Bollan bemoans poor defending in late loss

Cowdenbeath boss Gary Bollan was furious with the defending which cost his team a result against Elgin City.

Losing a goal two minutes into the second period was bad enough but to lose what was the winner to the last kick of the game was hard to take for the manager.

Cowden had competed well throughout and really should have been ahead before that 93rd minute winner came, but a couple of bad misses and City’s lethal Shane Sutherland saw the Blues lose a game they could have won.

Cowden took the lead in 27 minutes when Harvey Swann’s shot was blocked by a defender but Blair Malcolm fired a fine 22-yarder wide of keeper Kyle Gourlay.

There were chances to make it two before the break with David Cox twice failing to score from good positions, but two minutes into the second period slack work at the back allowed Greg Morrison to square the game.

Cox, David Marsh and sub Josh Skelly had chances to put the Fifers ahead but failed to take them and in the 93rd minute more poor defending gave Sutherland, who had forced two good saves from Cowden keeper Dave McGurn, the chance to win all three points.

Bollan said: “Both their goals came in a similar fashion with long balls catching us out.

“We just did not show enough alertness at the opening of the second half and gave a poor goal away leaving Dave McGurn with no cover.

“Then in the closing stages we simply are getting too deep and the big lad Sutherland gets played in and we lose.

“Hard to take maybe, but totally needless. We have lads at the back who know the score and they should have been playing much higher.”

Elgin boss Gavin Price said: “I felt we played some good football in the first half but we gave away a goal through slackness and I said to the lads at the break if we kept the quality of passing going we could win it.”