A LAST minute goal gave Stranraer the winner at Central Park last night and have left Cowdenbeath struggling in the lower reaches to League 2.

The Blues did not play as well as they did against Annan but were in charge in the second period and when ace marksman, Liam Buchanan, fired them ahead they looked in control of an ordinary looking Stranraer side.

But late on they made a bad defensive judgement which cost them the leveller, then with virtually the last kick of the game they lost to a amazing 25 yard strike.

Stranraer had the first chance in three minutes when Ross Irving sent over a good cross from the right which Emile Ngoy failed by only inches to reach in the home six yard box.

In ten minutes Irving was again the man involved when his angled shot was held on the line by home ‘keeper Cammy Gill.

As the visitors continued to look the more positive side in 24 minutes Grant Gallagher got to a Scott Robertson cross and his header just cleared the Cowdenbeath bar.

Then as Cowden struggled to put together any good moves Paul Woods brought out a fine save from Gill with a low 12 yarder.

However, in 34 minutes Kris Renton and Liam Buchanan combined and the latter’s low shot was blocked on the edge of the Stranraer six yard box by Ayrton Sonkur then on the stroke of half-time Craig Thomson’s 19 yard free-kick went inches over after Robbie Buchanan was pulled down as he made his way towards the visitors’ penalty box.

Four minutes after the break Cowden went ahead. Kyle Miller nodded the ball across the face of the Stair Parkers’ goal and Liam BUCHANAN was lying handy to fire the ball into the net from six yards range.

Just before the hour mark Stranraer came close when Ross Smith cut across from the left and his right foot 25 yarder deflected wide off Gill’s left hand post.

Then in 64 minutes visiting substitute Josh Rennie got clear of the Cowden cover and his shot from 16 yards went just over the bar but five minutes later Buchanan burst into the box after Stranraer gave the ball carelessly away in midfield and it took a fine Robertson tackle to deny the striker, only eight yards out.

Then with eight minutes left Stranraer equalised when Sean McIntosh burst down the left beating the home off-side trap and his low cross was blasted into the net by Josh RENNIE.

But immediately Cowden retaliated and twice Stranraer ‘keeper Jack Baker defied the home side with fine saves from both Buchanan’s, Robbie and Liam.

However, in the 90th minute Stranraer got the winner when a 25 yard first time shot from Grant GALLAGHER flew into the bottom corner of the net.

Cowdenbeath: Cammy Gill (6); Fraser Mullen (6), Craig Thomson (7), Jamie Todd (6), Craig Barr (6), Kyle Miller (7), Robbie Buchanan (6), Kyle Hutton (6), Kris Renton (6), Liam Buchanan (8), Harvey Swann (7). Subs not used, Ross Clarke, Quinn Coulson, Ross Pollock, James Collins, Luke Mahady, Lennon Watson and Dave McGurn (gk).

Stranraer: Baker (7); Robertson (7), Burns (7), Sonkur (7), Gallagher (8), Ngoy (6) (Rennie 51 (4)), Watson (6), Woods (6) (Yates 61(3)), Irving (6) (Walker 61 (3)), McIntosh (6), Smith (6) (Moore 61 (3)). Subs not used, Hamill.

Referee-David Dickinson (7).