Cowdenbeath 1, East Kilbride 1

(after extra-time, Cowden win 5-3 on penalties).

League 2 Play-off

Attendance-1676

THEY may have previously missed six successive penalties in League 2 games but there was nothing wrong with Cowdenbeath's spot-kicks on Saturday.

After the match had ended 1-1, including the extra half hour, it was on to a shoot-out and Fraser Mullen, Kris Renton, David Syme, Craig Johnston and Liam Henderson stroked their 12 yard shots effortlessly into the net while Jamie Sneddon’s save from Paul Woods opened the door for victory.

The game itself was another one of those that should have seen the Blues out of sight inside 15 minutes. They scored one, hit the bar and missed two snips but credit to EK, they got over their awful start and equalised after the break and gave as good as they got in the closing stages.

It was then that skipper Scott Rumsby was a tower of strength alongside Jamie Pyper, David Syme and Fraser Mullen in ensuring that Cowdenbeath were always in this second leg.

Dale Carrick and Kris Renton ran their socks off in attack and Liam Henderson was another 120 percenter for the cause.

The Blues eventually got there but had they made such an expert job of the spot-kicks in their league games as here they would have been nowhere near the bottom four clubs.

Cowden took the lead in two minutes when Kyle Miller and Kris Renton set up MULLEN and his 14 yarder flew low past Matt McGinley.

In 10 minutes Carrick’s 20 yarder was only inches too high, then Carrick brought out a fine save from McGinley and from Mullen’s corner the striker’s header hit the EK bar.

East Kilbride started the second period well and levelled things in 64 minutes when a slack clearance fell to Keiran GIBBONS 25 yards out and his low shot crept into the net at Sneddon’s right hand post.

There were no more goals and it was on to the dramatic shoot-out.

Cowdenbeath: Jamie Sneddon (7); Jamie Pyper (6), David Syme (7); Gerry McLauchlan (6), Scott Rumsby (9), Kyle Miller (7) (Burton O’Brien 85 (2)); Robbie Buchanan (6) (Lewis Moore 85 (2)), Fraser Mullen (8), Dale Carrick (7) (Craig Johnston 118 (2)), Kris Renton (6), Liam Henderson (6). Subs not used, Matt Rooney, Cammy Muirhead and Dave McGurn.

East Kilbride: McGinley (8); Stevenson (6) (McLaren 90 (2)), Russell (7) (Coll 108 (2)); Proctor (7), Howie (7), Gibbons (7); Winter (7) (McLean 115 (2)), McLeish (6), Woods (7), Strachan (6), Victoria (7). Subs not used, Hughes, McBride, McNeill and Kean.

Referee-Craig Charleston (6).