Their keeper Kieron Renton was the hero halfway through the first half with two saves in a minute. Firstly he used his legs to good effect to deny Craig Smart after he was presented with a one-on-one, and then he made a great block to deny Paul Ritchie after the number nine turned a Ryan Blackadder free-kick goalwards.
After the non-event that was the first half, Elgin's Craig Campbell linked up well with Martin Johnston and when the striker was sent clear he seemed certain to make it 1-0, but John Dodds came out on top.
That miss was to prove costly as Kevin Gordon rose to bullet a Blackadder cross into the net via a post.
Elgin stepped up their game after that goal with Steve Mackay and Martin Johnston prominent in their attacking manoeuvres. However, they were to be hit with a sucker punch when a bad touch turned into a good lay-off, and substitute Stephen Fortune took full advantage to rifle his first-time shot past Renton.
The breathing space was required in the end as Elgin managed to net one late in the game, although this proved merely to be a consolation. Johnston won a header and directed it into the path of Paul Kaczan, who drilled the ball high into the net.