COWDENBEATH 0 SHIRE 0

On the face of it a point at the team sitting second in the league might seem like a good result for Shire, and it was.

But there is no doubt that the visitors had the better of the match in terms of possession and although chances were at a premium it was Shire who will rue the missed opportunities in front of goal more than their hosts.

Boss Jim McInally promised to keep changes from the previous week’s 5-2 win over Elgin City to  a minimum and was as good as his word. There was just one switch in midfield with Craig Tully replacing David Dunn.

Tully took up a central midfield berth with Derek Ure moving out of that role to wide on the left. Again, Colin Cramb partnered Andy Rodgers as the twin-pronged strike force, but there was no place even on the subs bench for new signing Balsa Krivokapic.

Shire made an encouraging start in driving rain and with a strong wind  blowing down the pitch. After just two minutes Cramb picked the ball up on the back edge of the box and cracked in a shot which was headed  for the top corner until Cowden keeper Scott Gallagher pushed it away.

A minute later there was another promising sign when Gary Kelly hit a low shot from the 18 yard line which Cramb tried to divert past the keeper but the ball went narrowly wide.

On nine minutes Cowden moiunted their first real threat, a through ball from Marek Tomana which Paul McQuade pushed wide of the far pot with only Shire keeper Jamie Barclay to beat.

Seven minutes later McQude was again well-placed on the edge of the six yard box but he was no more accurate with his shot than he had been first time around.

After 17 minutes Cramb tried an ambitious lob from more than 40 yards but Gallagher saved easily. On 31 minutes Shire carved out their best scoring chance of the first period. Tully launched a free-kick from inside his own half which Michael Bolochoweckyj headed narrowly over the bar.

Four minutes later Cramb laid the ball back into the path of Rodgers  and from the edge of the six yard box he forced Gallagher into a save at the base of the near post but there  followed a moment of uncertainty when the keeper spooned the ball almost into his own net, but he retrieved the situation just in time.

Shire began the second period on the front foot and on 48 minutes and Ure was narrowly wide with a shot from Rodgers’ cross. After 62 minutes Ure returned the favour with a left-wing cross which the unmarked Rodgers should have been able to direct towards goal but still missed the target.

The visitors had a great chance to break the deadlock on 63 minutes when Cramb beat Gallagher to a long ball after the keeper raced out of his penalty box but the Shire man’s shot towards the empty net was cleared by Sandy Hodge, who was checking back.

Ten minutes later Ure passed up a glorious opportunity to break the deadlock when Rodgers found him unmarked at the back post, but he blazed over the bar when it seemed easier to score.

Rodgers was clean through on goal with 78 minutes gone but before he had the chance to shoot Darren McGregor saved Cowden with a great slidiing tackle.

Ure might have stolen all three points for the visitors in 86 minutes but his effort drifted wide.

COWDENBEATH ; Gallagher, Baxter, Adamson, McGregor, Armstrong, Hodge(Ross 75), McQuade, Fleming, Gemmell(Dempster 66), Tomana(Fairbairn 78), Stein.

SHIRE : Barclay, Hay, Richardson, Forrest, Bolochoweckyj, Tully, Donaldson, Kelly, Cramb(Graham 78), Ure, Rodgers(McKenzie 82).

REFEREE : G. Hilland

ATTENDANCE : 431.