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Oli Anderson previews tonight’s match against Edinburgh City

Alan Trouten’s penalty proved the difference between East Fife and Forfar Athletic at the weekend, with the Fifers grabbing two consecutive wins for the first time since 5th October when we beat Bonnyrigg Rose 5-0. The result also sees us climb back atop the League 2 table.

We do not have to wait until the weekend to get back involved in the action however, as we play out our game in hand tonight against Edinburgh City at the Meadowbank. We have had to wait a while for this fixture however, with the game originally postponed back in November due to adverse weather.

Our hosts this evening are coming off the back of a 2-0 victory over Bonnyrigg Rose. The three points have seen the Citizens secure themselves in fourth place, leading Stirling Albion by four points, with a game in hand too.

William Hill League 2 Table

  Team Pld GD Pts
1 East Fife 18 18 33
2 Elgin City 18 7 32
3 Peterhead 18 6 31
4 Edinburgh City 18 4 28
5 Stirling Albion 19 -7 24
6 The Spartans 17 -2 22
7 Clyde 19 -5 22
8 Stranraer 17 -4 18
9 Bonnyrigg Rose 18 -7 18
10 Forfar Athletic 18 -10 14

*Bonnyrigg Rose have been handed a 6-point deduction due to their failure to comply with SPFL regulations.

Last Week’s Results

 Clyde 2-0 Stirling Albion

East Fife 1-0 Forfar Athletic

Edinburgh City 2-0 Bonnyrigg Rose

Elgin City P-P The Spartans

Peterhead P-P Stranraer

The Form

The Fifers

East Fife’s most recent victories have restored some points in the league, with the Fifers now boasting ten points in six games, with three wins, one draw and two defeats.

The first loss came in November when we 3-1 to Clyde at the ZLX Stadium. The Bully Wee were the better team in the contest, and Jack Healy’s 90th-minute goal was merely a consolation. Most recently, defeat to Peterhead came in frustrating fashion, as Kieran Shanks’ well-taken header early in the first half was all that separated the sides. 

Our draw was also frustrating, with chances to win the game. Jess Norey scored a late equaliser against Bonnyrigg Rose at the end of November to cancel out Lee Currie’s free kick to share the spoils against Bonnyrigg 1-1. 

Norey was on the scoresheet again, as East Fife grabbed a late winner in a ding-dong battle with Elgin City at the start of December. Reis Peggie opened the scoring in the first half before Gallagher’s long-range effort secured an equaliser for the Black and Whites. The game looked destined to finish a draw, but in the dying embers, East Fife’s Norey took the bull by the horns and stuck the ball in the back of the net. A fortnight ago, Alan Trouten, Connor McManus, Kieran Millar and Scott Shepherd all found the back of the net (Trouten twice) in a 5-1 drubbing of the Spartans. Victory over Forfar Athletic rounds up East Fife’s last six games, with Trouten’s penalty separating the sides.

Our Opposition

Edinburgh City also have ten points in their last six games, with three wins, one draw and one defeat in the league, as well as defeat to Dunfermline Athletic in the third round of the Scottish Cup.

Their league loss came in their local derby a fortnight ago, as Blair Henderson scored from the spot to grab the win for The Spartans.

The draw was a goalless affair Dumfries, when neither Edinburgh City nor Stranraer could break the deadlock at Stair Park.

Michael McIndoe’s men have secured three wins, keeping clean sheets in all three games. This means that in their last five league games, the Citizens have only conceded one goal. On top of this, they have not conceded at the Meadowbank Stadium in the league since the start of October. Their wins have come against Bonnyrigg Rose, and Elgin City at Meadowbank (2-0 and 1-0 respectively), with their biggest win coming away to Stirling Albion where they ran out 3-0 winners at Forthbank.

Previous Encounter

East Fife 2-0 Edinburgh City

10th August 2024- MGM Timber Bayview Stadium

A strong second half from East Fife saw them overcome Edinburgh City when the sides last met in August at the MGM Timber Bayview Stadium. East Fife controlled the entire contest, with the visitors only registering one shot on goal over the ninety minutes. With that being said, it wasn’t until the 70th minute mark that the Fifers took the lead. Liam Newton opened the scoring, and it wasn’t long before Alan Trouten doubled the lead, securing the three points on the day.

Squad News

We continue to miss Nathan Austin and Liam Newton, though we are at full strength aside from the long-term absences. 

Masson Winn and Logan Briggs remain with the first-team squad for this game.

Match Tickets

Please note that tickets purchased for the original match are still valid!

Prices for Meadowbank Stadium can be found below:

Adults: £15

Concessions (U18s/OAPs): £10

Under-12s: £5

Tickets can be purchased through Edinburgh City’s FanBase page. Tickets can also be purchased with cash or card in the turnstiles before kick-off.

Live Stream

For our International Fans, Live Streaming for today’s game will be available on EFTV, using a Monthly, or Annual Gold Pass. Today’s commentator will be Oli Anderson.

Club Colours

The Fifers will don the new Back Onside sponsored away kit. We will be wearing the blue and white striped top, with white shorts and socks. Our goalkeeper will be in all orange for the clash.

Edinburgh City will be in their away colours too, of a full black kit with the Citizens’ goalie in red this afternoon.

Officials

The referee today will be Joel Kennedy. Steven Wilson and Terry Ormiston will be his assistants, running the lines.

Misc

Visiting supporters should access Meadowbank Stadium via the entrance at the east of the ground, closest to the community astroturf pitch. Sections A&B of the stand are designated for away fans.

Card can be used at food kiosks on matchdays.

Mon the Fife!

Tickets for our William Hill League 2 match against Edinburgh City at Meadowbank Stadium on Wednesday 8th January are now on sale and can be purchased here.

Admission Prices

Adults - £15

Concessions* - £10

Under 12s* - £5

*Proof of age may be requested

All tickets purchased for the initial postponed match on 23rd November are still valid for this game.

Supporters outside the UK and Ireland can watch the match live via East Fife TV with a monthly or annual subscription.

We can confirm that Gordon Walker has left the club following the conclusion of his contract.

The former Arbroath and Cork City defender made 14 appearances for the club after joining in September.

All the best for the future Gordon.

East Fife 1-0 Forfar Athletic, Saturday 4th January 2025, MGM Timber Bayview Stadium, William Hill League 2

We reclaimed top spot in William Hill League 2 with a 1-0 win over 10th-placed Forfar Athletic at the MGM Timber Bayview Stadium on Saturday. The Fifers picked up their second consecutive victory thanks to a second-half penalty from Alan Trouten. 

The first half was devoid of chances for both sides, with Jack Healy coming closest with a couple of efforts. Firstly, the winger had a crack from a free kick which was 20 yards out. The effort was just wide of the post, although had goalkeeper Marc McCallum scrambling across his goal. Moments later, Healy had another pop from range though that failed to challenge the goalkeeper.

The Methil Milan had another flurry of offence in the first half, though they could not get the ball into the back of the net. Healy darted up to the touchline, before spreading the ball back into the box. Jess Norey was the first responder, and his effort which was destined for the goal was cleared off the line. We had another two bites at the cherry with the resulting shots, but they could not beat the resolute Forfar defence.

The second half saw both teams come out, though only one team were interested in winning the contest, East Fife.

Forfar set up to see the game out and looked for an aerial ball over to Russell McLean as their only route of attack, although this was regularly snuffed out by Andy Munro and Brian Easton. 

The crucial chance came just before the 70th minute, Jess Norey found a burst of pace in the box and was clipped by Forfar defender Adam Hutchinson. Alan Trouten stepped up and converted his penalty as per usual, handing East Fife the win, and the three points.

Due to postponements elsewhere, the win sees East Fife reach the top of the league again, having now played the same number of games as the teams around them.

After the match, goal scorer Trouten spoke with EFTV, where the attacker said: “We knew coming into the game that Forfar make it really difficult to play, and we had to grind it out at times. When we passed the ball, we were the better team, so I think that we deserved to win it.”

 We venture to the capital on Wednesday night to play Edinburgh City as they catch up on our game in hand at Meadowbank.

Reporter’s Man of the Match: Alan Trouten

Trouten’s ability to manage the game after we went ahead was impressive, so he gets the nod from me this week.

East Fife – McFarlane, Murdoch, Easton, Peggie, Munro, Millar, McManus, Norey (Slattery 84’), Trouten, Healy (Trialist 76’), Shepherd (Laaref 83’). Subs not used: Fleming, Briggs, Winn, Docherty.

Forfar Athletic – McCallum, Logan, Morrison, M Allan, Hutchinson, Whatley (Malcolm 75’), Robson, Cannon, Rodden (Taylor 55’), Skelly (Inglis 72’), McLean. Subs not used: Paris, Trialist, F Allan.

Referee – Alastair Grieve

Attendance – 785

Report by Oli Anderson