Annan Athletic 1 , Cowdenbeath 1.

Ladbrokes League 2

Attendance-299

ANOTHER red card for Cowden, this time at Galabank on Saturday, but at least this time they came away from a match with some reward for their efforts.

Things looked good for Cowdenbeath when they took a first-half lead and they had a lot of possession, but like so often this season could not get the key second goal.

But in the second period Annan came back at them and grabbed an equaliser with 20 minutes to go and then Jamie Pyper was red carded with ten to go and left the side again short handed, but they defended bravely to take their points tally in to double figures.

Dave McGurn had a very good game for the Blues make several good saves but that elusive shut-out somehow escaped him again.

It was a case of same again for the Fifers after their encouraging performance at Stirling on Wednesday and again they were solid at the rear until Pyper’s indiscretion late on.

Full-backs Matt McInally and Harvey Swann were both stalwarts for the Cowden cause and defended well and got forward time and time again.

David Cox and Robbie Buchanan occasionally posed problems for Annan but neither hit the score sheet and that honour went to Brad Smith who had a generally good game in midfield.

The opening stages of the game saw Annan have a bigger share of the ball but other than a couple of corners they did not bother McGurn over much and really there was not a serious attempt at goal until the 27th minute when Robbie Buchanan’s fierce drive from 10 yards was held by Mitchell.

Two minutes later Cowdenbeath were ahead. Cox made the incisive path and SMITH fired the ball high into the net from the right hand side of the Annan box.

Seconds later Cox fired in 14 yarder which flew just too high and if a second goal was going to come it looked like the Blues would get it but at the break only the one strike separated the teams.

After a quiet opening to the second-half Annan started to get a grip on the midfield and Rabin Omar shot just over but the Cowden defence looked solid until the 70th minute when OMAR took James Creaney’s ball and shot past McGurn from the centre of the box.

This pepped up Annan and Steven Swinglehurst and Blair Henderson saw McGurn defy them then with ten minutes left Pyper clashed with Henderson running in towards the Cowden penalty area and the referee judged it to be a professional foul.

The ten men closed ranks and only Omar looked capable of doing much for Annan but failed to add to his tally.

Annan Athletic: Mitchell (7); Hooper (6), Creaney (7) (Brannan 85 (2)); Horne (6), Watson (7), Swinglehurst (6); O’Keefe (6), Omar (7), Smith (6), Henderson (7), Armour (6) (Salkeld 65 (3)). Subs not used, Sonkur, Henry, Roberts, Atkinson and Hogg.

Cowdenbeath: Dave McGurn (8); Matt McInally (7), Harvey Swann (7); Jamie Pyper (5), Scott Rumsby (7), Kyle Miller (6); Fraser Mullen (7), Blair Malcolm (7), David Cox (7), Brad Smith (7) (Trialist 82 (2)), Robbie Buchanan (7). Subs not used, Mark Fortheringham, Jordan Hornby, Craig Henderson, Brandon Luke and Blair Penman.

Referee-Steven Reid (6).