Cowdenbeath 2, Annan Athletic 4.

Ladbrokes League 2

Attendance-255

A CRAZY closing six minutes cost Cowdenbeath dear and gave Annan a 12 point lead over the Blue Brazil in the race for the top four.

Cowden went into the last few minutes level and looking for a winner, but they lost a bad third goal plus then debutant Luc Bollan to a red card, and their day collapsed completely when the visitors added a fourth three minutes into time added on.

Cowdenbeath’s side showed a number of changes from the visit to Queen’s Park with the manager’s son Luc Bollan and Jamie Todd making their debuts, in a three man defence alongside Jamie Pyper, and Martin Scott joining Kyle Miller in the centre of midfield.

Blair Malcolm was cast at left wing back with Fraser Mullen in his usual beat up and down the right.

Both wing backs attacked well but Malcolm found Annan's Chris Johnston a real handful and the youngster scored twice.

Miller was his usual busy self and laid on the second home goal but Scott looked a little rusty after his long absence through injury.

Robbie Buchanan tried hard to support both his defence and attack but ran out of steam later in the game.

For the most part things looked to be going reasonably well but the closing few minutes were a shocker.

Cowden took the lead in 10 minutes when David Cox was fouled 22 yards out and MULLEN fired his fierce shot high into the net, but the lead lasted only five minutes when a fine piece of individual play by JOHNSTON saw him hold off Malcolm and send a left foot shot high into the net from 15 yards range.

Johnston continued to pose the home team problems as he had Malcolm struggling to deal with his trickery and Lennox twice dealt with shots from Smith and Owen Moxen and then Malcolm blocked a Tony Wallace 12 yarder on the edge of the home side’s six yard box.

However, 11 minutes from the break Cowden went in front again. Miller made a good run deep into Annan territory and his pass was gathered by RENTON and he coolly fired the ball wide of Alex Mitchell from 10 yards out.

There were another couple of dangerous raids from the Blues but Lennox came to the rescue for the hosts by holding Steven Swinglehurst’s nine yard header following a corner.

Annan levelled the game the 56th minute. The home defence failed to deal with a ball whipped into the centre of their box by Moxen and SMITH fired the ball into the net from eight yards out.

Then in 68 minutes a header from Swinglehurst came off the Cowden bar after the home defence failed to deal with a corner.

Cowden saw ‘keeper Lennox go off with a hand injury for the last 15 minutes with Dave McGurn going on but in 78 minutes the Blues had a chance when Buchanan got into a good position 14 yards out but he delayed his shot and a sliding tackle from Watson cleared the ball.

Then with three minutes left no home defender picked up JOHNSTON and he had all the time in the world to turn the ball into the net from close in. Bollan was then sent packing for a strong challenge then three minutes into time added on SMITH added a fourth from very close in after more bad work at the back by Cowden.

Cowdenbeath: Aaron Lennox (7) (Dave McGurn 76 (3)); Fraser Mullen (7), Luc Bollan (6); Jamie Pyper (6), Jamie Todd (6), Kyle Miller (7); David Cox (7) (Jordan Allan (80 (2)), Martin Scott (6) (Gary Fraser 70 (3)), Kris Renton (7), Robbie Buchanan (6), Blair Malcolm (6). Subs not used: Harvey Swann, Jordyn Sheerin, Matt Henvey, Kyle Sneddon.

Annan Athletic: Mitchell (7); Hooper (6), Creaney (6) (Strapp 46 (5)); Wilson (6), Watson (6), Swinglehurst (7); Wallace (7) (Bradley 84 (3)), Moxen (6), Smith (6), Nade (7) (Ferguson 68 (3)), Johnston (8). Subs not used, Sonkur, Murphy and McAdams.

Referee-David Dickinson (6).