Ladbrokes League 1, Bayview Stadium, Saturday 31^st December 2016

East Fife 2 (Insall 74’, Robinson 78’)

Livingston 1 (Buchanan 14’)

Man of the Match: Scott Robinson

East Fife XI: Hurst, Slattery, Kane, Page, Kerr, Brown, Wilkie (Lamont 45’), Robinson, Penrice, Austin (Insall 64’), O’Hara

Subs Not Used: Trialist, Mutch

Booked: Wilkie

Livingston XI: Kelly, Crighton, Longridge, Lithgow, Halkett, Byrne, De Vita, Pitman, Mullen, Buchanan, Carrick (Mullin 66’)

Subs Not Used: Maley, Knox, Neill, Ogilvie, Currie, Sinclair

Booked: Mullen, De Vita, Longridge, Kelly

Referee: Gavin Duncan

Attendance: 661

East Fife welcomed League 1 leaders Livingston to Bayview for the final game of 2016 and it was the hosts who picked up all three points thanks to second half goals from Jamie Insall and Scott Robinson. East Fife made 2 changes to the side that beat Stenhousemuir with new-signing James Penrice and Mark Hurst replacing the injured duo of Scott Mercer and Ryan Goodfellow.

Former Fifer Liam Buchanan gave the visitors an early lead when he latched onto a long-ball to slot past Hurst inside 15 minutes. Scott Robinson had a goal-bound volley blocked by Sean Crighton in the only other event inside a first-half in which both teams cancelled each other out with neither ‘keeper having much to do. Worryingly for the home side, Kyle Wilkie was carried off on the stroke of half-time with a knee injury and was replaced by Mark Lamont.

The second half started the way the first had finished with little to write about for either side. East Fife brought on Jamie Insall with 25 minutes to go and the substitution proved to be catalyst which sprung the game into life. Insall had caused Livingston all kinds of problems in the first meeting a Bayview in September of which the visitors defence needed little reminding. Insall levelled the game within 10 minutes of coming on when former East Fife ‘keeper Liam Kelly failed to hold Robinson’s strike from outside the box and Insall reacted quickest to nod in the rebound.

Livingston had the opportunity to go back in front almost from the kick off but Rafa De Vita’s strike from distance was narrowly wide in what turned out to be the visitor’s last chance of the match. From the on it was all East Fife and the scored a deserved winner 12 minutes from time when Kelly raced out 30-yards from his goal  but his clearance rebounded off Robinson and the ball trickled over the line before Craig Halkett could clear. Kelly wasn’t having the best of games and conceded a corner when he failed to hold Jonathan Page’s free kick from inside his own half before being booked for handling outside his box. Kelly did redeem himself slightly by producing a fine save from a Lamont free kick 2 minutes from time

Five matched played in December, 5 wins, 12 points, 7 goals scored, 1 conceded and into the next round of the Scottish Cup.

After the match Manager Barry Smith spoke to East Fife TV:

“Livingston never really created too many chances, or cut us open too often because we defended well as a team. We always said we would get chances and fortunately for us when we got the chances we took them. I don’t think big Hursty had too many saves to make and what he did he coped with very well. It was down to the position in the team and the way they worked, the shape that we set out with so it’s credit to the players for taking on board what we’re asking and we made a wee slight change but it worked in our favour later on in the game.”

“I’m delighted for Jamie [Insall] because he’s had to bide his time due to the form of Jordan [Austin] but delighted for him. That’s a goal-scorers goal, being there at the right time. The work-rate Scott Robinson put in he deserved his goal as well, putting them under pressure. The whole team worked hard to get the three points today.”