Cowdenbeath 0, Edinburgh City 2.

Ladbrokes League 2

Attendance-365

COWDEN chose this key game to produce their worst performance since Gary Bollan took charge.

Without the injured Blair Malcolm, and suspended Robbie Buchanan, the Blues lacked the form of recent weeks and the killer touch in front of goal and once they lost two inside four minutes they just could not force their way back into the match, despite a lot of possession.

Defensively it was not a great day for the Blue Brazil, at Central Park on Saturday, as they gave away two very avoidable strikes and it took the steam out of their challenge.

Without Malcolm the midfield lacked direction and while Mark Fotheringham worked hard, he lacked match practice.

Brad Smith opened the game well but lost his way and Kyle Miller and Fraser Mullen were not at their best.

Cammy Muirhead did well for most of the game but just could not get a goal and overall it was not a great home performance when it was needed most.

Cowdenbeath had a golden chance in the second minute when Cammy Muirhead beat two defenders in a ran along the City goal line and he turned the ball back to Brad Smith who should have done better than blast over from 10 yards.

Then within a minute at the other end City worked a decent move with the ball being crossed to Scott Shepherd who clipped the ball wide from only five yards out.

City’s veteran defender, Craig Beattie, had to go off after only eight minutes with a leg injury to be replaced by Shaun Harrison but in 19 minutes they had a chance when Shepherd again found space in the home box but he fired over.

On the half hour Swann sent over a fine cross and with Jack Whittaker racing in Pat Scullion fired the ball past his own left hand post from only six yards.

But two goals within four minutes changed the game. In 37 minutes the home defence failed to cut out a Mark Laird cross and Scott SHEPHERD lashed the ball past McGurn from close in.

Then in 41 minutes an Ashley Grimes cross from the left was knocked down by Harrison to SCULLION and he fired a fine shot into the net.

Cowden started the second period with Jordan Garden on for Fotheringham but they had to wait until the 63rd minute to have a chance when Muirhead got through only to be denied by a brave Calum Antell save.

Cowdenbeath kept getting plenty of the ball but City defended well in depth but Jack Whittaker was denied by a fine Harrison challenge and then Ryan Connelly looked to be getting free in the box but a desperate Tena tackled stopped him.

Cowdenbeath: Dave McGurn (6); Matt McInally (6), Harvey Swann (7); Jamie Pyper (6), Scott Rumsby (6), Kyle Miller (6); Fraser Mullen (6), Mark Fotheringham (6) (Jordan Garden 46 (5)), Cammy Muirhead (7) (Ryan Connelly 66 (3)), Brad Smith (6), Jack Whittaker (6) (David Syme (86 (2)). Subs not used, Shaun Rutherford, Craig Henderson, Ali Smith and Trialist.

Edinburgh City: Antell (7); Hall (7) (Caddow 86 (2)), Tena (8); Scullion (7), Beattie (3) (Harrison 8 (6)), Laird (6); Henderson (7), Shepherd (7), El Alagui (6), Walker (6), Grimes (7) (Blues 64 (3)). Subs not used, Mackie, Allan, Nathan-Kay and Morton.

Referee-Lloyd Wilson (6).