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Match Report - Clyde

East Fife 2-0 Clyde, Saturday 16^th September 2023

MGM Timber Bayview Stadium, cinch League Two

East Fife finally got their league campaign underway at the MGM Timber Bayview Stadium this weekend, overcoming Clyde 2 goals to nil. Goals from Scott Shepherd and Alan Trouten, along with some fantastic saves from the evergreen Allan Fleming kept all 3 points in Methil, handing East Fife back-to-back wins for the first time since March.

A strong start for Clyde forced Fleming into an incredible reaction save inside 12 minutes to deny Cuddihy from close range. Immediately after the save, Fleming’s by-kick was misjudged by Dunachie in the air and he could only flick the ball on for Shepherd, and the pacy forward bombed into the box on his lonesome. He looked to have run too deep into the area but managed to fire a shot away on a very tight angle, rifling his shot into the bottom left corner, firing Fife ahead.

The Bully Wee continued to ask questions though, and Martin Rennie had a shot blocked by Easton close to the line, straight after the restart.

The game was then back and forth, being fought in the middle of the park, a contest which Brogan Walls looked to be single handedly winning. His composure on the ball, and resilience off it proved to be the difference in the opening stages.

Cuddihy looked to be the danger man for Clyde, creating many chances, and being the focal point for the Bully Wee attack.

After 33 minutes, Ryan Schiavone had an acrobatic effort saved by Leighfield, though it was straight down the throat of the ‘keeper.

2 Minutes later East Fife had a strong shout for a penalty turned down by the referee who instead decided Healy had made the most of the challenge and sent the winger on his way with a booking.

Before the half time whistle, Clyde should have had the ball in the net, and East Fife did. Firstly, Shepherd burst through the backline and round the ‘keeper before slotting home, though the linesman flagged for offside. Then at the other end, Cuddihy’s volley was kept out by a diving Allan Fleming, keeping East Fife in the lead before the interval.

Despite Clyde having the better chances in the first period, it was the Methil Men who went into the break with a 1-nil lead.

At the start of the second period, East Fife squandered a golden opportunity when McManus tried to take an extra touch inside the box, and the ball was poked clear by the Clyde backline.

East Fife deserved to double their advantage after the hour mark, when Jonathan Page’s header just trickled wide. Trouten’s cross came with pinpoint accuracy, but it unfortunately could not be converted.

With 20 minutes still to go, East Fife did double their advantage, in a perhaps fortunate manner. Jack Healy’s corner was struck poorly, and bobbled along the length of the goal line, it was met by Jonny Page, who flicked the ball on to Trouten at the back post. The experienced midfielder made no mistake in tucking it away, handing East Fife a second and Trouts a second for the season.

The Fifers then used all their experience to see the game out, handing the home side their first win in League action this season. All heads turn to next week now, where the Fifers will travel to the Capital to play newly promoted side The Spartans who have started the season well. East Fife’s recent improvement in results have contributed to making this game so much more intriguing.

Report by Oli Anderson

East Fife – Fleming, Murdoch (Newton 26’), Page, Docherty, Easton, McManus, Schiavone (Mitchell 85’), Trouten (Nicol 80’), Healy (Millar 80’), Walls, Shepherd (Austin 85’). Subs not used: Philp, Hambrook, Beveridge, Comerford.

Clyde – Leighfield, Lyon, Dunachie, McCullock (Malcolm 82’), Sula, Cuddihy (Forbes 70’), Cameron (Leslie 63’), Stevenson (Mulvanny 81’), Hynes, King, Rennie. Subs not used: Parry, Carswell, Grant, Gunn.

Referee – Duncan Nicolson

Attendance - 570

Match Highlights - Clyde

Highlights from yesterday's cinch League Two match v Clyde and post-match reaction from Greig McDonald, Alan Trouten and Scott Shepherd.

Match Preview - Clyde

Oli Anderson previews today’s cinch League Two match against Clyde.

This afternoon, we return home to the Timber Fortress “MGM Timber Bayview Stadium” hosting Clyde in a hugely important league outing. A strong second half performance, which saw goals from Connor McManus and Jonathan Page, was enough to turn around our first half deficit against Lowland League opposition Albion Rovers last weekend, progressing to the fourth round of the SPFL Trust Trophy. The win saw East Fife come out on top for the first time since the League Cup group stages. Speaking post-match, Manager Greig McDonald was confident this game could be the turning point for the Methil Men to kick on:

“We went a goal down again, and that’s something we need to stop. We need to get that first goal; the players know that and are working on it. To come back and win though takes personality. Despite being behind at half time, I don’t think it can be disputed that we were the better side, but the second half we were much more like ourselves. We got further up the park, and I was really pleased with that. If we continue to play with personality, and character, we will cause teams real problems”.

Our Opponents

Clyde, also known as the Bully Wee, have had as equally a slow start as the Fifers in their first season in the fourth tier, only picking up 2 points from their opening 5 games. Those two points came from an opening day draw with newly promoted Spartans, and a goalless draw against Forfar Athletic, a fortnight ago. Unlike East Fife, Clyde have struggled in the cup competitions too, loosing in all 4 games of the League Cup Group stage, including a 2-1 loss to Highland League side Brechin. They also crashed out of the SPFL Trust Trophy in the second round, going down to Stirling University 3-1 at home. Like ourselves, Clyde will also view this as a “must-win” game.

The Standings

Previous Encounter

The last time these two sides met ended in heartbreak for the Fifers in the 2nd Leg of the cinch League 1 Playoff Semi-Final at the end of last season.

The Fifers answered the questions that were asked for them in the early stages of the game, and nullified Martin Rennie’s goal in the 1st Leg, when Shepherd tucked home inside 10. The Methil Men continued to dig in following the goal but could not break through the Bully Wee’s defence for a second time.

Referee Craig Napier then sent Shepherd off for a second bookable offence after the break, so when the game went to extra time, East Fife were well and truly up against it. Despite all of Fleming’s efforts in the extra half an hour, the knackered East Fife side, who ran themselves into the ground, could not hold on, and Rennie struck again with 10 minutes to go, ending East Fife’s season promotion hopes. A performance of a similar kin on Saturday would be more than enough to get the Fifers back on track as they fought tooth and nail for each other, for the fans and for the badge.

Squad News

Outs – There are no fresh injury concerns this week however Pat Slattery and Charlie Murray both still miss out due to previous injuries, although Charlie has now returned to training and could return to the squad in a couple of weeks.

Ins – Callum Hambrook returns to fitness after picking up a hamstring niggle while playing for the U20s kept the youngster on the sidelines last weekend.

Team Colours

East Fife will return to the black and gold tartan top, matched with black socks and shorts today, while the goalkeeper will be clad in all yellow for the tie.

Clyde will be in all Maroon for the contest.

Match Tickets

Season Tickets are valid for our league campaign, with prices below:

Adults- £18

Concessions (Over 65s/Disabled)- £14

Under 16s- £5

Parent and 1 child- £21

Parent and 2 children- £24

Like last season, EFCFC players Under 16 years of age will be admitted for free! Tickets for this are arranged through EFCFC.

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. 

Live Streaming

Live streaming of the game will be available on East Fife TV for viewers outside the UK & Ireland with a monthly or season pass. Your commentators for this afternoon, will be East Fife fan podcast “Glory Days of Gold” host, and club Commercial Executive Lee Gillies and the returning Pat Slattery, who continues to make the most of his time off the park.

Officials

The on-pitch official on Saturday will be Chris Fordyce, while his assistants running the line are Brian Christie and Keiran O’Reilly

Refreshments

The stadium bar will be open from 12:15pm pre-kick off on Saturday for both home and away supporters! We welcome you to join us for a drink before the match. The bar will be open again after the full-time whistle for post-match refreshment.

Pie stalls will be open at both ends of the ground from 2:00pm this afternoon. Both cash and card are accepted.

Matchday Programme

Issue Number 5 for the 23/24 edition of the Bayview will be available from vendors outside the ground pre-match.

If you can’t make today’s match, programmes can also be bought online for home delivery.

MON THE FIFE!