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Match Report - St. Johnstone
St. Johnstone 5-1 East Fife, Saturday 27th July 2024
Premier Sports Cup Group F MD5, McDiarmid Park
Facing defeat for the first time this season, East Fife’s final game in the Premier Sports Cup most certainly did not go to plan, as they fell 5-1 to Premiership side St. Johnstone.
A strong start from the Fifers could not be maintained, as the floodgates slowly but surely opened for the Saints. Results from elsewhere in the group meant that St. Johnstone leapfrogged us, and Alloa Athletic, to top the group after the resounding win.
East Fife had a half chance early door when Healy broke behind St. Johnstone’s defensive lines. He whipped a decent ball in, though it was no match for Rae in the Saints goal.
St. Johnstone took the lead after a quarter of an hour through Sibideh, who took advantage of some space in the box to head home from close range.
It was two just ten minutes later, when Benji Kimpioka tapped home for the Saints. Andre Raymond’s pass was deadly, and the forward made no mistake in doubling their advantage.
With just minutes left in the half, Alan Trouten rattled the crossbar, which would prove to be a decisive moment, as St Johnstone would go down the other end and slot home number 3 through Sidibeh following a ball in behind the East Fife defence.
The second half was a tetchy affair, with East Fife making a very positive start to the second period. Scott Shepherd had a great shot, which was spilled by Joshua Rae, giving Alan Trouten the chance to tap home, giving the Fifers a lifeline.
Slowly but surely, East Fife started to edge into the game more and more, and with just five minutes to go, Andy Munro could have made it two for East Fife, if it weren’t for the heroics of the Saints’ goalkeeper.
The sucker punch came just minutes later when Kirk stepped up for St Johnstone, handing back the Saints’ three goal lead, which they would go on to further extend in the dying embers.
It was Kimpioka who grabbed the fifth, and closed out the scoring, after a tough day at the office for East Fife.
Reporter’s Man of the Match: Alan Trouten.
A solid opening to the game made me hopeful that we would have had much to celebrate come Friday evening, though St. Johnstone showed their class and controlled proceedings. With that being said, one man who still found himself in the chances was Alan Trouten, with the creative player bagging East Fife’s only goal, and causing Rae to be put under some pressure at crucial points in the game, such as him rattling the crossbar.
St. Johnstone – Rae, Raymond (Franczak 73’), Cameron, McClelland, Keltjens, MacPherson (Kucheriavyi 56’), Steven (Carey 85’), Wright, M Smith, Sidibeh (Kirk 74’), Mbunga-Kimpioka 90+1’). Subs not used: Sanderson, Sinclair, C Smith, Sprangler, Parker.
East Fife – McFarlane, Murdoch, Easton, Peggie, Munro, Newton (Nicol 80’), Millar, Norey, Healy (Laaref 76’), Shepherd (McManus 76’), Trouten. Subs not used: Fleming, Slattery, Docherty, Murray, Ramsay.
Referee – Don Robertson
Attendance – 2,424
New Associate Directors Appointed
We’re pleased to announce the appointment of Laura Anderson, Lee Gillies and Scott Young as Associate Directors of East Fife FC.
Laura has been part of the media team since 2015 and is responsible for producing and coordinating content and contributions for our social media channels, website, newsletter and East Fife TV, as well as contributing to our matchday programme The Bayview.
Lee & Scott took over the Commercial remit 3 years ago and have generated a significant amount of revenue for the club during that period, including our biggest ever shirt sponsorship this season with MPH Group and our partnership with MGM Timber, the largest deal in the club’s history.
On their appointment, Lee & Scott commented: “It’s an absolute privilege to be asked to join the board of directors at East Fife. As life-long fans, we are thrilled to have been asked to support the club in this capacity. Over the last few years, we have worked tirelessly to bring sponsorship to the club, such as the stadium renaming and shirt sponsorship amongst other and, in this capacity, we can continue to do even more to drive increased investment into our club.”
Laura added: “I’m grateful for the opportunity to join the board at East Fife We have a fantastic media team at East Fife who all contribute a great deal of time and effort into our output, much of it unnoticed and behind the scenes and I’m looking forward to the opportunity to further showcase the talented individuals within the club and spread the word about East Fife.”
East Fife Chairman Jim Stevenson: “I am delighted to welcome Laura, Lee and Scott to our board as Associate Directors. As well as bringing fresh ideas to the club, they have all worked extremely hard to raise valuable income and raise the profile of our club.
“Laura, Lee, Scott all started supporting the club when they joined the Young Fifers as founding members in 1999. The club clearly made an impression on them then and it’s great to see their enthusiasm and commitment to the club 25 years on.
“They have all been integral to the running of our commercial and media departments over the last few years and will be valuable additions to our board.”
Match Preview - St. Johnstone
Oli Anderson previews today’s match against St. Johnstone.
A great midweek result against Brechin City has left us with an opportunity to progress into the last 16 of the Premier Sports cup. Our objective is clear, we must win against St Johnstone. With Alloa beating the Saints on Tuesday, it is the Wasps who top the group ahead of the final gameday.
The League Cup Fixtures
Saturday 13/07: East Fife 3-0 Greenock Morton @ MGM Timber Bayview Stadium
Tuesday 16/07: Alloa Athletic 0-0 (5-3 on penalties) East Fife @ The Indodrill Stadium.
Tuesday 23/07: East Fife 4-0 Brechin @ MGM Timber Bayview Stadium
Saturday 27/07: St Johnstone vs East Fife @ McDiarmid Park
Group F’s Standings
|
|
Team |
Pld |
W |
D |
L |
Pts |
GD |
|
1 |
Alloa Athletic |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
8 |
3 |
|
2 |
East Fife |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
7 |
7 |
|
3 |
St Johnstone |
3 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
6 |
2 |
|
4 |
Greenock Morton |
3 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
3 |
-4 |
|
5 |
Brechin City |
4 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
-8 |
The Form
The Fifers
The League Cup campaign has brought three excellent performances so far, though results have been mixed.
The first game was against championship outfit Greenock Morton, which saw the Methil Milan recording a 3-0 win over the second-tier side. The Fifers found their rhythm ten minutes into the game and never looked back, having an exemplary five minutes which led to a 2-0 lead at half time. This trend continued into the second half, both going forward, as well as at the back, with Trouten scoring an absolute stunner at one end, and Slattery and McFarlane both contributing to great blocks and saves, keeping the clean sheet intact.
The second fixture came against Alloa Athletic at Recreation Park. Despite a valiant fight against another higher tier opponent, we could not capitalise on chances created and the game was forced to a penalty shootout. Munro stepped up first for Fife and had his effort saved, before all eight of the following penalties were converted, which ended up reading a 5-3 scoreline in favour of the Wasps, giving our opponents the bonus point on the day.
Most recently, the Fifers ran out 4-0 winners over Highland League runners-up Brechin City. An even quarter of an hour blew wide open when Liam Newton opened the scoring with a great header. Nathan Austin showed his striker’s instincts five minutes later to pounce on Reis Peggie’s cross that was possibly already goal bound. Just before the break, Scott Shepherd capitalised on some nervy goalkeeping to round the goalie and slot home for the Fifers. Within 60 seconds of the start of the second half Austin grabbed his brace, following some fantastic work on the left-hand side from Healy and Newton. The performance matched the result and it arguable could’ve been more on the day.
Our Opponents
St Johnstone’s form has been varied throughout the League Cup where they have lacked the cutting edge at times. Their first game was against Brechin City, and it took a 47th minute penalty to open the scoring. From there, Kyle Cameron made it two in the second half, before Brechin pinned the Premiership outfit back in the dying embers.
Their second game against Greenock Morton was slightly more convincing. A first half brace from Benjamin Mbunga Kimpioka proved to be the difference between the two sides.
Ten-man St Johnstone failed to hold strong against Alloa on Tuesday, allowing the Wasps to take all three points at Recreation Park. The first half was goalless, before a flurry of action at the start of the second half saw both sides score, and the Saints’ Aaron Essel see red. The game was end-to-end from there, with the last ten minutes bringing plenty more action. Luke Rankin bagged a brace, which St Johnstone could not reply to. A 91st minute consolation was only that, and not enough to force a penalty shootout.
Previous Encounter
The last time the sides met in the Premier Sports cup was back in 2018. A goalless draw between the two sides forced a penalty shootout, which the Saints came out victorious in. It was a valiant effort from the Fifers, who came so close, but alas, it was not to be.
East Fife vs Scottish Premiership Side in the League Cup
We have faced each of the Scottish Premiership teams through the years in the League Cup with a varying outcomes. We will start with the most recent and look at the last time we faced each of the 12 teams, when they were in the Premiership.
2023- Motherwell 3-0 East Fife: The most recent result was far from ideal, with Miller and Wilkinson doing the damage in the first half. Callum Slattery made it three in the second period.
2022- Ross County 7-0 East Fife: Our worst result of the bunch came in 2022. Ross County ran riot in Dingwall, with Loturi, Purrington and Edwards among the many scorers.
2021- East Fife 0-1 Dundee United: A valiant effort from the Methil Milan caused all sorts of bother for the Arabs, though a Peter Pawlett goal shortly before half time saw Dundee United claim all three points.
2019- East Fife 1-1 Hearts (East Fife win 7-6 on Penalties) Group Stage. An emphatic result for the Fifers contributed hugely to East Fife’s progression into the last 16 of the League Cup that season. A nail-biting sudden death penalty shootout went the Fifers way after what was a fantastic day at the office.
2019 Last 16 - East Fife 0-3 Rangers. After advancing into the knockout rounds of the League Cup, the Fifers were faced with a tough task, Steven Gerrard’s Rangers side. A great fight was not enough unfortunately, though the performance from the Fifers was commendable. Jermaine Defoe and Joe Aribo did the damage on the day, along with an unfortunate own goal.
2018- St Johnstone 0-0 East Fife (St Johnstone won 5-4 on penalties). The last time the sides met in the League Cup was back in 2018. A goalless draw between the two sides forced a penalty shootout, which the Saints came out victorious in. It was a valiant effort from the Fifers, who came so close, but alas, it was not to be.
2016- East Fife 1-1 Dundee (East Fife won 4-2 on penalties). Another great showing for the Fifers grabbed the bonus point for the Methil Milan, as they overcame the Dees after a contentious ninety minutes. The East Fife goal via a brilliant free kick from skipper Kevin Smith.
2011 Last 16 - Aberdeen 3-3 East Fife (East Fife won 4-3 on penalties). A great game at Pittodrie for the Fifers saw the Fifers look destined to head to the quarter finals of the League Cup without penalties required, although the Dons found a way to get the ball into the back of the net in the 90th minute. This did not get the Methil Milan down though, as they continued on their track to win on penalties and reach the quarter finals. East Fife goal scorers on the day were Ryan Wallace, Matthew Park and Robert Sloan.
2011 Quarter Finals - Kilmarnock 2-0 East Fife. The Fifers fought for everything and worked their socks off against Killie. Unfortunately, an East Fife red card for Robert Ogleby just before half-time opened the door for Kilmarnock to bag twice in the last fifteen minutes.
2007 - St Mirren 0-1 East Fife. East Fife would go on to lift the Third Division title that season after an impressive showing at Love Street where Craig O’Reilly’s second half strike was enough to overcome the Saints.
1984 - Hibernian 1-0 East Fife. We have to go back forty years for our last League Cup clash with the Hibees, where we fell short 1-0 to the Leith outfit.
1972 - Celtic 1-1 East Fife. The two sides drew in the League Cup half a century ago, at Parkhead, which forced a replay at Bayview.
1972 Replay - East Fife 2-3 Celtic. It was not to be after the replay, where the Hoops were able to come out victorious over the Fifers.
Squad News
The Campbells have a full squad at their disposal once again, with Alan Trouten coming back into the fold, after missing Tuesday’s game with Brechin City.
Match Tickets
Please find match ticket prices below. Tickets can be purchased on St Johnstone’s website:
Adult- £15
Over 65s- £10
Under 16-£5
Ticket sales for this match are online only with exception of wheelchair tickets. Tickets will be sent in the form of e-tickets which can either be printed at home or presented at the turnstile on your smartphone.
East Fife supports will be housed in the North Stand this afternoon and should enter the stadium via turnstiles 5, 6 & 7.
Live Stream
For those who can’t make the game, a live stream is available to overseas supporters via East Fife TV with a monthly or annual subscription. Supporters in the UK can watch the match via Premier Sports
Club Colours
The Fifers will be in the MPH Group sponsored home kit this afternoon. They will wear the famous black and gold striped top with black shorts and socks. The Fife goalkeeper will wear orange for the tie.
St Johnstone will be in their traditional home strip, with their goalkeeper clad in yellow for the tie.
Officials
The referee this afternoon will be Don Robertson, with his assistants running the line being Chris Rae and Michael MacDonald.
Additional Info
Parking is available at McDiarmid Park for £5.
The Muirton Suite (located under the Main Stand) will be open from 12pm, where St Johnstone welcome us to join them prior to kick off.
A match programme is available priced at £3.50. These are available inside the turnstiles.
Mon the Fife!
Match Report - Brechin City
East Fife 4-0 Brechin City, Tuesday 23rd July 2024
Premier Sports cup Group F MD4, MGM Timber Bayview Stadium
An emphatic win for the Fifers leaves group F hanging in the balance, as we head into the final gameday of the Premier Sports Cup group stage. A terrific performance from East Fife saw them run out comfortable 4-0 winners.
The game was back and forth in the opening stages, before the Methil Milan started ploughing through the gears.
Goal number one came from Liam Newton, who was in the right place at the right time to answer a Jack Healy cross. Shepherd did excellently to set Healy up to deliver the course, and Newts made no errors with his finish.
Less than ten minutes later, it was 2-0, when Austin showcased his striker’s instincts to tuck the ball home. Reis Peggie’s cross looked goal bound, though Austin popped up at the last moment to tuck it away.
Moments later, Austin should have had his brace, though Wilson, Brechin’s goalkeeper, was out from the traps quickly and made a great save.
The third came five minutes before the break, where Scott Shepherd, who put in a fantastic shift, tucked away a very difficult chance. After beating Wilson to a loose ball following a corner kick, he tucked it by the keeper from a tight angle.
That sent the sides in at the break separated by three goals.
Seconds after the restart, it was four! Austin managed to get his brace this time around as he headed home from a great Newton cross.
We controlled the game in large parts of the second half, though at times lacked the cutting edge in the latter stages. Shepherd had a free kick flicked over the bar in the dying embers, which was the best chance for either side after the fourth goal.
A comprehensive win leaves us with one clear motive ahead of Saturday. Beat St Johnstone, and progress into the last 16.
Reporter’s MOTM: Scott Shepherd.
As per usual, this could’ve been three or four players, with Newton, Peggie and Norey all having yet another fantastic game in East Fife colours. However, I opted for Shepherd on Tuesday night due to his unrelenting work rate, which created the first and third goals for the Fifers.
East Fife: McFarlane, Murdoch (Docherty 80’), Easton, Peggie (Laaref 45’), Munro, Newton, Millar (Slattery 67’), Norey (McManus 68’), Healy (Nicol 77’), Shepherd, Austin. Subs not used: Fleming, Murray, Ramsay
Brechin City: Wilson, Ferguson, Martin, Cruickshank, McKay, McHattie, Patrick (Milne 89’), Moreland (McDonald 63’), Logan (Hastie 77’), Robertson, Loudon (Tosh 45’). Subs not used: Spark, Scott, Macleod
Referee: Daniel Graves
Attendance: 558
Report by Oli Anderson
Photograph by iSport Media
