all drafted back in to the starting line-up.
Not surprisingly considering everything that was at stake, there was a fast and furious opening to the game with neither side allowing the other a second on the ball.
The result was that the first chance of the match didn’t arrive until the 24th minute when Alloa’s Mark Docherty tried a long-range chip with the ball sailing through to land on the top of Smith’s net.
The keeper then had to be at his best just before half-time when Iain Flannigan got his head to a Docherty cross 12 yards out with Smith having to produce an outstanding save to claw the ball away for a corner.
However, the goalie was helpless to prevent Alloa taking the lead in the 56th minute. Ryan McCord sent a ball to the Brechin back post towards Buchanan who cut it back for Chopra to easily net from close range past the helpless Smith.
It was no more than Alloa deserved with City struggling as an attacking force and Wasps goalie John Gibson a virtual spectator.
McKinnon brought on Robert Thomson and then Calum Tapping in a bid to change that and it almost worked when the latter whipped in a superb ball from the right with the former just inches away from what would have been a tap-in at the Alloa back post.
Then in the 92nd minute, the Wasps Flannigan sent a corner in from the left all the way to the Brechin back post with Benedictus heading powerfully past Smith to leave the Angus side with it all to do in the second leg.
Attendance 505.
Brechin Smith, E. McNeil, Hamilton, McLean, McLauchlan, Fusco (Tapping, 72), Trouten (Ferguson, 85), Molloy, A. Jackson (Thomson, 64), Masson, Barr.
Subs not used S. Jackson, Tough, P. O’Neil.
Alloa Gibson, Doyle, Benedictus, Gordon, Chopra (Layne, 73), Cawley, Buchanan (Spence, 89), Docherty, McCord (Holmes, 80), Flannigan, Meggatt.
Subs not used Hetherington, Ferguson, Ashgar, Couser.
Referee Brian Colvin.