COWDENBEATH got their first three point haul of the league season with a brave performance in the most difficult of circumstances.

Although the players missing since the start of the season, Fraser Mullen and Robbie Buchanan, were back in the side along with Jamie Todd, ‘keeper Ross Sinclair was a late call-off with striker Kris Renton and midfielders Mikey Herd and Cian Kavanagth, along with long time injuries Jamie Pyper and Gavin Morrison, and only five subs were listed!

Then things got worse after half an hour when David Cox was ordered off, following an incident after being fouled, but the gallant ten battled on gamely.

Young ‘keeper, Mac Whyte, stepped in for Sinclair and produced a fine display, dealing with everything that City could throw at him. Mullen was very solid, along with his wing back colleague Ross Clarke, while in the central defensive area skipper Craig Barr, Graham Hay and Jamie Todd were rock solid.

In midfield, Kyle Miller, Brad Smith and Buchanan competed fiercely and created a good few openings, and while City saw a lot of the ball they seldom posed Cowden too many problems and Graham Taylor took on the striker role after Cox’s dismissal, and was a very useful performer.

Edinburgh were soon up the park though and home midfielder Andrew Black fired in a 19 yarder which Whyte saved well.

City were starting to get the edge over the makeshift Cowdenbeath team and forced two corners which the Blues defended well.

Then it was a corner for Cowdenbeath, and with Todd, Barr and Hay up for it the home defence did well to get the ball clear.

There was drama in the 33rd minute when Cox was fouled by Craig Thomson and was involved in an incident after the free-kick had been given with the referee producing a straight red card.

Thomson was booked and as City looked to take advantage of their extra man Raffa De Vita fired in a 12 yarder which Whyte dived to make a magnificent save and then seven minutes from the break Todd blocked a Josh Campbell drive.

Cowden were having to work hard to keep a grip on the game and on the interval whistle Barr made a superb block on a De Vita 20 yarder.

Happy to go in at the break level with ten men, Cowdenbeath forced a corner in the fourth minute of the second period and Barr got to the ball firstwith his powerful header roaring inches wide.

The home side made a double substitution seven minutes in with Ousman See and Marc Laird replacing Black and Liam Brown as they sought to get the key opening goal.

And they threatened just before the hour when ex-Cowden midfielder, Liam Henderson, fired inches wide from 22 yards.

However, in the 65th minute at the other end Barr got in another effort which suffered the same fate of his header.

Three minutes later City’s Blair Henderson got his head to a cross from Thomson and his effort went just went too high.

Hay, working hard as part of the Blues’ defensive set-up , had to concede a corner but See’s header from the set piece went too high, but at the other end Cowden’s Taylor worked good space for himself and his 20 yard shot was well saved by Calum Antell.

However, with 12 minutes left Cowden took a shock lead. Some good approach work from the Blue Brazil saw the ball fall to SMITH only seven yards out and he coolly fired a low shot past Antell.

City stepped up the pressure in the closing ten minutes and forced three corners, but the danger was cleared by the hard working Blues’ defensive unit to claim all three points.

Edinburgh City: Antell (7); Thomson (6), Newman (6); L Henderson (7), Balatoni (6), Black (6) (Laird 52 (3)); Campbell (6), Handling (7) (Jardine 81 (2)), B Henderson (6), De Vita (7) (McGill 66 (3)), Brown (6) (See 52 (3)). Subs not used, Quate, Hamilton, Cunningham, Butterworth and Sharp.

Cowdenbeath: Mac Whyte (7); Fraser Mullen (7, Ross Clarke (7); Jamie Todd (8), Craig Barr (7), Kyle Miller (7); Graham Taylor (7), Graham Hay (7), David Cox (4), Brad Smith (7), Robbie Buchanan (7). Subs not used, Harvey Swann, Jacob Glass, Lewis Owens, Ollie Hamilton and Craig Easton.

Referee-Craig Graham (7).