League Two round-up: Loons and Lichties stumble

It was an afternoon to forget for promotion rivals Forfar Athletic and Arbroath as neither Angus club could take advantage of the other's woes to forge ahead in the League Two title race.

Chris Templeman shot home from 30 yards. Picture: Gary Hutchison/SNS

The Loons appeared to have dented their championship chances as a moment of madness by Grant Adam allowed Montrose to take the lead at Links Park when Chris Templeman, pictured, collected the goalkeeper’s wayward clearance to fire his 30-yard effort into an empty net.

Dick Cambell’s Arbroath looked set to pick up a point and take over pole position against Edinburgh City despite not managing a shot on target at Gayfield, but no one told teenager Ryan Porteus. The capital club’s defender popped up in the last minute to slot home from a corner to frustrate the Lichties.

Attention turned to the league basement which is just as compelling. Bottom side Cowdenbeath continued their good form, notching their third win of 2017 to haul Gary Locke’s men to within three points of Clyde and Berwick Rangers. On-loan midfielder Dale Carrick contributed two of the goals, sealing a maestro performance by the on-loan Livingston player, Kris Renton adding his tenth goal of the season for good measure.

Elgin City kept to the script, scoring early against a languishing Clyde outfit, Chris McLeish finding the net before Chris Dodd doubled the lead.

But a quickfire second-half hat-trick by David Goodwillie, all from close range, left the Highlanders reeling.

Annan Athletic rsecured a 2-1 win over Berwick Rangers that solidifies Jim Chapman’s men in the play-off hunt. A penalty by Darren Ramsay and an acute finish by Aidan Smith came either side of a stunning Steven Thomson free-kick to guarantee the victory.