SO Cowdenbeath go into the second international break of the season having picked up just one point in the four games played since Scotland’s last World Cup qualifying sojourn.

But more to the point is that the Blue Brazil have scored just one goal in these matches and have conceded seven, albeit four of these were in one game.

Cowden lie in bottom spot in Ladbrokes League 2 on five points from their eight games and are just one point behind Edinburgh City and three behind Clyde, but really the single goal defeats have been costly.

When the season re-opens on October 14, with a William Hill Scottish Cup-tie with East Kilbride, Cowdenbeath are going to have to seriously up their goal output or the wins they so desperately need are going to be hard to come by.

Manager Billy Brown has been trying different striking partnerships in a bid to break the goal drought without success.

At Annan he changed things at half-time but no matter what the Blues tried they just could not fashion a goal.

He is acutely aware that the total of just three goals in eight games is simply just not good enough while the defensive situation is the opposite.

The Peterhead game apart, Cowden have conceded just 10 goals but it is at the other end of the park the problems lie.

Mr Brown was very frustrated by what he saw at Annan: “Like seven of the eight games we have played it was a very tight match with neither side really creating a lot of good chances.

“But we did find ourselves in a couple of good positions and failed to really work their ‘keeper.

“In the first period we really did not look like scoring so I changed things at half-time but still we lacked a real threat and although we had plenty of the ball we did not create any good openings.”

He brought on trialist Jordan Garden at half-time and he worked hard as did Cammy Muirhead but they could not get a goal.

Mr Brown added: “Jordan did well at Clyde when he came on and scored for the 20s in midweek and tried really hard when he came on but the ball would just not fall for him in front of goal.

“Certainly the injury to Jamie Pyper has seen Fraser Mullen have to play at right-back and that has taken him out of the midfield which has had an impact on our play in an attacking sense.

“Hopefully Jamie and Shaun Rutherford will be available for the Scottish Cup-tie with East Kilbride at Central Park a week on Saturday and that could help to get us our strongest squad together for what is an important game for the club and then the visit of Stirling Albion the following week.”