Cowdenbeath 1, Clyde 0.

Ladbrokes League 2

Attendance-309

COWDEN were rewarded for a lot of hard graft with this very narrow win over promotion chasing Clyde.

The visitors were a good side and posed the hosts trouble, at Central Park on Saturday, but the Blues worked hard and picked up all three points.

The Cowdenbeath team showed one change with Burton O’Brien making way for Fraser Mullen in the central midfield, but again it was an area where the Fifers at times were found wanting.

They had periods in charge but too often Clyde managed to muscle their way into the game.

Indeed, it took some excellent work by the defence to keep the Bully Wee out with goalkeeper Dave McGurn very solid along with centre-backs Gerry McLauchlan, Nikolay Todorov and Jamie Pyper.

Striker’s Craig Johnston and Kris Renton got too few quality chances but the latter had a good game, grabbing the winner and bringing his team mates into the game through latching on to clearances and making fine passes.

Clyde were a pretty solid League 2 outfit and created several good chances, although their attack often ran into solid defending.

In three minutes a long Pyper throw was met by Renton and his head flick was held by John Gibson. Then Johnston collected a Renton assist and his angled shot went inches over.

In 21 minutes Clyde’s Scott McLaughlin tested McGurn with a fierce angled 25 yard free-kick but on the half hour Renton’s 20 yard drive took a deflection and roared inches wide of Gibson’s right hand post.

Ten minutes from the break Clyde’s Ewan McNeill was up with with his attack and his low shot 25 yarder crept wide.

Clyde opened the second period brightly and David Gormley fired over from the edge of the box then Todorov deflected a cross from McNeill over his own bar.

However, at the other end Kyle Miller’s 25 yarder was brilliantly finger tipped over by Gibson but soon after Gormley’s 22 yarder was brilliantly intercepted by McLauchlan then in 56 minutes former Cowden player Sean Higgins brought out a brilliant save from McGurn with a close-in flick.

Darren Miller’s curling 25 yard angled free-kick went inches wide but in 64 minutes Dean Brett’s 16 yarder brought out a quality save from Gibson after a Renton lay-off.

With ten minutes to go Cowden’s Miller came close when Todorov’s header fell to him and his left foot drive went just wide then sub Cammy Muirhead was denied by the diving Gibson as he tried to latch on to a Renton flick.

The key moment came four minutes from time when Brian Ross forced an error from the Clyde central defence and RENTON headed into the empty net from seven yards out.

Cowdenbeath: Dave McGurn (7); Dean Brett (7), Lewis Moore (7) (Shaun Rutheford 89 (2)); Gerry McLauchlan (9), Jamie Pyper (8), Nickolay Todorov (8); Fraser Mullen (6), Kyle Miller (7), Craig Johnston (6) (Cammy Muirhead 57 (3), Kris Renton (7), Brian Ross (6). Subs not used, Burton O’Brien, David Robertson, Chris Turner, Craig Sives and Jamie Sneddon.

Clyde: Gibson (7); Perry (7) McNeill (6); McNiff (6), Smith (7), McLaughlin (7); MacDonald (6), Miller (7), Higgins (7), Gormley (7), Tiffoney (6) (Ferguson 57 (3)). Subs not used, McPhee, Flynn and Caddis.

Referee-Steven Reid (7).