Forfar Athletic 3, Cowdenbeath 1.

Ladbrokes League 2

Attendance-547

AFTER things going well for Cowdenbeath for 45 minutes at Station Park on Saturday suddenly things turned on their head and to make matters worse it was two former Blue Brazilians who put the knife into the Cowden cause.

Inside the first 20 minutes Cowdenbeath were in front and looking to be on course for a decent result as they carved out some good openings.

But then things started to go wrong when referee Colin Steven was injured just before the break and the interval lasted half an hour so that someone was found to run the line while one of the assistants took over.

That extra 15 minutes break seemed to knock Cowdenbeath out of their stride and Forfar came out for the second period much more determined.

They levelled ten minutes into the second period and from that point on it was the home team who carried all the aces and goals from Thomas O’Brien and Lewis Milne took the game away from the Blue Brazil.

Gerry McLauchlan was missing from the Cowden rearguard and Jamie Pyper joined Shaun Rutherford and Scott Rumsby in the middle of the defence and the system worked pretty well until Forfar turned the screw in the second period.

Dale Carrick made his appearance in a Cowden shirt and looked dangerous, he scored and fired in a couple of shots which tested the Forfar ‘keeper Grant Adam, another former Cowdenbeath player.

Cowden started the game well and had Forfar pinned back early on and Carrick warmed Adam’s hands with a low shot before Fraser Mullen’s 25 free-kick drifted over.

The Loons struggled in the early stages and Dave McGurn had little to do until Danny Denholm got free of his marker and tested the visiting ‘keeper.

Cowden broke through in the 17th minute when some enterprising play from Lewis Moore gave CARRICK space from close range and his header gave Adam no chance.

There could have been more for the Blues with Kris Renton going close and then Kyle Miller’s shot just too high.

Just before the break Referee Steven pulled up but managed to make it to the interval and after a search for a new assistant the game re-started with Ryan Oliver in charge but Cowden still had chances.

Renton shot wide from only ten yards out then Carrick’s point blank shot was saved by Adam.

But on 54 minutes Josh PETERS’ cross-cum shot dipped in to the net, then 15 minutes later O’BRIEN finished well from a well taken set piece.

The Cowden heads needed to stay up if they were to get anything from the game but with 13 minutes left MILNE put the end to Cowdenbeath’s hopes with a 25 yarder which McGurn failed to get to.

Forfar Athletic: Adam (7); Bain (6), Malone (6); O’Brien (7), Munro (6), Travis (6); Scott (7), Milne (8), Cox (6), Peters (7), Denholm (7). Subs not used, Malcolm, Kennedy, McCawl, Fotheringham, Aitken, Lister and McGovern.

Cpwdenbeath: Dave McGurn (6); Dean Brett (6) (Burton O’Brien 90 (2)), Lewis Moore (6); Jamie Pyper (6), Scott Rumsby (6), Shaun Rutherford (7); Fraser Mullen (6), Kyle Miller (6), Dale Carrick (7), Kris Renton (6), Liam Henderson. Subs not used, Craig Johnston, Cammy Muirhead, Harvey Swann, Gerry McLauchlan and Shaun Donoghue.

Referee-Colin Steven (5).