Cowdenbeath 1, Livingston 0.

SPFL Championship Attendance-542 THREE vital Championship points for Cowdenbeath and they defended brilliantly to achieve the result they needed to get off the foot of the table.

With some of the injury problems clearing, the Blues had a pretty strong team out but still they had to field an emergency full-back pairing, with midfielder Jon Robertson filling in on the right and Kyle Miller moving to the left, and both played superbly.

Their defensive work and ability to spring forward and create chances was an exciting feature of the Cowdenbeath performance and in the centre of the back four, Nat Wedderburn and Marcus Fraser were equally as effective.

Behind them Robbie Thomson was not overworked, but when he had to he pulled off three brilliant saves to shut-out Livingston at Central Park on Saturday.

The midfield featured Thomas O’Brien, Lewis Milne, Colin Marshall and Callum Gallagher, and while they had a quiet first period they were more assured in the second and worked really hard to compete with the best part of the Livi team.

Up front Kudus Oyenuga and Sean Higgins both should have scored and were not as sharp as usual but they held the ball up well and linked with their midfield and full-backs.

It was not particularly pretty, but the result was everything and the workrate assured that Livi’s losing run continued.

Livingston had a chance in five minutes when a Keaghan Jacobs free-kick deep into the home box saw Craig Sives’ header hit the side net.

Cowdenbeath had a positive break forward in the 9th minute when Kyle Miller pushed the ball past his marker and chased it and he was just pipped by the outrushing Darren Jamieson.

In 17 minutes Gary Glen took up good position 25 yards out and his 22 yarder went just wide but a minute later, at the other end, Higgins got a clear view of Jamieson’s goal but hurried his finish and shot over when he should have buried the opportunity.

In 23 minutes Oyenuga fed Gallagher with a good pass and his flick was brilliantly blocked by Jamieson.

On the half hour Cowdenbeath forced three corners in a matter for seconds but nothing came of them and at the break there was no surprise that the scoreline was blank.

Two minutes into the second-half Cowden went close when Robertson’s low cross was met first time by Oyenuga and his low effort went inches wide and then Miller worked a good move and his shot was blocked by a packed Livi rearguard.

However, in 54 minutes the Fifers went ahead. A neat Cowden move involving Milne and Higgins saw GALLAGHER beat the off-side trap and he coolly slotted the ball past Jamieson.

Then Cowden threatened to take a real grip of the game and Oyenuga and Miller had good efforts which were blocked.

At the other end sub Mike McKenna’s flick was brilliantly deflected over by Thomson and then as Livingston pressed a header from Fordyce was palmed over by Thomson.

To their credit Livi kept battling but the Cowdenbeath defensive work assured the points were staying at home and in the closing seconds Thomson pulled off another fine save from sub Rob Ogleby.

Cowdenbeath: Robbie Thomson (9); Jon Robertson (7), Kyle Miller (8); Thomas O’B rien (7) (Pat Scullion 86 (2)), Nat Wedderburn (8), Marcus Fraser (8); Colin Marshall (7), Lewis Milne (7) (Darren Brownlie 72 (3)), Kudus Oyenuga (6), Sean Higgins (6) (Craig Johnston 82 (2)), Callum Gallagher (7). Subs not used, Iain Campbell, Chris Kane, Declan Hughes and Jamie Sneddon.

Livingston: Jamieson (7); Sives (7), Talbot (7); Fordyce (6), Kyle Jacobs (6), Hippolyte (4) (White 46 (5); Glen (6) (Ogleby 66 (3), Robertson (6) McKenna 66 (3), Gallagher (7), Keaghan Jacobs (7), Mullen (6). Subs not used, Mensing, Beaumont, Rutherford and Grant.

Referee-Alan Muir (6).