McGinley’s stunning stop denies Blue Brazil huge
East Kilbride ................. 0 Cowdenbeath ............... 0
Paul Thomson at K-Park
Goalkeeper Matt McGinley was the hero for East Kilbride after he saved a late penalty to deny Cowdenbeath a slender advantage in the League Two play-off final.
But he revealed he has skipper Barry Russell to thank for swotting up on the Blue Brazil’s penalty form.
Cowden have now missed six penalties in a row this season after McGinley denied Kyle Miller with a great save from the spot in the 87th minute.
It keeps the Lowland League champions level at 0-0 going into Saturday’s second leg at Central Park and McGinley, whose side beat Buckie Thistle last week to reach the final, said: “It was a big save.
“Obviously it’s a different game if it finishes 1-0, so it keeps the tie alive.
“We practised penalties last week before the second leg of the Buckie game.
“But Barry had been studying their previous penalties so we had a fair idea of what was going to happen.
“You just pick a side, throw yourself at it and thankfully I’ve got two strong hands on it.
“It’s a one-off game now so we have to be confident.
“The first goal will be so vital so hopefully it’s us who gets it and progresses.
“It would be an amazing achievement if we could go up into League Two and we’ve definitely got the set-up for it here.
“That’s what we’ve wanted for the last few years and now we’re one game away from it.”
Controversy surrounded the penalty