Montrose's hoodoo goes on!

Cowden got back to winning ways with a 2-1 victory over Montrose at Central Park. At the outset, there was a bit of a surprise when Scott Gallagher on loan from Rangers was handed the keeper's jersey for his Cowden debut ahead of fans' favourite Davie Hay (Davie though later enjoyed a bit of consolation we hear with a bit of good fortune). A respectful minutes silence was also observed in honour of former Cowden physio Jimmy Reekie who died earlier this week.

The opening 30 minutes of the match were more chess-like than action packed. Indeed the excitement level was akin to watching an episode of Last of the Summer Wine on a rainy Sunday afternoon. However, the game at last sparked into life when Cowden took the lead with a spendidly crafted goal after 32 minutes. Marek Tomana who shone throughout as the best player on the park slipped a neat pass to Paul McQuade wide on the right. McQuade hit the bye-line and fired the ball hard and low across goal. The inrushng John Gemmell then darted in to flick the ball past the helpless Montrose keeper.

It looked like Cowden would go in at the interval a goal to the good but Montrose too produced a goal of quality just as the referee was thinking about blowing for half time. A flowing passing move left the Cowden defence as onlookers. It created a chance for Baird just inside the box and he struck the ball expertly past Gallagher.

1-1 at half time and it was Montrose who made the early running in the second half. The Cowden defence was a little stretched for a time. However, Cowden re-asserted themselves and it was Paul McQuade who was to clinch the ponts for the homesters with the third high quality goal of the match after 72 minutes. Paul gained possession some 30 yards out and dribbled his way past 4 Montrose defenders in a jinking solo run before despatching the ball into the Montrose net. A goal fit to win any match.

Cowden then played out the remainder of the match in a composed manner and claimed the 3 points that took them back into 2nd place in the table. Montrose substitute McLeod was dismissed in 88 minutes after a crude lunge caught Derek Fleming. A straight red was inevitable. Montrose's abysmal record v Cowden thus continued and the Gable Endies have only won once v Cowden in 28 matches stretching back to 1998. As well Tomana, Kenny Adamson showed up well in midfield, Gemmell was a handful for the Montrose defence, and Paul McQuade too posed Montrose problems.

Cowden line up Gallagher, Baxter, Adamson, McGregor, Armstrong, Hodge, McQuade (Ross), Fleming, Gemmell (Dempster), Tomana, Stein (Fairbairn).