Elgin City 3, Cowdenbeath 0.

Ladbrokes League 2

Attendance-612

A POOR start to the new league campaign and Cowdenbeath ended up with just ten men when Mikey Herd was shown the red card just after they had lost two goals in only three minutes.

Things had gone reasonably well for the first 42 minutes of the game and the Blues had chances to take the lead.

But just two minutes from half-time they lost the dangerous Shane Sutherland and he gave his team an interval lead they did not not like getting.

Then after the break a crazy five minute spell saw them lose two more goals and Herd and the real plus was that they battled away well with ten men and could have pulled one back later in the match.

Defensively Cowdenbeath played well enough but that crazy spell before and after the break cost them dear.

With Fraser Mullen absent Jamie Pyper filled in on the right hand side, with Jamie Todd with Craig Barr in the middle of the defence and in the early stages they were not really bothered by the home side.

Indeed, Cowden had the best first opening in 14 minutes when Kyle Miller got into a good position 20 yards out but his right foot drive was blocked by a packed Elgin defence.

There was little really happening in the penalty areas and after 22 minutes City had a chance when Sutherland fired over a header from the centre of the box.

However, four minutes later Matt Cooper hit Kevin Dabrowski’s left hand post with a well placed 10 yarder but at the other end Euan Valentine worked his way into a good position and saw his 12 yarder blocked.

In 33 minutes Robbie Buchanan saw his shot hit a City defender and bounce clear but as City stepped their game up towards the break Sutherland got in a strong header which Dabrowski held well.

However, two minutes from the break Elgin took the lead. Kane Hester provided the pass and from 19 yards SUTHERLAND blasted the ball home.

Before the ref blew for the break Herd was a little unlucky to see his shot blocked.

However, the game was to race away from Cowdenbeath in the first few minutes of the second period.

In 48 minutes Cooper was the provider this time and SUTHERLAND was able to net from only seven yards out then three minutes later Russell Dingwall’s cross was headed past Dabrowski by Euan SPARK.

Things got worse for Cowden in 54 minutes when Herd put in a fierce challenge on David Wilson and was red carded.

City could smell a big win and Sutherland and Hester went close for them but gradually Cowden, with Harvey Swann on for Valentine, started to get a grip of things and Todd fired a low shot just wide and at the other end Sutherland saw his effort go wide.

Cowden kept plugging away and forced another couple of corners but could not get a goal.

Elgin City: McHale (7); Wilson (6), Spark (7); McGowan (6), Bronsky (7), Dingwall (7) (Scott 89 (2)); Cooper (7), MacEwan (6), Hester (7) (Loveland 85 (2)), Sutherland (8), O’Keefe (6) (Willis 73 (3)). Subs not used, Ballam and Dunn.

Cowdenbeath: Kevin Dabrowski (6); Jamie Pyper (6), Euan Valentine (6) (Harvey Swann 52 (3)); Jamie Todd (6), Craig Barr (6), Kyle Miller (6); David Cox (7), Robbie Buchanan (6), Graham Taylor (6) (Jordan Allan 66 (3)), Mikey Herd (5), Kris Renton (6). Subs not used, Archie Thomas, Kyle Sneddon, Ryan Connelly, Jacob Glass and Lewis Owens.

Referee-Chris Fordyce (6).