Cowdenbeath 3 Dumbarton 0

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LOOK at it this way. Dumbarton have already stayed up.

Jordan Kirkpatrick played his first league game since December, the sun was shining and it was a bank holiday weekend.

There. That’s just about every drop of positivity wrung out of this game.

Because in circumstances like this, it gets very difficult to find anything else to take.

Goals by Lewis Toshney, Sean Higgins and Colin Nish gave Cowdenbeath a victory which could prove decisive at the end of the season.

The Blue Brazil are still fighting their battle against the drop, while Sons have already won theirs.

But anyone who hasn’t watched Dumbarton regularly this season would have wondered exactly how. If this wasn’t the poorest performance of the season, it’s definitely in the bottom three.

From gathering 10 points in their last 15 – with three of the dropped ones conceded to champions Hearts – Sons really slumped. Nearly all of their battling qualities, and solidity and quality all over the pitch, was missing.

Anyone claiming there was nothing at stake for them is right in terms of promotion/relegation issues. But the title of Scotland’s best part-time team could have been clinched with victory in this game.

Then there’s personal pride, and the improved chances of new deals for next season.

Stuart Findlay and Chris Turner, out through illness and suspension respectively, were big misses. No doubt about that.

However, the personnel available to Ian Murray were still good enough to get a result.

Instead Cowden – hungrier and more battle-hardened on the day – took their tally against Sons this season to seven points.

There was little sign of what was to follow in the early stages as Sons did look bright. Mitch Megginson was close with a 20-yard shot which was turned away by the keeper, with Chris Duggan just unable to reach the rebound.

But play wasn’t slow to switch to the other end. Danny Rogers saved well from Toshney while Nish headed a cross from the right wide.

Kudus Oyenuga, not for the last time in the afternoon, then got the better of the visiting defence but his shot from the edge of the area was saved.

Towards the end of an up-and-down first half, Archie Campbell had an effort stopped by the keeper while Duggan shot narrowly over from distance.

Sons were already labouring but from there, things were about to go badly downhill.

They looked set to go in at half time goalless before Oyenuga cut into the area. His shot was turned away by Rogers but Toshney could hardly miss from the rebound.

Half time was spent wondering whether Murray’s words in the dressing room would provoke a more positive second half display from his players.

Three minutes after the restart, that question was answered. No.

Oyenuga, again, beat the defence with ease and after his shot was again parried, this time it was Higgins snapping up the open-goal chance.

Cowden weren’t creating chances easily but were well on top. Oyenuga had another chance for a goal on 69 minutes but after he broke through on goal, Rogers saved at close range.

But with 10 minutes left, Colin Marshall crossed for the unmarked Nish to head home.

Cowdenbeath had scored as many goals in this game as they had in total on their own pitch since September.

Garry Fleming at least got near the home goal with a shot on 82 minutes which went past.

That was that. Four days earlier, Cowden’s defeat to Falkirk had given Sons arguably the high point of the season.

It confirmed their safety with six games remaining in a very difficult league.

This, unquestionably, was one of the low points. Wednesday’s home game with Hibernian seems an ominous prospect.

But the Easter Road side have lost their last three, and standards from Sons will surely be higher.

What was that about every drop of positivity…?

Cowdenbeath: Thomson; O’Brien, Armstrong, Wedderburn, Robertson, Nish, Higgins (Adamson 72), Brownlie, Oyenuga (Buchanan 82), Marshall, Toshney. Subs: Sneddon; Kane, Miller, Johnston, Hughes. Booked: Marshall, Oyenuga, Higgins, Robertson.

Dumbarton: Rogers; Graham, Gilhaney, Agnew, Duggan (Petrie 52), Megginson, Taggart, Fleming, Easton (Kirkpatrick 63), Campbell, Wilson. Subs: Ewings; McCallum, Lightbody, Whitefield. Booked: Graham, Taggart.

Referee: Barry Cook.

Crowd: 515.