Tiny crowd (246?) at the freezing Siberian gulag of Central Park where most services had gone (toilets, pieshop).   Collectively the area has a large enough catchment but it just doesn't turn out to support their team.  And Cowden are a decent team - strong at the back built round Mbu and dynamic and fairly creative going forward

Arbroath started with Flyer and McCulloch back in the fullback slots with Botth pushed forward on the left.  Doris was left alone upfront as Hislop and Jackson were left on the bench. given Cowden's rampant derby win, the 4-5-1 set up was understandably cautious.

There was plenty of endeavour, huffing and puffing first half from both sides but neither really got going. A reckless tackle on Doris in the first 5 minutes was unpunished but he soldiered on which was why he might have been dissatisatified to be booked forr a dive in the box 20 minutes later.   Cowdne probably moved the ball around better looking vaguely threatening going forward but no real threat was generated.

Afte 19 minutes Booth went on a lone run up the left and won a corner. The ball from the kick arrived for Lunan for smash it into the keeper's left for a surprise lead.   Thereafter Cowden turned up the pressure and we were either forced or decided o sit back and soak it up

Second half Cowden attacked with relentless resolve, switching play on the wings quite well but increasingly relying on the high ball in.  After one false alarm with an offisde goal, the presure told in 66 minutes whena nothing cross from the middle reached McQade at the far post to slot in.    The faulty netting let the ball through so I was temporarily confused - just a sign of the decay and decline at Cowden with the exception of the team itself.   We put a little presure on for 2 minutes then they surged forwqard again for Macgregor to score - 2 in 3 minutes.

Only then did we decide to go on the front foot and, for the remaining 20 minutes, showed we had something about us which the cautious `hang on to what we have' approach had not dominated.   Cowden themselves went on the defensive but in a counter attack late on hit Hill's left-hand post

Overall it was a fairly disciplined performance but nothing and no-one was outstanding and we didn't carry enough threat to the opposition for much of the game. Other results wer unhelpful so our exile in the gulag may be extended