Peterhead went into the season knowing that they were one of the teams liable to be battling against relegation, and so it proved, yet they still achieved a seventh-placed finish in the league, ultimately avoiding the worst of the battle after finding form at the right time.
Injury issues plagued Peterhead early in the season and, by the time they had played their first seven games, losing five of those, they found themselves firmly in the relegation zone. Much of their poor form, however, had come about due to an inability to find the net.
At no point this season would Peterhead ever be considered prolific, but they managed to tighten up their defensive work, notably grinding out three 1-0 victories after the shutdown to earn some breathing space. These were typically achieved in an ugly but effective manner.
Peterhead did not have what would be considered a big weapon in their squad. Ben Armour did a decent job leading the line but was hindered by persistent hamstring troubles, while the promising Josh Mulligan was severely restricted by injury. Their best area was the midfield sector, particularly after Jordon Brown returned from Cove Rangers.
The defence, meanwhile, proved to be clutch at important times. Manager Jim McInally was often able to shrewdly rotate his team to plug gaps in the rearguard, which should have been far more evident than they were made to appear. Ryan Conroy, for instance, spent much of the season playing an unfamiliar left-back role.
In goal, they were a little error prone, and that could be one area they look at over the summer.
Peterhead certainly cannot afford to rest on this season. They rode their luck to some extent, but were at least able to capitalise on it.
