MATCH STATS
ARBROATH 1
Mckenna (5) COVE RANGERS 1 Yule (90)
Arbroath manager Dick Campbell was disappointed his side couldn’t hold out for the win after Blair Yule broke Maroon hearts with a leveller in injury time.
The experienced Red Lichties gaffer groaned and said: “It’s two points dropped, there’s no doubt about that.
“We backed off. When the game is like that at 1-0 you have to go and get the second one and I don’t think we created an awful lot.
“For Blair to score so late in the game and the shot to bounce six times and hit the post and go in – it was a terrible goal to lose.
“They are the breaks you get at the bottom of the league.”
Arbroath had got off to a storming start – taking the lead after just five minutes.
Bobby Linn produced a decent cross that found Michael Mckenna at the back post and his calm header deflected off Shay Logan and into the net past the stranded Stuart Mckenzie.
Cove almost bounced back a minute later with a Charlie Gilmour 25-yard strike that was well saved by Derek Gaston.
The hosts attempted to double the advantage on 16 minutes after a corner fell kindly to Scott Allan who hit the bar with a sweeping shot that caused huge problems for the Balmoral Stadium outfit.
Mitch Megginson then had a stinging effort straight at Gaston with eight minutes remaining as the Aberdeen side went in search of an equaliser.
Cove were beginning to get frustrated with not getting the breaks they were craving but their resilience was shown in the dying embers.
And there was one final dramatic twist as they levelled in stoppage time.
Leighton Mcintosh had gone up for a high ball before it came to Yule who smashed a powerful effort into the bottom right corner off the post beyond the stranded Gaston.
Cove boss Jim Mcintyre admitted he was happy to leave town with a share of the points.
He said: “We had a lot of misplaced passes and couldn’t get going. A point was a fair result for us and neither team did enough to win it.
“I thought we had a lot of pressure in the second half. The point was well-earned and we’re unbeaten in four.
“Both sides should have had a penalty, there were a few things in the game the ref should have done better with.”