Cowdenbeath 1, Clyde 0.

Ladbrokes League 2

Attendance-460

ANOTHER great result for Cowdenbeath with the gap with Clyde now down to one point.

It was an understandably nervy affair, at Central Park on Saturday, with good football at a premium but the Blues put on a hard working show.

Cowden fielded an unchanged team for the third successive game and they had some good moments, but again were guilty of some slack finishing.

Defensively the Blue Brazil had to work hard against a Clyde attack that had the dangerous Peter Macdonald prominent alongside David Gormley and Gerry McLauchlan and Scott Rumsby were outstanding alongside Jamie Sneddon.

Jamie Pyper and Shaun Rutherford defended bravely at full-back and in midfield Liam Henderson worked hard alongside Kyle Miller as did Fraser Mullen.

Up front Dale Carrick had a good game for Cowdenbeath, scored a fine goal and generally carried danger every time he had the ball, but Kris Renton found things not running for him.

At the end of the day the important thing was the result which puts the Blue Brazil only a point adrift of the Bully Wee and four behind this coming weekend’s opponents, Edinburgh City.

Clyde made a bright start and in five minutes Peter Macdonald looked certain to score but McLauchlan put in a last ditch tackle and the danger was cleared.

Cowden retaliated and Fraser Mullen corner looked like it was on Kris Renton’s head but Jordan McMillan got in a timely interception.

Then in 13 minutes Henderson’s cross was met by David Syme but his 10 yard header drifted just over, then two minutes later Miller set up Renton but with a clear view of Kyle Gourlay’s goal he fluffed his shot wide.

In 21 minutes a long throw from Pyper was nodded on by Renton but Henderson dragged his finish wide from only 10 yards out.

Five minutes later a Carrick lay-off set up Miller 20 yards out and Gourlay dived to save but on the half hour Macdonald ran 15 yards unchallenged before firing a low left foot drive inches wide.

Cowden had a good chance in 35 minutes when Miller latched on to Carrick’s pass but Martin McNiff put in a superb tackle to take the ball away for a corner when the home midfielder seemed certain to score.

But two minutes later at the other end it was Sneddon to the rescue with a fine diving block from Phil Johnston’s low 12 yarder.

The Bully Wee had a chance in 50 minutes when a cross from the left fell to Kevin Rutkiewicz and his fierce 14 yard was held by the diving Sneddon.

But two minutes later the Blues took the lead. A mistake by Jordan McMillan let CARRICK break clean through and he fired a 14 yarder past Gourlay.

With 17 minutes left Carrick almost got on the end of a headed pass-back from Scott McGlaughlin but a brave save from Gourlay kept him out. By this time Clyde had sent on controversial striker David Goodwillie but McLauchlan and Rumsby handled the situation.

Sneddon pulled off a brilliant one handed save from a fierce McNiff 16 yarder soon after then at the other end Mullen’s 20 yarder was well saved by Gourlay and Cowden held on to collect a valuable three points.

Cowdenbeath: Jamie Sneddon (7); Jamie Pyper (7), Shaun Rutherford (7); Gerry McLauchlan (7), Scott Rumsby (7), Kyle Miller (7) (Brian Ross 63 (3)); Fraser Mullen (7), Liam Henderson (7), Dale Carrick (8), Kris Renton (6), David Syme (7). Sub not used, Lewis Moore, Burton O’Brien, Craig Johnston, Robbie Buchanan, Cammie Muirhead and Dave McGurn.

Clyde: Gourlay (7); Johnston (7), Waddle (6); Rutkiewicz (7), McMillan (7) McGlaughlin (6); Flynn (7) (Ferguson 76 (3)), McNiff (7), Gormley (6), Macdonald (7) (Goodwillie 66 (3)), Lochhead (6) (Finnie 64 (3)). Subs not used, McKenzie, Higgins and Gibson.

Referee-Grant Irvine (6).