Cowden clear in third spot

Ladbrokes League 2

Attendance-605

A FIRST away win for Cowdenbeath and it was their third successive three point haul.

They went to Ochilview on Saturday aiming to turn around the result of a few weeks ago in the Betfred Cup and took a firm grip of the game.

The five man midfield of Robbie Buchanan, Archie Thomas, Kyle Miller, Fraser Mullen and Connor Smith were in full charge and chances came Cowden’s way.

The defence performed well in keeping a firm grip on the Stenny attack and it meant that there were openings for David Cox and Kris Renton, and also the link unit.

And Craig Barr got on the scoresheet with one of his well placed headers which set the Blue Brazil machine on the road to victory.

Defensively Barr, Jamie Todd and Chris Hamilton were rock solid in front of Kevin Dabrowski and it provided a sound base from which Cowdenbeath could build a match winning challenge.

Cowden started in lively fashion and in five minutes the Blues’ Smith tested his namesake Graeme with a 20 yarder, then five minutes later Renton saw a header race just wide.

In 12 minutes Mullen’s free-kick whistled by Smith’s left hand post and in 20 minutes Cowden took a deserved lead.

Renton provided the cross and there was BARR and he powered his header into the bottom right hand corner.

Stenny tried to fight back and Kieran Anderson fired just too high from the edge of the box, but on the half hour Cowdenbeath’s Todd met a corner and his header was inches wide.

Cox was next to have a go with a drive from the centre of the box which Smith did well to grab and then seconds later Renton’s drive was held by the busy Stenhousemuir ‘keeper.

Stenny tried to up their game towards the break and Thomas Halleran and Anderson both got in shots but these were off target.

The home side started the second period well and Barr did well to block Halleran’s effort following a corner, but in 57 minutes Cowdenbeath came close to a second when Thomas’s 22 yarder was brilliantly dealt with by Smith.

Barr was keen on adding to his tally and in 63 minutes he found space on the edge of the Stenny box but dragged his finish wide but within four minutes the second came.

Thomas was the provider with a good pass and COX steadied himself before burying his left foot shot in the centre of the net.

Stenny were struggling now and in 73 minutes came the killer third.

Smith showed coolness to send the pass to THOMAS and the big midfielder curled his 20 yarder past the ‘keeper.

To their credit Stenny did not give up and veteran Willie Gibson sent a free-kick just wide and then Jamie McKernon fired in a shot which was blocked by Todd.

Cowden sent on Jamie Pyper and Jordan Allan in the closing minutes to see out the game and make it three successive wins.

Stenhousemuir: Smith (7); McLaughlin (6), O’Neill (6); Munro (5), Marsh (5), McKernon (6); Gibson (6), Halleron (6) (Dykes 67 (3)), Anderson (6) (Hopkirk 59 (3)), McGuigan (6), Cook (6) (Scullion 79 (3)). Subs not used, McIlduff, Watters, C Munro, Marley.

Cowdenbeath: Kevin Dabrowski (7); Robbie Buchanan (7), Fraser Mullen (7); Jamie Todd (7), Craig Barr (8), Chris Hamilton (7); David Cox (7) (Graham Taylor 80 (3), Kyle Miller (7) (Jamie Pyper (86 (2)), Connor Smith (7) (Jordan Allan 86 (2)), Archie Thomas (7), Kris Renton (7). Subs not used, Kyle Sneddon, Matthew Pollok, Harvey Swann and Mac Whyte.

Referee-Peter Stuart (7).