Livingston 1 , Cowdenbeath 1.

SPFL Championship.

Attendance-826 COWDEN collected a very useful point at Livingston to stretch their lead over Alloa to two points.

It was not one of the Blue Brazil’s better performances this season and indeed, they had to survive one or two tense moments to grab only their third draw of the season and their first point of 2015.

It was very important that Cowdenbeath did not lose this game and they worked very hard throughout .

All the heroes were at the back. Although ‘keeper Robbie Thomson could be faulted at Livi’s opener, he saved a penalty and generally dealt well with everything the desperate home side could throw at him.

Full-backs Kyle Miller and Jordan Halsman were very solid, and even took time off their defensive duties to pose a few problems for the hosts with some penetrating runs from deep.

Centre-backs Nat Wedderburn and Darren Brownlie dealt well with the tricky Jordan White and Myles Hippolyte in attack for Livi, and played their part in the visitors earning a draw.

The midfield also worked hard, but found themselves struggling to take control of the game and without Lewis Milne, the department lacked the ability to carve out good openings.

It meant that strikers Sean Higgins and Kudus Oyenuga did not get many good chances.

Cowden got off to the worst sort of start losing a goal in the fourth minute. Livi burst forward and a cross from Keaghan Jacobs was not properly dealt with by Thomson and the ball fell for Danny MULLEN to slot home from close in.

As the home side continued to look the better lot Jordan White’s header was well held by the Cowdenbeath ‘keeper, then Hippolyte’s left foot drive was dealt with by the busy last line.

Cowdenbeath started to get back into the picture and in 25 minutes they were level.

A good move by the Fifers saw Thomas O’Brien send the ball through and home central defender, Simon MENSING, facing his own goal seemed to panic and sent a pass-back into his own net.

This should have perked-up the Blue Brazil challenge but the game died for a spell with neither side able to create a lot of chances.

Cowden’s best effort was a Miller angled drive which went wide and before the break Livi went close again with a Hyppolyte effort which drifted wide.

The second-half saw the home side start the livelier lot again and Kyle Jacobs fired in a 20 yarder which slipped just wide and then a minute later a Mullen shot produced a good save from Thomson.

Cowden got moving and Oyenuga worked good space and his drive went wide but a minute later the home side had a golden chance to take the lead.

Brownlie fouled Kyle Jacobs in the Cowden box, and after he was booked, Thomson dived to brilliantly save White’s penalty.

This give Cowdenbeath a real boost and Oyenuga saw Darren Jamieson save brilliantly from his right foot shot when seconds later his left foot effort went inches wide.

As the clock ran down it was clear that a goal for either side would clinch the points but Cowden were struggling to put together many penetrating moves.

Livi’s Mullen had a shot blocked by Wedderburn but towards the end Lewis Milne had a go from well outside the box and the effort was just wide.

The Cowden defence did well to hold on and guarantee a very useful point.

Livingston: Jamieson (7); Keaghan Jacobs (6), Talbot (6); Mensing (6), Fordyce (6), O’Brien (7) (Praprotnik 87 (2)); Kyle Jacobs (7), Mullen (7), White (6), Hippolyte (6) (Burchill 81 (2)), Gallagher (6). Subs not used, Sives, Robertson, Walker, Beaumont and Rutherford.

Cowdenbeath: Robbie Thomson (8); Kyle Miller (7), Jordan Halsman (7); Thomas O’Brien (6), Darren Brownlie (7), Nat Wedderburn (7); Jon Robertson (6), Colin Marshall (6), Kudus Oyenuga (6), Sean Higgins (7) (Lewis Milne 72 (3)), Declan Hughes (6). Subs not used, Chris Kane, Iain Campbell, Pat Scullion, Dean Brett, Liam Callaghan and Jamie Sneddon.

Referee-George Salmond (7).