COWDENBEATH 2 SHIRE 0

Cowdenbeath moved ten points clear of Shire at the top of the Third Division with a clinical victory over a threadbare set of opponents.

The Firs Parkers, forced into too many changes by suspensions and injuries to key players battled gamely enough but failed to give themselves even a sporting chance of winning the game after they fell behind after 36 minutes.

There may have been very little to separate the teams but Shire had real problems creating any worthwhile chances and Cowden’s second goal after 73 minutes was enough to win a very disappointing game of football.

Shire had limited options heading to Fife for the game with the Third Division leaders. Andy Rodgers, Craig Tully, Michael Bolochoweckyj and Eddie Forrest were all suspended while Jamie Stevenson’s tight hamstring ruled him out of the starting eleven.

As expected, David King made his first appearance of the season at the centre of defence and was partnered by Sean Anderson, who resumed the role he had last taken on in the recent home win over Elgin City.

Brian Graham spearheaded the attack with Dean Richardson and Gary Kelly lending a hand wherever possible.

Cowdenbeath included former Shire men David Hay and  Brian Fairbairn but were without several of their regulars through injury. John Dempster and Mark Baxter were their two most notable absentees.

A bright, sunny day but with a strong wind made for tricky conditions for a good game of football. But the match itself was slow to come alive. After nine minutes John Gemmel’s acrobatic overhead kick at least tested Mark Peat in the Shire goal but his save was comfortable.

Just past the quarter hour mark a cross from the right found Gemmell unmarked at the back post but his half-volley flashed just over Peat’s crossbar. But Shire then wasted a glorious opportunity to take the lead four minutes later.

Gary Kelly hit a superb diagonal ball in behind the defence and Graham timed his run perfectly to meet the pass on the 18 yard line. But Shire’s top scorer’s touch deserted him at the vital moment and his attempted lob of the advancing David Hay was leaden-footed and well over the crossbar.

Peat was in action again after 25 minutes. The visiting defence failed to clear its lines at a corner kick and the ball fell to Mark Ramsay on the 18 yard line but his stinging shot was well saved by the Shire keeper.

Cowden eventually took advantage of Shire’s defensive uncertainty on 36 minutes.

Jay Stein’s free-kick from wide on the left should have been cleared by the Shire defence but the ball was allowed to reach Gemmell, whose header from six yards was brilliantly tipped onto the bar by Peat. But the visiting defence was slow to react as the ball came back into play and Fairbairn was on hand to head the rebound into the empty net from five yards.

Shire had most of the defending to do in the minutes after the half-time break and Peat saved his team from going further behind on 49 minutes, diving low to his left to save a netbound 20 yard shot from Fairbairn.

On the hour mark Kenny Adamson hit a left-wing cross that was flicked on by substitute Graeme Brown into the path of Gemmell, who took time to control the ball and hit a shot that flashed across the face of goal and wide.

But the Shire goal wasn’t going to hold out forever and on 60 minutes some poor marking handed Cowden their second goal on a plate. A simple cross from the left shold have been dealt with but no one picked up the unmarked John Armstrong who headed home from six yards past the unprotected Peat.

Shire sent on Marc McKenzie for David Dunn but even he couldn’t make his usual impact. Cowden might have added third after Joe Mbu hit a long ball out of defence that sent Brown clear. Peat came racing from his goal to narrow the angle and that was enough to put the former Alloa striker off and his effort went well wide of target.

The closest Shire went in the late stages was a 25 yard effort from Paul Weaver that dlashed wide of Hay's left-hand post.

COWDENBEATH : Hay, MacKay, Adamson, McGregor, Armstrong, Mbu, Stein, Ramsay(Robertson 81), Gemmell,  Tomana(Brown 57), Fairbairn.

SHIRE : Peat, Hay, Ure, Anderson, King, Weaver, Donaldson(Thornton 81), Dunn(McKenzie 65), Graham, Kelly, Richardson.

REFEREE : N. Watters

ATTENDANCE : 430.