Match Report - By Steven Mew

On loan winger Olly Hamilton marked his 18th birthday with a brace to help City to a second consecutive win in League 2.

The last two showings have given City supporters renewed optimism of pulling away from danger at the foot of the table, with the commitment and effort in recent matches now beginning to pay dividends.

It came as no surprise that Mark Wilson opted to stick with the same starting 11 that won convincingly down at Stirling last weekend – and they started where they left off.

There were claims for a City penalty after just four minutes when Kieran Inglis burst forward before being brought down on the edge of the box. City players appealed for a spot kick however referee Craig Napier deemed the foul to take place outside the area, with Jamie Pyper perhaps fortunate not to be sent off for denying a goalscoring opportunity.

The free kick would come to nothing – with Ryan McCord striking against the defensive wall and shortly after, Jonathan Page headed straight at Dabrowski from a corner.

The visitors first opportunity of the game arrived on 12 minutes when some hesitant defending allowed former City striker Kris Renton to get a shot away which went wide at the near post.

The opener arrived just after the quarter hour mark as OLLY HAMILTON bagged his first senior goal. Paul Allan did well to get to the byline before cutting the ball back for the on-loan St Johnstone forward - although he didn’t catch the ball cleanly, the despairing lunge of a Cowdenbeath defender was unable to stop it from crossing the line.

City looked dangerous every time they came forward with Dabrowski pushing away a shot from Paul Allan after creating some space for himself on the edge of the box.

The advantage was doubled on 35 minutes when Paul McManus whipped an inch perfect cross into the danger area for OLLY HAMILTON to slam high into the net to give City an all important two goal cushion.

Hamilton had the bit between his teeth and came close to his hat-trick at the start of the second half when his cross-cum-shot had to be tipped over the bar by Dabrowski.

On 51 minutes some good play down the left side ended with Ross Brown shooting over from the edge of the box. Several minutes later, Paul Allan pulled the trigger only to see his effort deflected wide and from the resulting corner, Dougie Hill headed straight into the keepers arms.

There was a scare for City on 64 minutes when Kris Renton flashed a shot just inches wide of the far post with McMinn beaten.

Some of City’s play was a joy to behold at times during the second half – a prime example of this came 15 minutes from time when Paul Allan produced an intricate flick for Kieran Inglis to latch on to before lashing a shot wide.

A slip from Sean McIntosh allowed Robbie Buchanan a run at goal however McMinn parried his effort away before an inch perfect tackle from Dougie Hill denied him from taking advantage of the rebound.

City looked to be coasting towards the three points however the visitors pulled one back deep into stoppage time to ensure a nervy ending. A cross into the box fell kindly for ROBBIE BUCHANAN to blast into the net from 5 yards out.

Tempers flared in the immediate aftermath of the goal, with 4 bookings dished out whilst Dougie Hill was giving his marching orders. The referee then went on to issue a yellow card to both Mark Wilson and Stevie Campbell on the touchline as they made their opinions known.

The drama wasn’t quite finished there, as Cowden’s Kris Renton picked up a second yellow card for a late challenge on Sean McIntosh who had been shielding the ball out for a goal kick.

That would prove to be the last action of the game as City picked up another crucial win to reduce the gap at the bottom to just two points ahead of a tricky trip to face Elgin City next weekend.

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Other Results - Ladbrokes League Two

Annan Athletic 0 Edinburgh City 2

Edinburgh keep the pressure on Cove at the top.

Cove Rangers 2 Stenhousemuir 1

Late winner for Cove keeps them top.

Elgin City 2 Albion Rovers 2

Valuable point for Albion at Borough Briggs.

Queen's Park 1 Stirling Albion 1

Point apiece at Hampden Park.