Match Report

Stenhousemuir v Cowdenbeath at Ochilview Park, Stenhousemuir on 27.02.16

Ladbrokes SPFL League One            Att 370

Stenhousemuir 2 [McMenamin 59,61] Cowdenbeath 3 [Caldwell 51, Bryne 55, Milne

The Warriors went into this game with the same starting eleven from their victory against Airdrie a fortnight earlier. Cowdenbeath by contrast had a more hectic schedule and had lost 4-1 at Central Park four days earlier when they lost to Forfar and had to play a man short for most of the game when Kieran Gibbons had been sent off.

All this should have been to Stenhousemuir’s favour as they should have been the fresher team but the enfornced lay-off due to the Albion Rovers postponement had taken the edge off the team, whilst a more experimental Cowdenbeath side found the rhythm that they had been looking for.

The first half of the game created few clear cut chances and neither team took a foothold on the game. The home side’s Colin McMenamin should have done better with a shot dragged wide in the third minute but most of the early threat came at the other end with Mo Yakub causing problems. It was the 13^th minute though before Coiln McCabe was called into action to save a Declan McDaid strike after the Stenhousemuir defence failed to clear their lines. Stephen Stirling fired a 25 yarder just over before Euan Murray denied Cowden at the other end with a well timed headed interception. In  the 25^th minute Alin Roman denied Kieran Millar with a superb one handed save. There was a scare for Stenhousemuir in the 32^nd minute when a McDaid corner was cleared off the line after McCabe who took a head knock was beaten. Just at the end of the period Ciaran Summers headed wide from a McMenamin cross.

The game against Airdrie had saw Stenhousemuir start both halves slowly but they looked keen to resolve that at the start of the second with both Stirling and Ross McCormack having chances , However that proved to be a false dawn. The visitors had suffered a blow in the first half when Greig Spence went of with a knee injury but substitute Ross Caldwell looked eager to highlight that he was a worthy candidate to plough the lone furlough up front and he put Cowdenbeath ahead in the 51^st minute.  Ewan Murray was dispossessed by Yakub and he drew McCabe before rolling the ball across to the unmarked Caldwell to tuck home his first goal for the Blue Brasil. McCormack saw a header tipped over by Roman at the other end just after this but Cowdenbeath scored their second goal in four minutes when Dean Brett played a lovely weighted pass into Declan Byrne and the Cowdenbeath Under 20s player swept the ball past McCabe to make it a goalscoring debut for the youngster.

When a McMenamin header from a Jon Robertson cross was brilliantly tipped away by Roman a minute later it looked game over but to their credit the Warriors kept plugging away and McMenamin got one back in the 59^th minute after Roman had saved a Mark Gilhaney cross and Millar had struck the cross bar with he rebound. Unbelievably the game was level a minute later when McMenamin got his double with a glancing header from a McCormack free-kick.

Although Stenhousemuir had the momentum at this time they failed to make it count and Cowdenbeath scored the winner in the 78^th minute through a counter attack that ended with Lewis Milne tucking the ball into the net from 18 yards with his first strike of the season

Stenhousemuir – McCabe, McCormack, Summers, Meechan, Murray [b71], J.Robertson [Malcolm 84] Stirling [Mazana 75], Millar, McMenamin [Small 70], Scotland and Gilhaney. Subs not used – Marengghi, McCroary and S.Robertson..

Cowdenbeath – Roman, Brett [b70], Kerr, El Zubaidi, Yakub [b63], Kane, Hughes [b90], Beaumont [Milne 65], McDaid [b85], Bryne [Johnston 80] and Spence [Caldwell 30]. Subs not used – Scullion, Adam, Donaldson and Callaghan

Referee – Kevin Graham      Assistants – Brian Templeton and Mark Ainslie