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Albion Rovers 0 v 0 Cowdenbeath |  |
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Albion Rovers 0 v 0 Cowdenbeath | |
| Irn-Bru League 3rd Division 11th April 2009 |
Attendance : 452
League leaders Cowdenbeath can count themselves lucky to have left Cliftonhill with one point as a resurgent Rovers gave them a fright.
The first notable action came in 13 minutes when Ciaran Donnelly fired through a packed box but 'keeper David Hay wasn't tested much. A minute later former Rover John Gemmill hit a glancing header which Jamie Ewings confidently dealt with.
Jay Stein pumped in a corner to Graeme Brown on the nearside, he lined up the shot but curled it a yard wide of the target. At the other end a quickly taken Rovers free-kick let Ian Harty free on the wing, his cross didn't quite reach the goalmouth.
Ewings did well to save an angled Stein shot soon followed by Mark Ramsay receiving the ball five yards out only to have his snapshot palmed away by Ewings then cleared.
A 25 yard Derek Fleming free-kick was the proverbial mile over the bar.
Rovers finished the half impressively with Steven McKeown on the wing Bobby Barr elected to shoot but the ball was blocked within a couple of yards. Next Harty blasted a shot from the corner of the box which was palmed over the bar by Hay. Then Callan Adam found himself in on goal only to fire the ball of the 'keeper. Then as the referee pursed his lips to blow his whistle Donnelly blasted a 35 yard free-kick which Hay tipped over his bar for a corner which Barr had a go once the ball entered the box. Hay saved to end a tough five minutes for the Fifers.
Half-Time
Barr started where he left off running in from the far side and hitting an angled shot which missed the target,
When a loose ball fell to Harty on the wing he advanced a short distance before firing marginally too high. A Derek Fleming ball found Gemmill whose fierce low attempt went a foot wide of the goal. Rovers had plenty of possession in the final third of the pitch but couldn't capitalise as several promising situations were quickly foiled.
Barr failed with an attempt before play switched ends and Ewings was forced out of his area to clear danger. On the 90 minute mark Gemmill could have stolen the points for Cowdenbeath but his header brought an excellent diving save from Ewings.
In injury time substitute Marc Pollock hit the ball slightly too high to trouble Hay.
Summary
Today we saw the Albion Rovers posted missing in March, one who will keep plugging away creating chances. Having said that they did fail to convert them but it has to be remembered that Cowdenbeath are top of the league and this draw could just make the difference between champions and play-off contestants for them.
Albion Rovers : Ewings, Reid, Fleming, McGowan, Benton, Donnelly, McKeown, Ferry (Pollock 79), Harty, Barr, Adam. Subs Not Used : Andreoni, Crozier, Harris, Scott.
Cowdenbeath : Hay, Baxter, Fleming, McGregor, Armstrong, Mbu, Fairbairn (Robertson 46), Ramsay, Gemmell, Brown (Ferguson 57), Stein. Subs Not Used : Shields, MacKay, Jackson.
Referee : Frank McDermott
Man of the Match : Jamie Ewings