Forfar Athletic are still looking for their first victory under Gary Bollan as their League One winless streak extended to 16 games with a narrow loss to high-flying Peterhead at Balmoor Stadium.
The Loons are now six points adrift of third-bottom Cowdenbeath whom they still have to play twice and just one in front of Angus rivals Brechin City.
Jim McInally’s Blue Toon got off to a flying start with the opener after just four minutes.
It was a nightmare for Forfar keeper Darren Hill who should have turned a 20-yarder from Nicky Riley out for a corner but instead fumbled the ball towards the back post where Rory McAllister pounced to score from a tight angle, his 27th of the season and his 100th in a Peterhead shirt.
The visitors were back in the game after a quarter of an hour.
Former Hamilton Accies striker Andy Ryan chased what appeared to be a lost cause and managed to get in a low cross that was missed by the entire Blue Toon defence and Steven Craig tapped in fron six yards.
The Loons then took the lead three minutes later. A Gavin Swankie free-kick just outside the penalty area was spilled by keeper Graeme Smith and Ryan was on hand to tap the ball over the line from a yard out.
The home side’s task was made even harder four minutes later with a straight red for defender Steven Noble for what was seen as a stamp on Ryan.
It was all square in the 42nd minute thanks to a simple goal from Shane Sutherland, who fired home a shot low into the far corner.
Despite being a man down, it was the Blue Toon that dominated from the re-start and after going close through Sutherland, sub Leighton McIntosh was on hand to sidefoot home the winner after 75 minutes.
Bollan said: “Playing against 10 men we never passed the ball or kept it well enough and we played into Peterhead’s hands by just launching the ball forward and that was massively disappointing.
“It may be a confidence thing. We have a good squad of players and when we bring the ball down and play we are a decent side and we seem to be able to do for short spells in a game and we need to learn to do that more”