Cowdenbeath 1-2 Forfar Athletic

The match against the bottom of the division Blue Brazil presented Gary Irvine’s side with the perfect opportunity to bring to an end a three game winless run.

Despite their lowly position, their hosts had shown enough in defeat over recent weeks to show that they wouldn’t be involved in the relegation play-offs without a scrap.

Their starting XI was packed with experience with Fraser Mullen, Craig Barr, Liam Buchanan and Robbie Buchanan amongst those lining up.

But Forfar are a side with qualities of their own and took the game to the home side.

Craig Slater did excellently to skip past a couple of Cowdenbeath defenders and create space for himself inside the box.

Slater got his shot away but it didn’t trouble Cammy Gill in the home goal.

It was one way traffic and Forfar raced into a deserved lead when a sweeping move up the park was finished off from eight yards by Craig Thomson.

The opening goal was no more than Forfar deserved and Irvine’s men remained on top.

They looked menacing every time they move forward while, at the back, the towering Andy Munro snuffed out any slight threat posed by Cowdenbeath.

Forfar were using both wings well as they pressed for a second goal with scorer Thomson at the centre of most of what they created.

Slater pulled a comfortable save out of Gill shortly before the half hour mark as Forfar again tried to find their range.

But they were sucker-punched shortly before the half-time whistle when Cowdenbeath pulled level out of the blue.

To their credit the home side put together a nice, sweeping move of their own down the right wing.

A cross into the box evaded the Forfar defence and was met at the back post by Fraser Mullen who netted.

The goal took the win out of the sails of the visitors and the hosts went on to enjoy a decent spell in possession.

Cowden were all of a sudden a completely different proposition and they thought they had taken the lead a few minutes into the second-half when Liam Buchanan swept home from close range, only to see his effort chopped off for offside.

The game had turned on its head and Forfar were lucky to escape when a Buchanan cross along the face of goal only lacked a finish.

It was all becoming a bit untidy and ref Graham Beaton found himself continuously blowing for a series of fouls.

As the game entered the final 10 minutes it was very much still in the balance and Cowdenbeath came close to winning it when Buchanan was again unlucky.

But the hosts suffered the same fate as Forfar in the first-half when, after a large spell of dominance, they were stung.

Munro was first to meet and in-swinging delivery and he powered his header beyond Gill.

Forfar Athletic: McCallum, Meechan, Brindley, Hussain, Munro, Slater, Hutton (Shepherd 82), Moore, Thomson (Anderson 80), McCluskey (Harkins 84), Aitken.

Subs: Thomas, Sanderson.