Berwick v Cowdenbeath Match Report 24-25

Berwick and Cowdenbeath drew 0-0 in a tense Lowland League clash at Shielfield Park.

Liam Buchanan had the best chance of the game for the Gers, as his effort was brilliantly headed off the line by Cowdenbeath’s Sam Newman. The visitors too had their chances from several corners with a draw deemed a fair reflection of the game.

The visitors began the game on top as Jamie Docherty led the counter-attack. He managed to skip past the challenge of Ben McCrystal before unleashing a shot that was relatively comfortable for Antell to deal with.

Cowdenbeath continued their early dominance as Danny Swanson found Zeke Cameron on the left-hand side. His first time cross was begging for a finish but Jake Sutherland could only head over from six yards out.

Moments later a Cowdenbeath inswinging corner by Newman was met by Greig Spence but McCrystal’s last-gasp goal-line clearance prevented the visitors taking a deserved lead.

The Dream Team grew into the game midway through the first half with their first real chance coming from a corner of their own. MacKenzie’s delivery after an initial short corner routine fell nicely to Lewis Barr but his swiped shot was deflected just wide.

The resulting corner nearly saw Barr on the scoresheet again as Ben Scarborough managed to cut inside and his shot on goal was deflected off the Berwick midfield maestro but only into the hands of Ruaridh Lynch.

All the big chances seemed to be from corner kicks as Newman’s latest delivery for the Blue Brazil was met three yards out by Paul McLean. The giant centre-half was unchallenged, but he somehow saw his header fly over in a chance that looked easier to score than miss.

As the first half drew to a close, Berwick nearly grabbed the lead that may have gone against the run of play. Kyle Somers played the ball back to MacKenzie. His first-time cross into the box was flicked towards goal by Barr but an ironic moment saw the crossbar prevent Barr from opening the scoring as Cowdenbeath managed to clear.

The second half began with a terrific chance for the Gers. Jamie Watson managed to play the ball into Buchanan just inside the box. He managed to dummy the defender before unleashing a shot that beat Lynch but was miraculously headed off the line by Newman to prevent Berwick from taking the lead.

As the half went on, the game gained a scrappy look and became a bit tense with the first goal looking likely to be the winning one.

On 70 minutes, Somers managed to get down the byline as he drove towards the Cowdenbeath goal. However, his cutback to Buchanan was blocked at the last second by player-manager Dougie Hill to keep the score goalless.

Berwick manager Kevin Haynes threw on Niall Kemp, Rayan Mohammed and Jonny Devers as the Dream Team looked to grab a crucial win. However, neither team could put together anymore clear-cut opportunities as the game ended 0-0. The drama spilled over at full-time as Cowdenbeath defender Jack Denham was shown a straight red card after a mass scuffle after the final whistle blew.

The point sees Berwick move above Cumbernauld Colts into 15th place, Cowdenbeath remain in 13th. The Gers have a midweek friendly at home to Hibernian B on Wednesday night, before facing Celtic B in another Lowland League clash at Shielfield Park next Saturday.

🧑🏼‍💻 | Ben Langley