Cowdenbeath 3, Forfar Athletic 4 .

Ladbrokes League 2

Attendance-277

A GOAL in time added on gave the Loons the win they did not deserve, at Central Park on Saturday.

Cowden had competed well throughout the 90 minutes but were caught out by Forfar dangerman Gavin Swankie in the third extra minute.

The ball was re-centred then the full-time whistle went and Cowdenbeath were left staring up from the bottom of the table.

They were equal to the league leaders throughout but as the old adage says, when Lady Luck Turns Her Head!

This was a real thriller played in a strong wind which made things really difficult for both defences.

Forfar were a useful side and were always dangerous but the Blues also carried a lot of danger with young Cammy Muirhead and Kris Renton looking a potent strike force.

In midfield Kyle Miller and Brian Ross were busy throughout and Fraser Mullen scored two cracking goals.

However, the strong wind posed the home defence plenty of worries and they should have done better at least two of the goals conceded .

In 12 minutes Forfar has the first opportunity with a Danny Denholm cross-cum-shot which Dave McGurn held well from all of 20 yards range but three minutes later Cowden threatened when Miller and Renton combined and set up Brian Ross whose 18 yarder was brilliantly parried by Grant Adam.

In 19 minutes only a fine tackle by Forfar skipper Stuart Malcolm stopped the clean through Muirhead and in 25 minutes Renton’s 22 yarder brought out a another fine save from Adam, but there was nothing the ‘keeper could do a minute later.

After a foul on Muirhead 30 yards out Fraser MULLEN’s free-kick flew over the wall and Adam to put the Blues ahead.

But within four minutes the Loons were level. A Jamie Bain cross was not picked up by the home defence and former Cowden player, Lewis MILNE, headed past a stranded McGurn.

Then four minutes from the break the Loons took the lead when the home defence was caught out by another Bain cross and SWANKIE steadied himself before blasting a 16 yard shot high into the net.

Cowden, facing the strong breeze, levelled ten minutes into the second-half. MULLEN was the man who mattered again with angled free-kick from the left which had both the Loons central defence and Adam bemused and the ball bounced into the net.

Cowden threatened again in 63 minutes when Brett’s 16 yarder was brilliantly saved by Adam.

The Blues then took the lead in 67 when RENTON held off Bain’s challenge and ran through to clip the ball past Adam, but within three minutes Josh PETERS fired in the equaliser after finding space to the right side of the home box.

Cowden could have gone ahead again through Renton but in time added on SWANKIE got too much space, from a Cox knock down, and scored the winner.

Cowdenbeath: Dave McGurn (7); Dean Brett (6), Lewis Moore (6); Gerry McLauchlan (6), Jamie Pyper (5) (Shaun Rutherford 46 (6)), Nikolay Todorov (6); Fraser Mullen (6), Kyle Miller (6), Cammy Muirhead (6) (Craig Johnston 75 (3)), Kris Renton (6), Brian Ross (6). Subs not used, Burton O’Brien, David Robertson, Chris Turner, Gary Glen and Jamie Sneddon.

Forfar Athletic: Adam (7); Kennedy (6), Bain (7); Malcolm (6), O’Brien (6), Fotheringham (6); Peters (6), Milne (6) (Scott 42 (6)), Cox (6), Swankie (8), Denholm (7) (McCawl 77 (3)). Subs not used, Travis, Munro, Smith, Aitken and McGovern.

Referee-Grant Irvine (6).