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Match Report - Stranraer
East Fife took the camel trek down to the bottom corner of the country to take on 8th placed Stranraer at Stair Park. Prior to the weekend, Stranraer have picked up 6 points in their last six games whereby East Fife had collected 7 points in their last 3 games. Last weekend East Fife won an excellent three points at Bayview against league leaders Dumbarton thanks to a bullet header from Aaron Steele and a late tap in from Alex Ferguson to secure a 2-0 win. Stranraer and East Fife have already met twice this season. The first ended in a 2-2 draw at Stair Park after a late Jack Healy screamer and the second finished 3-1 win for the visitors at Bayview.
Greig McDonald made two enforced changes to the team that beat Dumbarton last time out as Jonathan Page and Kieran Millar taking the place of the injured duo of Aaron Quinn and Pat Slattery who both picked up knocks last weekend.
After a couple half chances for both sides, along with a penalty claim for this visitors for a foul on Aidan Denholm, Stranraer took the lead when a low cross from Brady managed to evade everyone on its way to Matty Grant who tapped in at the back post to give the home side an early lead.
Straight after taking the lead, Stranraer had the chance to add a quick fire second when Brown picked up the ball in the middle of the East Fife half, took a couple touches, and from around 25 yards attempted a long-range effort but the ball narrowly sails over the bar.
In the 26th minute of the game, East Fife have their first real chance when Healy is played in on the wing and cut inside but his effort flies well over the bar much to the disappointment of the travelling East Fife support.
With five minutes remaining of the half, Stranraer had a penalty claim of their own when a free kick is partially cleared and picked up by Brown who goes down under Steele challenge, but the referee was uninterested.
HALF TIME: Stranraer 1-0 East Fife
After only four minutes of the second half, Stranraer doubled their lead when Ngandu who skipped past Millar in midfield and feeds Brown in behind the East Fife defence who in turn squares the ball to Hilton who passes the ball into an empty net doubling their lead and giving the Fifers having a mountain to climb.
A minute after scoring a second, East Fife had an opportunity at the other end to get one back. Steele played the ball over the top of the Stranraer back line for Healy, putting him in a 1-on-1 with Connelly but, with a heavy touch, and the keeper is off his line quickly, the ball is gathered by the Stranraer stopper.
In the 66th minute, Healy attempted to add another to his goal of the season contenders with an audacious effort. Shepherd is played through and does well to gather the ball, on the edge of the area, passes to Schiavone who sends a very nicely placed cross towards Healy at the back post, but his acrobatic effort is well off target.
With the minutes remaining Shepherd had a chance to set up a nail biting finish when substitute, Taylor Steven did very well to wrestle the ball away from his man to play a well-timed through ball to Shepherd but was denied by Connelly with a good save with his feet.
FULL TIME: Stranraer 2-0 East Fife
A disappointing result for the Fifers puts them into 7th, dropping 3 places in 90 minutes, which highlights the tightness of the league with only 3 points separating 4th to 8th. Next up for the Fifer is a home match against in-form Forfar Athletic.
Stranraer Team: Connelly, McIntosh, Robertson, Ross, Watt, Grady, Brady, Gallagher, Hilton (Duffy 88’), Ngandu, Brown (Walker 85’)
East Fife Team: Fleming, Steele, Denham, Newton, Page, Denholm (Shepherd 59’), Trouten, Millar (McManus 59’), Ferguson, Healy (Walls 70’), Schiavone (Steven 78’)
Referee: Barry Cook
Attendance: 425
Report by Andrew Laing
Ticket Info v Forfar Athletic
Tickets for our cinch League Two match against Forfar Athletic on Saturday 18th February at the Locality Hub Bayview Stadium are now on sale and can be purchased here.
Admission Prices
Adults - £18
Concessions* - £14
Under 16s** - £5
Parent & Child** - £21
Parent & 2 Children** - £24
*Over 65s/Full-Time Students/Disabled – proof of age/eligibility may be requested
**Proof of age may be requested.
All member of East Fife Community Football Club & East Fife Girls & Womens’ Football Club who are under 16 go free with a paying adult or as part of an organised group for all cinch League Two matches at Bayview this season. Tickets for this are arranged through EFCFC.
Full and half-season tickets are valid for this match.
There are no cash turnstiles at Bayview and supporters are strongly encouraged to purchase their tickets online. Online sales are available right up until kick off. Tickets can also be purchased over the phone by calling 01333 426323 or directly from the club office.
Please note, parent and child tickets cannot be purchased online and should be bought directly from the club office.
There is no live stream available for viewers within the UK & Ireland this weekend, however overseas supporters can watch the match via East Fife TV with a monthly or season pass.
Connor Young Signs On Loan From Rangers
We’re delighted to announce the signing of forward Connor Young on loan from Rangers until the end of the season.
18-year-old Connor came through the ranks at Hibs before joining Rangers last summer and has been a regular in the Ranger B team during their Lowland League campaign this season with 7 goals in 27 appearances.
Manager Greig McDonald: “I’m really pleased to add Connor to the group for the remainder of the season. He’s really well thought of at Rangers and I’m sure he will compliment the attacking players we already have at the club”.
Connor will join up with the squad at training this week ahead of Saturday’s match against Forfar Athletic.
Welcome to Bayview Connor!
Match Preview - Stranraer
East Fife make the 300-mile round trip to Stranraer this weekend, in what is set to be an enthralling contest. The Fifers currently find ourselves back into the fabled playoff spots, sitting in fourth in the cinch League Two table boasting 33 points after 25 games played. Stranraer find themselves far away in positions, but not in points, as they sit in eighth place, with 29 points after the same number of games played. With lots of games in hand to be played, it is not entirely clear where East Fife will be sat in the league table after it sorts itself out, however, there is a level of security after East Fife’s recent run of great results.
Form
In Stranraer’s last 6 they have recorded 6 points, claiming victories over Elgin City last week, as well as East Fife, when the teams last met a month ago.
East Fife’s stellar form in recent weeks has helped them accumulate 8 points in the last 6, with 7 of those coming in the last three games, with victories over league leaders Dumbarton as well as Albion Rovers, as well as a draw with second placed Stirling Albion.
The cinch League 2 Table:
|
Position |
Team |
Played |
Points |
GD |
|
Dumbarton |
23 |
47 |
14 |
|
|
Stirling Albion |
22 |
44 |
20 |
|
|
Annan Athletic |
25 |
34 |
3 |
|
|
East Fife |
25 |
33 |
-4 |
|
|
Stenhousemuir |
24 |
32 |
-1 |
|
|
Forfar Athletic |
23 |
32 |
-3 |
|
|
Elgin City |
24 |
30 |
-4 |
|
|
Stranraer |
25 |
29 |
-10 |
|
|
Albion Rovers |
25 |
27 |
-1 |
|
|
Bonnyrigg Rose |
24 |
23 |
-14 |
Last Week
The Hosts
The Blues are on a high after beating Elgin at Borough Briggs last week. An impressive Scott Robertson long*-anged effort was the difference maker, giving Stranraer the 3 points, and the much needed breathing room, taking them 6 clear of the relegation zone.
The Fife
East Fife kept all three points in Methil last weekend, after a strong defensive performance allowed the Fifers to overcome League Leaders Dumbarton.
It was Dumbarton who had the chances early doors, with Ally Love and Ryan Wallace trying their luck from range, though they were both off target.
Unfortunately for both sides, after 20 minutes, Fife’s Aidan Quinn and Dumbarton’s Gregg Wylde both had to be replaced due to injury. Quinn’s departure allowed room for Kieran Millar to return to the line-up, having served his suspension in full.
Just 5 minutes later, East Fife broke the deadlock, with Aaron Steele leaping like a salmon and stinging like a bee, to drill his header past Brett Long from Alex Ferguson’s excellent corner kick.
The remainder of the half saw the Fifers contain Dumbarton, not allowing them to put the ball into any dangerous areas. Liam Newton saw his name go in the book, after a challenge on Kalvin Orsi, and in the 45th minute, Jack Healy went down inside the box, though the referee deemed that he was looking for the penalty, and thus he was shown yellow just before the break.
The second half started as the first half ended, with Dumbarton piling on the pressure, and East Fife remaining firm, and united. Sam Denham was excellent in stopping anything that came in the air or along the ground, and Pat Slattery once again controlled the tempo, marking Ryan Wallace out of the game, rendering the clinical front man useless for the proceedings.
Although they had more of the ball, Fife had the best chance of the first 10 minutes after the restart, with Alex Ferguson’s long-range effort being plucked out of the top corner by ex-Fifer Long.
With 60 on the clock, Dumbarton’s golden chance came, though Fleming was equal to it. Russell McLean’s effort from close range was leathered right into the midriff of the East Fife shot stopper.
The game then died down, with East Fife sponging up pressure, and Dumbarton struggling to find any way to break down the black and gold wall. The game deciding moment came in the 89th minute however, when ex-Fifer Ryan Wallace got his first clear cut chance of the day, standing over a free kick from less than 20 yards out. His effort was only good enough to hit the team bus though, and East Fife survived unscathed.
It went from good to great for the Methil Men in the 93rd minute too, as they hit the league leaders on the break, Scott Shepherd burst away from his man, and dinked a cross into youngster Ferguson, whose calm finish was good enough to double their advantage and seal all three points for the second week in a row.
Squad News
Taylor Steven has returned to fitness and is available for selection, having overcome his groin injury. Slightly positive news for Aidan Quinn, whose knee injury last week was not too serious and the Montrose loanee, although missing tomorrow, could return in 2-3 weeks.
Previous Encounter
East Fife were on the receiving end of a 3-1 humbling at the hands of Stranraer the last time the two sides met.
McDonald’s men were completely outclassed by Stranraer’s high press in the second half and at no point looked comfortable in the contest.
Fife started brightly though and were looking the more likely of the two to take the opener, before Aaron Steele was tied up in knots by new Blues signing Aaron Brown, who was adjudged to have been fouled in the box, as the referee pointed to the spot. Josh Walker stepped up, and fired home with an excellent penalty, right in the top corner.
The game was then back and forth, as no side was able to capitalise on the half chances they were creating. East Fife missed two free kicks, with Scott Shepherd firing his effort off of the crossbar. He also missed a fantastic opportunity that he should’ve finished, blazing his shot past both posts.
On the stroke of half time, East Fife found themselves 2 goals down after an unusual blunder from Scott Mercer saw him miss the ball and play James Hilton through one-on-one with Allan Fleming, and the winger slotted home to give the Blues a much stronger grip on the game.
The visitors came out for the second period with fire in their bellies, playing with an incredibly high press, not allowing East Fife to play any worthwhile football.
Though the one opportunity that did come their way they took. After an hour of play, Aaron Steele launched a throw in into the box. There was a scuffle for the first header, and the ball landed perfectly for the aforementioned Mercer, who lashed his shot into the back of the net, mounting an East Fife comeback.
That comeback was short lived however, as Kilmarnock loanee Aaron Brown went down to the other end, and instantly restored Stranraer’s two goal lead. He latched onto a cross, unmarked, and slotted home, with what was a goal that Manager McDonald deemed “criminal, from an East Fife perspective”.
Aside from some incredible Allan Fleming saves, that saw the end of any action for East Fife. There were also plenty of yellow cards dished out on the day, with the referee handing 7 out over the course of the action.
Team Colours
East Fife will be clad in their tartan kit for the affair, with their black shorts and socks to match. The man in between the sticks will don the green goalkeeper kit.
Stranraer will be in their traditional blue kit, with white shorts and blue and red socks, with the keeper in pink.
Match Tickets
Tickets will be PATG for the game this weekend. Cash and card are both accepted at the turnstiles.
Prices below:
General Admission: £15
Concession: £10
Under 16s: £5
Live Stream
Unfortunately for our fans in the UK and Ireland there will be no livestream for the clash this weekend. However, for our global audience, the game can be watched on EFTV with a monthly or season pass.
Officials
Scott Lambie will be the on-park official. His assistants running the lines will be Graham Chambers and Paul McAvinue.
Refreshments
The small Pavilion Bar will be open to both sets of support this weekend before the clash. The Fitba Bar, which is located in town, will also be open. This can accommodate a larger number of fans.