Cowden keeper Grant Adam held his hand up and apologised to his team-mates for an error which gave Queen of the South the edge in the Championship relegation battle at windswept Central Park.
The game was goalless as it went into time added on at the break when Iain Russell’s low shot came into the box with the goalkeeper’s name on it.
For some reason the ball squirmed from the keeper’s grasp and was bundled into the net by Paul Burns, almost on the line.
The goal gave a Queen’s side, which had never threatened, the edge at a key time.
Cowdenbeath’s woe was compounded with 26 minutes left when skipper John Armstrong was dispossessed by Derek Lyle. He supplied Russell, who did the needful, with Adam stranded.
Cowden’s top scorer, Kane Hemmings, was twice denied by brilliant Zander Clark saves.
With the bulk of possession, the Fifers should have done better.
Adam said he thought he had Russell’s shot covered, but at the last second it escaped his grasp.
“I should have gathered that shot without any problem at all. It is one of those things that can happen, and for us it occurred at the worst possible time,” he said.
“I went into the dressing room and apologised to the lads, for up to that stage we were the likelier side to score, although overall it was not a good performance from us after the good shows at Dundee and Raith Rovers.
“Myself and the team in general will have to do a whole lot better at Alloa on Thursday.”
Cowden boss Jimmy Nicholl said the performance was a “real kick in the teeth” after the encouraging shows in two difficult away games, and he is aware that the result has given Queen’s a seven-point gap over the Fifers.
“We literally did not play at all in what was such an important match, and to give two goals away in such amateurish manner is simply not good enough,” said Nicholl.
“The players proved against Dundee and Raith that they are better than that.”
The manager said losing striker Greg Stewart after just four minutes through a hamstring problem and then full-back Dean Brett through injury after half an hour did not help the cause.
However, he added: “We had players on the bench to deal with the situation and there was no excuse for losing the goals the way we lost them.
“Clearly when the transfer window opens I will be looking to bring in a couple of experienced players to help the cause.”
Meanwhile, the Queen’s boss, Jim McIntyre, was happy to win what he always knew would be a tight game.
“The strong wind made it so difficult for both sides, and mistakes were going to happen,” he said.
“We managed to keep our errors to a minimum, which was encouraging, and were alert enough take advantage when Cowden made mistakes,” he said.
“It was a good three points for us and is a good base to work from in our bid to climb the table,” he added.