Cowdenbeath 0, Stirling Albion 2.

Ladbrokes League 2

Attendance-388

THIS game had yet another sorry tale for Cowden as they missed chance after chance, including a penalty, then lost avoidable goals.

The Blues could easily have been three up in the first 10 minutes but they failed to convert easy chances and then were penalised, at Central Park, on Saturday.

Stirling’s ‘keeper Chris Smith had an inspired first period when he defied Cowden and it set the visitors up for victory.

Cowden kept trying hard and they still had chances to make a difference to the result after the break but were completely off target.

Dale Carrick missed a penalty and should have scored at least twice but Kris Renton was not at his best. All in all another poor overall performance, although they did create good chances on this occasion.

Both Albion goals were basically crosses into the box which were not dealt with and when Albion got ahead they did not make any errors.

In the first minute Cowden had a chance when Dale Carrick sent over a perfect cross but the unmarked Brian Ross fell over trying to head into the empty net, but within seconds at the other end Darren Smith worked a chance for himself but he shot straight at Sneddon.

Then in five minutes Renton was hauled down in the Albion box by Ross McGeachie but Chris Smith dived to save Carrick’s spot-kick.

In 10 minutes it was Albion who had a chance when Sean Dickson’s low 12 yarder was pushed around the post by Sneddon.

Six minutes later Robbie Buchanan got around Smith and fired in a low shot but Liam Caddis slid the ball off the line.

Then in 19 minutes Albion took the lead. Connor McMullan fired the ball into the Cowden box and Ross SMITH got his head to it first and the ball cannoned low into the net.

Cowdenbeath were defied by Chris Smith again when Ross was set up only 10 yards out and his fierce shot was brilliantly blocked by the ‘keeper at full stretch.

Five minutes from the break Albion almost got a second when Darren Smith beat Sneddon but Shaun Rutherford got back to clear off the line.

But a minute after the interval Stirling did stretch their lead. Caddis sent over a cross and DICKSON fired the ball low into the net from the middle of the box.

Cowden came close in 68 minutes when sub Kyle Miller looked certain to score but Smith made another fine block on the edge of his six yard box.

Then with eight minutes left Carrick raced into the box and his left foot shot was blocked by Ross Smith’s foot. He just could not fashion a goal.

Cowdenbeath: Jamie Sneddon (6); Jamie Pyper (5), Gerry McLauchlan (5), Scott Rumsby (5), Shaun Rutherford (6); Robbie Buchanan (6), Liam Henderson (5), Brian Ross (5), (Cammy Muirhead 73 (3)), Lewis Moore (6) (Kyle Miller 60 (3)); Dale Carrick (6), Kris Renton (5). Subs not used, Burton O’Brien, Gary Glen, Craig Johnston and Davie McGurn.

Stirling Albion: C Smith (9); McGeachie (6), Quigley (7), R Smith (7), Dickson (7); Kavanagh (6), Caddis (7), D Smith (7) (Colquhoun 62, (3), Forsyth 73 (3)), McMullan (6) (McLaren 62 (3)); Henderson (7), Black (6). Subs not used, Wright, Mills, Jefferies and Binnie.

Referee-Graham Beaton (6).