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East Fife supporters will tell you that their club was founded in 1903. What is not so well documented, however, is how the game of football developed in and around Methil prior to East Fife's formation. For the first mention of football in the Levenmouth area we must go back to the year 1879, when Cameron Bridge Football Club came into existence. The club was formed by a group of local ‘football enthusiasts’ in March of that year, who organised matches amongst their own members in the grounds of Cameron House. The formation of this club did not, however, initiate the immediate formation of other football clubs in the area. Most of the inhabitants of the towns and villages in the eastern part of the county were content to play cricket on summer Saturdays and amuse themselves with indoor pastimes throughout the winter months.

The first senior football club to be formed in the area was the short lived Leven F.C. who were admitted to the Fifeshire Football Association in 1889. The new side soon built up a reputation, but unfortunately not a good one! After a match at Crail, where Leven had beaten Crail Union 3-1, the local newspaper commented: "This was not football but rough play. The Union on different occasions were about to leave the field through the Leven lads using filthy language towards not only the players but the spectators. The Union are not likely to bring back this team to Crail in a hurry for the sake of their own good name as well as the game of football".

After Leven lost their first round Fife Cup fixture against Burntisland Thistle just a few weeks later, the club was disbanded. After the demise of the Leven club, however, other local sides began to flourish. Over the decade which followed, three highly respected football clubs were formed in the Levenmouth area; namely Methil Rovers, Buckhaven United and Leven Thistle.

Methil Rovers were formed in 1893. Their colours were red and white and their first home was School Park in Lower Methil, which had a bad slope running from goal to goal. Rovers later played at Braehead Park, adjacent to Methil Brae.

Leven Thistle, whose colours were red and black, were founded in the late 1880's and in season 1896/97 were crowned 'Fife County Champion Juniors'. They led a fairly nomadic existence, playing at several venues throughout the local area including Leven Links, Haughhouse (near Mountfleurie) and Cottage Park (adjacent to Swiss Cottage on the banks of the River Leven). When Methil Rovers folded in 1901, Thistle re-located to their ground at Braehead, although the team retained its original name. This was to be the club's home for only half a season, as they were soon on the move again - this time to Town Hall Park, Methil, for the start of season 1902/03.

Buckhaven United, whose colours were black and white, played at Toll Park. The first club of that name was founded around 1890 and lasted only a season, but United were reborn in 1897 and played their first match in September of that year. In 1902, United considered the possibility of becoming a senior professional club representing the local area, which prompted the local press to comment: "Some people talk of running a senior team in Buckhaven, but older heads view this as beyond the resources of the town itself; they hold, and rightly we think, that such a team could only be done by amalgamation with Wemyss or Leven".

By early 1903, local opinion that the Levenmouth area could support a senior side was growing almost daily. This enthusiasm resulted in a public meeting being held in Methil in January 1903 "to discuss the formation of a senior club for the East of Fife" - and East Fife Football Club was born.

Leven Thistle’s Town Hall Park was taken over by the newly formed East Fife and renamed Bayview Park. Having lost their home ground and having to face up to the likelihood that their regular patrons would turn their attentions to the new senior club, Thistle decided to call it a day.

Unlike Leven Thistle, however, Buckhaven United did not fold following East Fife’s formation. They stayed in existence until 1912 and actually played East Fife three times, once at Toll Park and twice at Bayview, and won all three games!

Part 2

The formation of East Fife in 1903 brought the total number of senior clubs in Fife to six, the others being Raith Rovers, Cowdenbeath, Dunfermline Athletic, Lochgelly United and Hearts of Beath. The new club, whose colours were to be green and white, successfully applied for membership of the Scottish Football Association in April of that year. Their application to join the Northern League was rejected, however, and for the first year of East Fife’s existence they would have to be content with playing in the newly formed Fife League, the Wemyss Cup and the Scottish Qualifying Cup, as well as organising challenge matches against other senior clubs of similar standing.

With the basic essentials in place, the East Fife Committee set about the task of raising a team in preparation for their first match against Heart of Midlothian, who agreed to send a side to Methil on 15th August 1903 in return for the princely sum of £15. On a dull and wet afternoon, the Fifers shared the honours with Hearts in a 2-2 draw, both home goals coming from Nangle. Delighted with what he had witnessed during the inaugural match, the reporter from the Leven Advertiser commented:"The result was full value for the play. Considering everything, the new team did splendidly. Take any eleven players, total strangers, and dump them down on a field at the start of a season and they would do no better. Given another match together and we will be prepared to see East Fife meet the County cracks and beat them".

In June 1904, East Fife were rejected by the Northern League for a second time and decided to call a meeting of clubs they thought would be interested in forming a new league for Fife and the Lothians. The clubs who were represented at the meeting; East Fife, Hearts of Beath, Edinburgh Adventurers, Bathgate, Bo’ness, Broxburn, Broxburn Shamrock, Dykehead and West Calder, were all in favour of the new combination and the Eastern League was born.

In May 1905 the Fifers proposed to disband the Eastern League and form a new competition called the Central Football League, which would take its member clubs from the counties of Fife, Clackmannan and the Lothians.

The Northern League, alarmed at the prospect of having to start the new season with only nine clubs after losing certain key members to the new competition, decided to offer membership to East Fife in the hope that their defecting clubs would have a change of heart. The outcome was that East Fife were unanimously elected to the Northern League and, in season 1905/06, would welcome Aberdeen Reserves, Arbroath, Dundee Reserves, Dundee Wanderers, Dunfermline Athletic, Forfar Athletic, Kirkcaldy United, Lochee United, Lochgelly United, Montrose and St. Johnstone to Methil.

At the end of the 1905/06 season, Bayview Park was completely enclosed with a wooden fence and a 400 seat grandstand was built on the north side of the ground. The Fifers now considered themselves worthy of Scottish League membership and duly applied in the summer of 1906, but their application was turned down as bottom clubs Vale of Leven and East Stirlingshire were both re-elected. Just days after the initial rejection, the decision was taken to increase the size of the Scottish League by two clubs and East Fife submitted a second application, but this time Ayr Parkhouse and Dumbarton were successful.

Attendances at Bayview increased during the following season, which prompted a third application for admission to the Scottish League in 1907 season along with Dunfermline Athletic, but the club was yet again unsuccessful.

In April 1908, East Fife won their first ever trophy, the Fife Cup, with a 4-2 victory against Lochgelly United at the neutral venue of North End Park, Cowdenbeath. Although nowadays the Fife Cup is considered to be a minor tournament, back in 1908 it was considered to be a major prize. After being presented with the trophy, team Captain Tommy Fitzpatrick was carried shoulder high by a euphoric band of East Fife supporters, around 500 having made the journey to Cowdenbeath by special train.

As the Fifers were making a name for themselves on the field of play, however, matters off the park were causing concern as the club’s landlord sold off the land around Bayview Park to housing developers. By March 1908 the builders had almost encroached on the football park and, although it was anticipated that the pitch might be saved for one more season, it was widely expected that East Fife would eventually have to re-locate.

Towards the end of season 1908/09, developments elsewhere in the Scottish game signalled the end of the Fifers’ involvement with the Northern League. In March 1909 the Scottish Football Association announced that it was prepared to sanction the formation of a ‘Second XI League’ for the benefit of the Scottish League clubs. As this new league would inevitably mean the withdrawal of Dundee and Aberdeen reserves from the Northern League, the decision was taken by some of its member clubs to form a new competition covering a wider geographical area.

At a meeting held in Dunfermline during March 1909, a new twelve team competition was inaugurated consisting of West Lothian clubs Bathgate, Broxburn Athletic and Bo’ness; Alloa Athletic and King’s Park from the Stirling area and Northern League clubs St. Johnstone, Arbroath, Dunfermline Athletic, Lochgelly United, Kirkcaldy United and East Fife with the twelfth place taken by Cowdenbeath reserves. The Central League, which was destined to have a huge impact on the Scottish game, had been born!

Part 3

The Fifers, after having discarded their green and white jerseys in favour of navy blue, played their first ever Central League match against St Johnstone at Bayview on 21st August 1909. The first win in the new competition, however, was not recorded until 25 September 1909, when Broxburn Athletic were beaten 4-1 in Methil. What is also significant about this match is that Wilkie’s three goals for the Fifers that day was the first ever hat-trick scored at Bayview Park! Later that same month, the Fifers won the right to play in the Scottish Cup for the first time in their history by beating Aberdeen Harp 3-0 in the third round of the Qualifying Cup.

The club’s first ever Scottish Cup tie was played against Hurlford at Bayview on 15 January 1910, where the Fifers won a place in the last sixteen of the competition with a convincing 4-1 win. The following round saw the Fifers drawn at home against Queen’s Park, who at the time fielded a host of well known players including the famous Scottish internationalist R.S. McColl. Despite a brave performance from the Methil men, the Spiders ended the Fifers interest in the competition with a 3-2 win.

During the summer of 1910 East Fife became increasingly concerned about the uncertainty surrounding Bayview Park as plans for the new school at Aberhill were drawn up. Initially, it was hoped that the only change to the football ground would be a further reduction in the dimensions of the playing surface, but when spectators arrived at Bayview for the first match of the 1910/11 season, they found that the whole playing surface had been moved several yards to the west. This meant that the grandstand, which had been situated in the middle of the north touchline, was now at the north-east corner of the ground. The pavilion, which had occupied a position between the grandstand and the north-west corner of the park, now found itself situated almost exactly on the half-way line!

Early in 1911 it became apparent that all was not well behind the scenes at Bayview Park when it was announced that the club was in a bad way financially, largely due to poor gates during the first half of the season. The club struggled on, but after two blank Saturdays in March when the financial situation forced the cancellation of two fixtures, doubt was expressed as to whether the Fifers could stay afloat. Faced with the possibility that their beloved football club was about to cease operations, club officials, local businessmen and supporters rallied round and decided on a course of action. Eventually, the decision was taken to float the club as a Limited Liability Company and, by April 1911, the flotation was reported to be ‘proceeding merrily’. On 29th May 1911, East Fife Football Club Limited was incorporated as a Company under the Companies (Consolidation) Act 1908. The Fifers had been saved!

Everyone associated with East Fife looked forward to the 1911/12 season with fresh enthusiasm. Never before in the history of the club had the outlook been so promising. The Fifers’ re-birth as a Limited Company with the associated cash injection from the sale of shares meant that the ‘old wood’ could be cleared away and some fresh talent brought to Bayview. The opportunity was also taken to change the team colours to black and gold, a choice that the club has retained to this day.

In the summer of 1914, East Fife applied for Scottish League membership yet again when the size of the Second Division was increased to sixteen, but were rejected in favour of Lochgelly United and Clydebank. Had their application been successful, however, the Fifers’ league membership would have been short lived due to the outbreak of the Great War just weeks later. After war broke out, Central League fixtures became few and far between for obvious reasons and, in August 1915, a meeting was held by club officials to decide if it was worthwhile keeping the club going. Fortunately the Fifers decided to carry on and joined the Eastern League, which was created as a result of the Scottish League’s decision to disband the Second Division for the remainder of the war.

Peace was eventually declared in November 1918 and East Fife joined the Central League once again when it was re-started in August 1919. The following season, East Fife won their first major trophy, the Scottish Qualifying Cup, by beating Bo’ness at Central Park, Cowdenbeath, in front of a record crowd of 18,603. Huge crowds gathered at Methil station to welcome the team home, where some players were lifted shoulder high and carried along Methil High Street with the cup held aloft. It was, at the time, the greatest achievement in the Fifers’ history.

Reaching the latter stages of the qualifying competition won entry to the Scottish Cup for the fourth time and, after defeating Stevenston United, the Fifers met Celtic for the first time in their history. With a huge crowd expected, major improvements were carried out at Bayview Park and squads of workmen were employed raising an embankment on the north side of the ground, adjacent to the grandstand. The match attracted a new ground record of 11,000, who saw the Glasgow side progress with a 3-1 victory.

By 1920, the Central League had become a very successful competition and, as the league was made up mainly by clubs from the prosperous mining communities of Fife and the Lothians, healthy crowds meant that member clubs could pay their players good wages. Eventually it became apparent that the Scottish League clubs were in grave danger of losing most of their better players to the Central League, attracted by the healthy wages on offer. In order to prevent this scenario, the Scottish League decided to offer membership to the sixteen Central League clubs, along with Vale of Leven, Johnstone, Forfar Athletic and Arbroath, at the start of season 1921/22.

After so many failed attempts, East Fife had finally managed to attain Scottish League status!

Part 4

In anticipation of their entry into the Scottish League in 1921, East Fife proposed further improvements to Bayview Park, including the erection of a new 3,000 seat grandstand and an increase in the size of the banking to bring the total capacity up to 35,000. Of course, the actual improvements carried out fell far short of these ambitious proposals, but dramatic improvements were made to the playing surface. By the time Cowdenbeath visited Methil for a pre-season friendly the pitch was in magnificent order and general opinion was that very few Scottish League clubs had turf of a similar quality.

On Saturday 20th August 1921, East Fife played their first ever Scottish League match against Bathgate at Bayview Park, where Neish scored the Fifers’ first league goal from the penalty spot as the visitors won a disappointing match 2-1. Defeat at Stenhousemuir followed a week later, but on Saturday 3rd September the first ever Scottish League win was recorded; a single goal triumph over near-neighbours Lochgelly United at Bayview. The Fifers finished their Scottish League season in mid-table.

The summer of 1922 was dominated by the construction of the new grandstand on the south side of Bayview Park, opposite the wooden structure erected in 1906. The grandstand, which could only hold around a third of the originally proposed capacity, was opened at the beginning of October. Further ground improvements were carried out by a volunteer work force during the summer of 1923 when the banking around the ground was terraced in order to allow 20,000 spectators to be accommodated ‘in comfort’.

The Fifers’ league form didn’t exactly set the heather alight during the early 1920’s, with the club occupying a mid-table position in the Second Division for much of this time. The only time the club came anywhere near promotion was in season 1925/26 when they finished fourth; four points adrift of second placed Clyde and ten points behind Champions Dunfermline Athletic. On the other hand, the club never looked like candidates for relegation to the short-lived Third Division, which was in existence for three seasons from 1923 to 1926.

During the mid 1920’s, East Fife played Rangers for the first time when the two clubs were drawn to face each other in the Scottish Cup on 24th January 1925. Once again, the facilities at Bayview were improved with the addition of four turnstiles at the main entrance and two pay boxes in School Street, with the standing capacity of the ground also added to. Unfortunately, like their rivals Celtic four years earlier, the Glasgow giants returned west with a 3-1 victory.

A successful run in the Scottish Cup didn’t elude the club for much longer, however, and in January 1927 the Methil men embarked on what was to become a truly remarkable Scottish Cup run. Victory over Thornhill in the first round was rewarded with a home tie against Aberdeen. On 5th February, the ‘Dons’ visited Methil for the first time, where an early Jock Wood goal was countered by a Cheyne equaliser to take the tie to a replay at Pittodrie. The following Wednesday evening, the Fifers became ‘giant killers’ by knocking their First Division opponents out of the cup with a shock 2-1 victory. Two weeks later, a new ground record crowd of 12,000 paid to see East Fife take on Fife rivals Dunfermline Athletic in the third round of the competition at Bayview, where the home side claimed another First Division ‘scalp’ with a 2-0 victory.

The Quarter-Final paired the Fifers with fellow Second Division side Arthurlie at Dunterlie Park, Barrhead, where East Fife adapted best to the ‘quagmire’ conditions and comfortably saw off their counterparts with three goals without reply.

Only Partick Thistle now stood between East Fife and the final of the country’s top football tournament. On 26 March, a crowd of 38,000 packed the neutral terraces of Tynecastle Park in Edinburgh for the semi-final against the more fancied Glasgow side. With the score standing at 1-1, East Fife captain Jock Wood netted what proved to be the winning goal and, when the final whistle sounded, scores of East Fife supporters dodged the lines of police, invaded the pitch and hugged their heroes. Just six years after becoming Scottish League members, East Fife met Celtic in the Scottish Cup Final at Hampden Park on 16 April 1927, the first Cup final to be broadcast live on the radio.

Few who listened to the broadcast were prepared for the great start to the match when, after only two minutes, the Fifers took a shock lead through a header from Jock Wood. Unfortunately, the joy was short lived. Only a minute later the match was squared, just before half time Celtic took the lead, then just after the break the Glasgow scored again to make the final score 3-1.

With confidence no doubt boosted by the successful cup run, East Fife came agonisingly close to winning promotion the following season, but lost out by just two points to second placed Third Lanark. The club didn’t have long to wait for a crack at First Division football, however.

Promotion was finally achieved in season 1929/30 following an exciting season-long battle for the Second Division Championship with Leith Athletic, who eventually landed the title on goal average. With Raith Rovers’ relegation to the Second Division coming at the same time, East Fife had never had a better chance to establish themselves as the district’s top football club!

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The first Legends we'll be looking at are the members of the Scottish Cup Winning Team of 1938. This has been prepared by our Club Historian, Jim Stewart. The story of that game is well documented in the History section of the site but this is about the individuals who made up the team for the successful Cup run.

Goalkeeper was Jimmy Milton who was born in Crieff in 1910. He made his debut for The Fife at Bayview Park against Alloa Athletic who were in Division 2 on14th August 1937 - East Fife won 3-1. Milton's last appearance for the Club was away against Cowdenbeath, again in Division 2, which finished in a draw, 2-2 on the 8th April 1939. His previous clubs were Vale of Earn, King's Park (Stirling Albion nowadays), Falkirk and Dundee United.Jimmy's appearances were limited to 64 league and 12 Scottish Cup, totalling 74.

Right Back came in the form of Willie Laird who originated from Carronshore, born 1918. His debut for the Club was in the league away at Airdrieonians on 20th November 1937. The score was 1-1. East Fife ,of course , were in the League Division 2. Willie's previous clubs were Gairdoch Juveniles, East Stirlingshire and he guested for King's Park and Elgin City during the WW2 years. He made 156 league appearances and scored 1 goal. He also made 35 League Cup appearances, with 28 Scottish Cup games. He also played 9 times in the Supplementary Cup. His other honours were League Cup winners teams of 1947-48, 1949-50 (Captain) and in the runners up team of the Scottish Cup of 1949-50. Willie was to play his last game for The Fife against Third Lanark at Bayview Park in the Scottish League Cup on 19th August 1950 when we lost 5-2. He subsequently transferred to Dunfermline Athletic. Willie died on 7th September 1999.

Left Back was filled by Bobby Tait who came from Glasgow. Bobby first played for the Club on 29th August 1936. He previously played for Dumbarton and Ards(Irish League). His debut was against King's Park at home and The Fife won 3-0. Bobby's appearances were again limited to 57 league and 11 Scottish Cup. Bobby's last game was against Alloa Athletic in the league on 15th April 1939 when we won 4-1.

Right Half position was filled by Davie Russell who hailed from Dundee. His date of birth was 7th April 1914. He came from the North of the Tay clubs of Dundee Violet, Forthill 'A' and Dundee FC.He first played against Brechin City at home on 24th August 1935 when the Club won 4-3 in Division 2. His last game was against Forfar Athletic 28th April 1938 running out winners by 3 goals to nil. Davie played 92 league matches scoring 5 goals and 15 in the Scottish Cup. Davie went on to play for Sheffield Wednesday, Odense (Coach) Bury (Manager) and Tranmere Rovers lastly as manager. Davie died in Birkenhead on 12th June 2000.

Centre Half - John Sneddon was the occupant of this position as well as the Captain of the team. He was born in Bo'ness in 1914 and previously played for Bo'ness Cadora before coming to the club. He first played for East Fife on 18th August 1934 in a Division 2 game at home against Greenock Morton, the club winning 1-0. He had 148 league appearances, scoring 10 goals in his 14 years at the Club. He also appeared in 17 Scottish Cup games and in 1 Supplementary Cup game. His final game was at Bayview Park on 12th April 1948 at the age of 34, against Dumbarton with a winning finish of 2-0. John died in Bo'ness in September 1986.

Left Half was filled for one game only by John Harvey who was signed on loan from Heart of Midlothian to replace Andy Herd who had been injured in the first game. He obviously made his sole appearance against Kilmarnock at Hampden Park, Glasgow in the Scottish Cup Final replay on that wonderful 27th day of April 1938. We all know that it was a winning debut with the score 4-2 in favour of East Fife after extra time. John came from Wallyford and had played for the wonderfully named clubs of Musselburgh Imperial, Ormiston Primrose, Heart of Midlothian and Bo'ness (loan). After the loan period of 1 game was finished, he later played for Kilmarnock and went to Heart of Midlothian as an assistant trainer, then trainer and finally manager. John Harvey died in 1980.

Outside Right - who else could fill this role but the famous Tommy Adams, the darling of the Bayview Faithful.Tommy was born in Glasgow in 1916. He played for Hamiltonhill Social, Neilston Victoria before coming to the Fifers on 16th August 1935 to make his debut against St Mirren at Bayview Park where we lost 6-1 in a league division 2 match. Tommy went on to make 190 appearances in the league, scoring 62 goals. He also scored 8 goals in 24 League Cup games and in 25 Scottish Cup games, he grabbed 5 goals.Not satisfied with those goals, he scored 3 in 9 Supplementary Cup games. Tommy then, during World War 2, played for Hibs, hearts, Dunfermline Athletic Hamilton Accies and Greenock Morton before returning to the club afterwards.His last game after a long and popular career was against Falkirk at home on 22nd January, 1949 in the Scottish Cup. He ended in a winning side, the score being 2-1 in favour of the Fifers. Tommy went to Forfar Athletic after this. Tommy's other honours were that he was the Captain of the East Fife League Cup winning team of 1947-48 and he was also the first player to score a hat trick in a League Cup Final (Replay versus Falkirk 1947-48) Tommy died at the age of 68 on 19th October 1984 - very much remembered yet for his heroics and trickiness on the right wing by many fans , some who to this day are proud that they were his apprentices in his trade.

Inside Right - this important role was filled by Eddie McLeod who was born in Glasgow in 1914. Eddie played for Shawfield Juniors and Portsmouth before joining The Fife. He first played against a now defunct Edinburgh City FC in a Division 2 game in Edinburgh in November 1935 which resulted in a draw, 2-2. Eddie did not play for the Club for very long after winning the Cup - he last played for East Fife on 12th November 1938 at Bayview against Alloa Athletic when the home side won 3-1. Eddie made only 87 league and 15 Cup appearances. However he did score 69 league goals with 7 Cup goals. That is a very good scoring record in any time. Eddie then went to Manchester City and then to Shrewsbury Town and during WW2, he played for the Hibs. Eddie died in 1988 aged 74.

Centre Forward - Bobby McCartney was the spearhead of the attack - he first played for East Fife away at Gayfield Park, Arbroath in March 1932 where we lost 2-0. He had come from Newtongrange Star and Heart of Midlothian and remained with the club till April 1939. He made 195 outings, scoring 87 league goals , with 5 goals in 19 Scottish Cup games, again a tremendous scoring record. Bobby's final game was against Alloa Athletic.

Inside Left - David (Larry ) Millar was inside left and he came fromPaisley. Before coming to East Fife, Larry was at various clubs including Paisley YMCA, Yoker Athletic, Falkirk, Albion Rovers, St Mirren and King's Park. Larry played for only one and a half years for the Fifers, with his first game at home against Dumbarton in October 1037, The Fife winning 4-1. His last appearance was away against Cowdenbeath on 8th April 1938 when it was a draw, 2-2.He played only 41 league games, scoring 10 goals and 11 Scottish Cup games witn 5 goals. Larry then after World War 2 became a Grade One Referee. He died in Paisley in September 1992.

Outside Left - Danny McKerrell from Blantyre was the left winger.He came on loan to East Fife. He first played against St Bernards FC (Edinburgh) in the Scottish Cup Semi Final 2nd Replay when the Fife won 2-1 on 13th April 1938.Danny's previous clubs were Bedlay Juniors, Shawfield Juniors, Hamilton Accies and Falkirk.His last appearance was on 15th April 1939 against Alloa Athletic. He made 17 league appearances, scoring 10 goals 4 Cup games scoring 3. Not a bad record for a winger. Danny went on to play for Hamilton Accies , Newcastle United and Middlesbrough during WW2.

There were other players who played for the Club in that wonderful cup run who were unfortunate enough not to play in the final - here are some of them who are obviously not as well known as the Cup winning team.

Andy Herd was the usual left half for the club but he missed the Cup Final replay through injury. Andy was born in Cardenden in 1902. He previously played for Bowhill Star, Hearts of Beath, Dundee, Dunfermline Athletic and Heart of Midlothian.He first played for the club on21st August 1937 against Kings Park at Stirling where we won 2-0.His final game was against Alloa Athleticon 15th April 1939. Andy appeared 44 times in the League with 3 goals and 11 Cup games with 4 goals. His other honours were 1 Scottish Cap and a league cap when with Hearts.Andy emigrated to Australia where he died in 1084.

Joe Cowan was another player unlucky not to be in the final. He was a centre forward who joined the club on 11th August 1934 playing against Third Lanark away where we lost 3-0.He scored a remarkable 82 goals in 99 league appearances with 3 in 7 Cup games. He had played for Markinch Rangers, Wellesley Juniors, Celtic and Raith Rovers. His other honour was that he held the scoring record for most goals for the Club in one month with 7 against Dumbarton at Bayview in September 1934 - the score was 9-1 for The Fife. He last played against East Stirlingshire in April 1938. Joe died in Windygates in 1991.

John Young was a left back who joined East Fife in August 1935. He made his debut against St Mirren at Bayview, losing 6-1. His former clubs were Partick Thistle, Alloa Athletic and Kings Park. He scored 2 goals in 89 league appearances, with 5 Cup games , eventually bowing out against Forfar Athletic in September 1938.

Andrew Duncan was an outside left who had a very short career with the club. He appeared against Raith Rovers in the Cup replay of 23rd march 1938 when we won 3-2. His final game was against Dundee United on 29th April 1938 when we demolished them 7-0. He had only 3 league appearances with 1 goal and 2 Cup games. His previous clubs were Rutherglen Glencairn and St Johnstone

Finally, James Henderson was another outside left who joined the club in October 1937, playing against Dumbarton at Bayview, winning 4-1. He previously played for Forth Juniors and made his final appearance against Forfar Athletic in January 1939. He scored 10 goals in 27 league matches and 1 goal in 5 Cup appearance

Scottish League Cup Winners 1947 - 48 season

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We now look at other legends of East Fife FC and appropriately, in the 60th anniversary of winning the League Cup and winning the Championship of B Division, the Club are SFL Irn Bru Champions of the 3rd Division.

Again we look at the backgrounds of the players who brought the League Cup to Methil for the first time of three. Once more the Club is indebted to Jim Stewart, the Club historian for his research and results.

What was the team ? Many fans can still rattle off the team to this day as follows - Niven, Laird and Stewart; Philp, Finlay and Aitken; Adams, Davidson D., Morris, Davidson J., Duncan.

John Niven - goalkeeper - was born in Coatbridge in 1921 and signed for The Fife from Renfrew Juniors in 1942. He made his debut against Dundee in 1946 when we lost 6-2. in Division B match.He made well over 100 appearances before going on to Kilmarnock. During the War, Niven played for Hibs, St Mirren, Falkirk and Dundee.

Willie Laird - right back - his details are in the Scottish Cup Winning legends above.

Sammy Stewart - left back - born in Musselburgh 1920 and died in 1995. One of the most loyal players the Club has ever had since he signed fromTranent Juniors and apart from the war years when he played for Hearts and Raith Rovers, he played for no other clubs. When he left East Fife in September 1960, he did not go to another Club. His first game was against East Stirlingshire when the team won 7-5 and he scored a goal! Sammy's last game was a home game against Cowdenbeath when the Club lost 4-1.His honours were League Cup Winner 1947-48; 1949-50; 1953-54 (Captain) B Division Championship Winner and Scottish Cup runner up in 1949-50. Sammy made almost 400 league appearances, 99 League Cup games and 30 Scottish Cup games with a total of 8 goals.

Jimmy Philp - right half - born Lumphinnans in 1914. He signed in 1946 after appearing for Methil Hearts, Denbeath Star,Crossgates Primrose, St Bernards and Selkirk (loan).During the war, he played for Hearts and later joined Brechin City after his time with East Fife. His first game was against Dundee (lost 6-2) and his last was versus Hearts in 1951 (lost 3-1). Among Jimmy's honours was the winning of the Division C Championship when he was Captain of Brechin City in 1953 -54. Jimmy then returned to East Fife in the capacity of Assistant trainer and then trainer. He was associated with the Club for many years thereafter. Jimmy died in Kirkcaldy in Mar 1998

Willie Finlay - centre half - born Auchterderran and was the best uncapped centre half that Scotland had in many fans' opinions. Wullie made his debut in 1946 against Dunfermline Ath. in a Div. B game (won 2-0). His last appearance was against St Mirren in Div A (lost 4-0) in 1956 before he was transferred to Clyde and later to Raith Rovers.Wullie was originally signed from Bowhill Rovers and played almost 400 games for the club. Wullie's honours were the same as Sammy Stewart's with the addition of Division 2 Championships 1956-57, 1961-62 and Scottish Cup Winner 1957-58, all with Clyde. Wullie is still active to this day, playing bowls with Markinch BC.

George Aitken - Left half - born in Lochgelly 1925.Signed for the Club in 1943 after appearing for Lochgelly St Andrews and Wolves. He first played for the Club against Dundee in 1946 (lost 6-2). He made almost 150 appearances and won all the honours till the League Cup win of 1949-50. He also won the prize honour of being capped for Scotland 5 times with East Fife and then 3 times with Sunderland. He last played against Third Lanark for the Club when they lost 4-1. He later played for Third Lanark , Sunderland and finally Gateshead. George died in Sunderland on 22nd january 2003.

Tommy Adams - Outside Right - Tommy's history has already been explained in the Scottish Cup Legends above.

Douglas (Dougie) Davidson - inside right - from Dundee in 1918 and signed in 1946. Made his debut against Dundee in 1946 when we lost 6-2. He made 85 appearances and scored 29 goals before he went on to Blackpool and Reading. He had previously played for Lochee Central and Dundee Violet. He became a coach and was at Birmingham City, Portsmouth and Luton Town before dying in Portsmouth in 1968.

Henry Morris - centre forward - a great legend of the Club. He was born in Dundee in 1919 and signed in 1946. Like many others of this League Cup winning team, made his debut against Dundee, losing 6-2.Henry made 188 appearances and scored 171 goals - a phenomenal rate by any standard. He previously played for Lochee Central and Dundee Violet.His honours included all those up to the Scottish Cup Final in 1950. He is also the holder of East Fife's goalscoring record for a season with 62 goals in 1947-48.His 41 league goals equalled the record set by Jock Wood in 1926-27. He won one cap for Scotland against Northern Ireland at Windsor Park on 1st October 1949. He scored 3 goals in Scotland's 8-2 win. He is the only player in the 20th Century to score a hat trick and NEVER be capped again.That match is now regarded as Scotland's first World Cup Qualifying match for the 1950 finals. As scorer of the first goal, Henry Morris therefore holds the record of scoring Scotland's first ever goal in the World Cup competition. One wonders what would have happened if Henry Morris played for a more fashionable club than East Fife with regards to International appearances.Henry then went on to Dundee United and Portadown. He died in 1993 in Kirkcaldy.

John (Jake) Davidson - inside left - was born in Leslie in 1925 and was signed in 1947 after appearing for Lochee Central, Dundee Violet and Dundee Utd.His first appearance was against Ayr Utd in the League Cup when The Fife won 5-0.He played over 70 games, scoring almost 30 goals before his final game in 1950 against Falkirk. He later went on to Kilmarnock, Rhyl Athletic and Alloa Athletic.

Davie Duncan - outside left - born Milton of Balgonie in 1921.Davie signed in 1944 and made his debut against Dundee. His last game was against Clyde in 1953 after nearly 260 appearances, scoring 107 goals. Davie's previous clubs were Woodside Amateurs, Milton of Balgonie, Lochgelly Albert, Wolves and Raith Rovers. He also played during WW2 for Raith Rovers, Hearts, Celtic and East Fife. He then went on to play for Raith Rovers, Crewe Alexandra and Brechin City. Davie Duncan became only the second East Fife player to play for Scotland when he made a scoring debut against Belgium at Hampden on 28th April 1948. He was also the first Division B player to be selected. His other 2 appearances were against Switzerland and France in May 1948. Caps were then only awarded for appearances in the Home International Championship matches.That policy was not changed until 2007 when the Duncan family received a cap posthumously.He also became the first East Fife player to play for the Scottish League when he appeared against the English League at Newcastle on 17th March 1948. Davie Duncan's Scottish International Jersey is on display at the Club.

LEAGUE CUP WINNERS 1949-50

Jock McGarrity was in goals for The Fife,born in 1925 and died in March 2006 in Dundee.His previous club was Blairhall Colliery and later played for Arbroath and Cowdenbeath.

He made his debut against Clyde on 2nd April 1949 when the Club won 4-2 in Division A.His last appearance was against Falkirk on 1st May 1950 in Division A, winning 2-0 He had 8 league appearances with 2 League Cup games. In all he had only 10 appearances that season. His only honour was winning the League Cup in 1949-59 against Dunfermline Athletic.

Playing at right back was Willie Laird (Captain) - see his profile in the Scottish Cup Winners 1938.

Playing at left back was again Sammy Stewart. - See his profile in League Cup Winners 1947.

At right half was Jimmy Philp - see his profile in League Cup Winners 1947.

The centre half was Willie Finlay - see his profile in League Cup Winners 1947.

Alongside him at left half was George Aitken - see his profile in League Cup winners 1947.

On the right wing was Robert (Bobby) Black who was signed in 1945 from Connell Park Rangers.He made his debut against Dundee at home in Division B on 10th August 1846 when East Fife lost 6-2. His last appearance was against Motherwell in Division A away on 26th April 1952 when East Fife won 6-1. He played 78 league games , with 17 appearances in the League Cup and 10 in the Scottish and also in the Supplementary Cup scoring 28 goals in his East Fife career.He then went to Queen of the South. His achievements were League Cup winner 1949 and Scottish Cup runner up in same season.

At inside right was one of the Club's best loved characters, Charlie (Legs or Cannonball) Fleming. He was born in Blairhall on 12th July 1927 ans was signed in June 1947. He made his debut in the Supplementary Cup against Arbroath at Bayview on 31st March 1948, scoring 2 goals in the 6-1 victory. His first League appearance (Division B) was again at home, on 7th April 1948, versus Stenhousemuir when he again scored 2 goals in the 4-0 victory. Charlie's last game for The Fife was against QOS on 3rd January 1955 when a loss of 1-0 was recorded. Charlie made 173 league appearances, scoring 117 goals - in his 50 League Cup showings, he scored 42 goals and in the Scottish Cup, he scored 8 goals from 16 appearances. His total appearances amounted to 242 with 3 in the Supplementary Cup. His goals total was 167 and, phenominally 7 goals in the Supp.Cup.Charlie was signed from Blairhall Colliery and after his long spell at the Club, went on to Sunderland, Bath City and Trowbridge Town. His honours were - League Cup winner 149-50 and 1953-54 - Scottish Cup runner up 1949-50 (all with East Fife)

Caps - Played for the Rest of Britain against Wales at Ninian Park on 5th December (Welsh FA 75th Anniversary match) - was the only uncapped player in the Rest Team- scored once in the 3-2 defeat. He then played for Scotland against Northern Ireland on 3rd October 1953 when Scotland won 3-1 with Charlie scoring 2 goals. Amazingly, these caps were all this free scoring forward with the cannonball shot ever achieved. Again one must wonder how many caps Charlie could have attained had he played for a "more fashionable" Club. Charlie went on to coach/manage Trowbridge Town, Toronto City (Canada), Washington Darts (USA) and Sydney Hakoah (Australia). The older supporters speak of this player very fondly and with the highest regard.

Henry Morris was centre forward and his profile has already been illustrated in the League Cup Winners of 1947.

One of our most famous players was Allan Duncan Brown who occupied the inside left position. He was born in Kennoway, on 12th October 1926 and signed from Kennoway Hearts in January 1944. He first appeared (apart from the WW2 years) on 2nd January 1947 at Bayview Park against Dunfermline Athletic in Div B when it was a 1-1 draw. His last game for the Club was against Falkirk in Division A at Brockville on 1st May 1950 when The Fife won 2-0.He had 62 league appearances, with 15 League Cup and 7 Scottish Cup, totalling 84 with 26 goals. Allan was then transferred to Blackpool and went on to play for Luton Town, Portsmouth and Wigan Athletic. His honours were League Cup winner 1949-50, Scottish Cup runner up 1949-50 (East Fife) FA Cup runner up 1958-59 (Luton Town.

Caps - He played for Scotland 14 times (East Fife 3 and Blackpool 11)In his 3 appearances in the dark blue of Scotland while with East Fife in 1950, he played against Switzerland (H), Portugal (A) and France (A). He scored in all 3 games. His last caps were against Austria and Uruguay in the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland which was also Scotland's first appearance in that competition. He was also capped by the Scottish League against the English League at Middlesbrough on 23rd March 1950

(2nd player to be capped by Scottish League while with East Fife). He then began his coaching/managerial career with Wigan, Luton Town, Torquay United, Bury, Nottingham Forest, Southport, Blackpool and Quadsia (Kuwait).

At outside left was Davie Duncan whose profile can be seen in the League Cup Winners of 1947.

Scottish Cup

Winners (1): 1937-38

Runners-Up (2): 1926-27, 1949-50

Scottish League Cup

Winners (3): 1947-48, 1949-50, 1953-54

Scottish B Division

Champions (1): 1947-48

Scottish Second Division

Runners-Up (3): 1929-30, 1970-71, 1983-84, 1995-96

Scottish League Two

Winners (1): 2015-16

Scottish Third Division

Champions (1): 2007-08

Runners-Up (1): 2002-03

Supplementary Cup

Winners (2): 1946-47, 1947-48

Scottish Qualifying Cup:

Winners (1): 1920-21

Fife Cup

Winners (19): 1907-08, 1930-31, 1931-32, 1932-33, 1935-36, 1936-37, 1945-46, 1949-50, 1951-52, 1952-53 (Joint Winners), 1953-54 (Joint Winners), 1973-74, 1977-78, 1978-79, 1984-85, 2004-05, 2005-06, 2007-08, 2015-16

Penman Cup

Winners (4): 1909-10, 1916-17, 1938-39, 1961-62

Wemyss League

Winners (1): 1911-12

Wemyss Cup

Winners (4): 1917-18, 1934-35, 1935-36, 1936-37