Cowdenbeath 0 Bo'ness United 2

AFTER a good four game unbeaten run, Cowdenbeath came back down to earth with a bump against Bo'ness on Saturday.

The Blues conceded two bad goals, and this gave top-six side United a grip of the match which they threatened to slacken in the second period, but a couple of bad misses really ended their hopes.

Bo'ness are a side which have a no-nonsense approach to football, and while Cowdenbeath played the prettier stuff for much of the game, they just could not get a real foothold in it.

Like in a number of matches this season, Cowden conceded avoidable goals and paid the penalty.

In the second minute Craig Hepburn made a fine save from a low 12-yard Fin Malcolm shot as Bo'ness made a promising start.

The home defence had to be on the alert on several occasions in the opening ten minutes, to defy the eager Bo'ness front line, but in 12 minutes they went behind, and they caused their own problems.

Cieran Chalmers and Adam MacDonald each gave the ball away in the lead-up to the strike, with the latter's slack pass finding the feet of the opposition's Kier Foster who took advantage to fire past Hepburn from outside the box.

Four minutes later Jack Tait made a fine run through the United defence but then fired his shot flew well over, and in 21 minutes the Blues should have levelled when ‘keeper Jack Ruddy pushed a Greg MacPherson cross out and the ball fell to Zak Butterworth five yards out, but a brave Ryan Stevenson tackle blocked the winger’s shot with Ruddy beaten.

However, 11 minutes from the break United doubled their lead when a good run by Ryan Porteous ended with a low cross, which was turned home from close range by Fin Malcolm, with plenty of home cover in the vicinity.

Three minutes from the break Butterworth made a great run down the left and his cross left Greg MacPherson with an open goal, but from 10 yards he blasted high and wide after the ball bounced up in front of him arriving at pace.

Cowden made a triple substitution at the interval with Andy Rodden, Jamie Docherty and Daryl Healy, replacing Tait, Chalmers and A.MacDonald, and inside five minutes Butterworth and Robbie McNab went close for them.

But on the hour Hepburn had to make a fine save from Foster, after more poor defensive work from the hosts.

In 63 minutes Rodden’s 25 yard free-kick went over the bar, but five minutes later the Blues were down to ten men when Aiden McLaughlin got a second yellow card, then with 19 minutes left United also had ten when Michael Gemmell was shown a second yellow for a bad foul in a game which the referee lost control of early on.

Cowden kept searching for a way back into the match and with 12 minutes left a fine Rodden cross was headed inches wide by Ewan MacPherson, from very close range, but they could not fashion a goal for their efforts.