Battling Blue Brazil get first win with Forthbank fight-back

Published 17 Aug 2010 12:54 0 Comments

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Stirling Albion 1, Cowdenbeath 3.

A FINE second-half performance at Forthbank on Saturday gave Cowdenbeath their first win in the Barrs Irn Bru First Division.

When Stirling Albion went in at the break a goal up visiting fans would have been fearing another day where their team would be very much in the game but firing blanks.

But in the second period Cowden were razor sharp in front of goal and they could have scored more than three.

It was another good team performamnce from the Blue Brazil. The defence was very solid with John Armstrong recovering from an injury to put in a top class show along with Kenny Adamson, Scott Linton, Mark Baxter and Dean Brett, who played a half each. Baxter had to go off with a tight hamstring at the interval but the youngster stepped in to cap his display with a brilliantly taken goal.

In midfield Colin Cameron put on another first class performance, keeping the ball moving from side to side to stretch the hosts.

Lee Sibanda made his debut and showed some lovely touches and also found the net while Craig Winter used his experience to the full.

In attack John Dempster was again a fine link in the Cowden set-up and broke his duck with a good finish and he could have added to his tally.

The afternoon began with Stirling unfurling the flag to mark their Second Division Championship success last season but Cowden soon had the home defenders in trouble.

Marc McKenzie's pace was a problem for them and in one raid he got away from the cover but shot wide.

Dempster tested home 'keeper Scott Christie with a low shot but at the other end Chris Aitken shot over and David Hay, who was in good form, gathered a Nathan Taggart effort.

After a good opening Cowden paid for some slackness eight minutes from the break. Aitken's corner posed problems for the visitors and before the defence could close him down Scott ROBERTSON fired the ball past Hay.

Brett replaced Baxter at the interval and Cowden started the second-half well and levelled the game in 61 minutes. As home 'keeper Christie struggled to get to a ball swung over, SIBANDA gleefully nodded into the net.

Cowdenbeath were playing some good football now and in 70 minutes took the lead. A nice move saw BRETT latch onto the ball and his well place 20 yarder thumped the foot of a post before bouncing into the net.

There was more trouble for Albion two minutes later when Aitken received a second booking for a foul on Mark Ramsay and had to leave the field.

And Cowden kept probing away at the now short-handed home side and in 77 minutes DEMPSTER completed a great day for the Blues when he held off several challenges before firing wide of Christie.

Stirling Albion: Christie; Corrigan, Forsyth; McDonald (Kirwan 79), Buist, Kane (Colquhoun 68); Gibson (Mullen 81), Aitken, Smith, Robertson, Taggart. Subs not used, Borris and Reidford.

Cowdenbeath: Hay; Baxter (Brett 45), Linton; Winter, Armstrong, Adamson; McKenzie (Fairbairn 75), Cameron, Dempster, Ramsay, Sibanda (O'Brien 75). Subs not used, Stewart and Roy.

Referee-Mike Tumilty. Attendance-820.

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