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Cowdenbeath 1 v 1 Albion Rovers |  |
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Cowdenbeath 1 v 1 Albion Rovers | |
| Bell's League Third Division 6th March 2004 |
Attendance : 248
Scorers ~ Cowdenbeath : Buchanan (64). Albion Rovers : Stirling (30 pen).
Any lingering hopes that the Blue Brazil had of promotion were surely dashed when Rovers denied them a win at the unseasonably mild Central Park. Rovers started the match without captain Jim Mercer who has a calf strain which isn't expected to cause him to miss the game against East Stirlingshire on Tuesday, striker John Bradford was drafted into the number 11 shirt.
The first shot of the match came 3 minutes in from the visitors but it whizzed by the post. A couple of minutes later Jered Stirling came close when he sliced the ball past the Cowden goal after a cross found him in the corner of the 6 yard box. In 7 minutes assistant manager Scott Crabbe hit a hard shot from 25 yards but saw it go over the home crossbar.
There followed a period where Cowdenbeath had most of the pressure without creating clear-cut chances. Then in 20 minutes they managed a shot which was straight into Neil Bennett's hands. A few minutes later Bennett was called into action once more when he raced out of his box to clear the ball in front of an onrushing home player. Next a Dene Shields header from a McInally corner was just a tad too high.
Breakthrough
On the half-hour mark referee Mr. Hardie (no friend of the Coatbridge boys in the past) awarded a penalty when John Bradford and Cowden's John McKeown jumped for a ball just inside the penalty box. Everybody seemed surprised at the award, after the home sides pleas were ignored Jered Stirling stepped up to the spot and put the ball into the back of the net.
Cowden weren't to take it lying down as their record of only a single defeat in their last eight games shows. They finished the half strongly with David McInally being amongst the players having a go at goal.
Cowdenbeath started the second half like they had finished the first with Mowat missing the target. Another attack by the home side came close before a Bradford shot was blocked by a packed defence. In 58 minutes a long ball into the Rovers box was inches above the unmarked McInally's head.
Level
In 61 minutes Blue Brazil manager Keith Wright made a double substitution which was to change the result almost immediately. On came Ryan McCallum and Liam Buchanan, the latter of whom was to score the equaliser within three minutes. A weak shot from Dene Shields resulted in the ball falling to the teenage striker who trundled the ball into the Rovers net after the defence was posted missing.
In 71 minutes a Jered Stirling cross cum shot was held by 'keeper Carlin. John McCaig replaced youngster Ricky Patrick who had been involved in a nasty accidental head clash with a Cowden player.
With 10 minutes remaining Craig Winter knocked a free-kick for Bryan Gilfillan to blast round Rovers wall, Neil Bennett moved like lightning to get one hand to the ball and deny the homesters a victory.
Neil Bennett had another tricky save to make before the end of the match and John Bradford made one last assault on the home goal as did Scott Crabbe.
Summary
Not a game for the purist but a deserved draw for Rovers even if Mr. Hardie did seem quite generous with his decisions.
McInally and Shields of Cowdenbeath received bookings.
Cowdenbeath: Carlin, Shand, McInally (McCallum 61), Gilfillan, McKeown, Campbell, Mauchlen (Fusco 51), Winter, Shields, Skinner (Buchanan 61), Mowat. Subs not used - McGuinness, Fleming.
Albion Rovers : Bennett, Paterson, Kerr, Sweeney, Smith, Stirling, Low, Patrick (McCaig 78), Crabbe, McManus, Bradford. Subs not used – Yardley, Connolly, Cormack, Carr.
Referee : Colin Hardie
Man of the Match - Jordan Smith
