East Fife welcomed Stirling Albion to Bayview as the Fifers completed the first quarter of leagues games this season. Previously, the Methil men narrowly lost out to Arbroath in the SPFL Trust Trophy. Despite the loss, the performance was encouraging heading into a game where the opponents, the Binos, have been in incredible form of late.
One change was made to the team that lost out last weekend, as Liam Newton was dropped on the bench and replaced in the starting line-up by Aaron Steele. Three ex-Fifers were named on the Stirling bench, as Denholm, Davidson and Dunsmore all were signed up by former East Fife manager Darren Young in the summer.
A very early chance broke the way of East Fife inside the first minute of the game when Shepherd got to the ball ahead of Paul McLean, took a touch out wide before sending in a cross that picked out the on-running Alan Trouten but his shot from close range was straight at the keeper.
Despite East Fife’s early efforts, it was the Binos who took the lead after five minutes. The move began with a corner to Stirling on the far side, but the ball could only be cleared as far as Leitch on the edge of the box who hooks the ball back into the box. McLean’s effort forced a miraculous save from Fleming however the rebound found Robert Thomson who rifles the ball high into the net put Stirling 1-0 early on.
After the goal Stirling grew into the game more and were begging to have more chances. In the 20th minute, Leitch found himself on the edge of the penalty area with the ball and fired in an effort that Fleming managed to push away, however the clearance drops to Leitch once again and his second shot was held by the East Fife stopper.
On the half hour mark, the referee awarded a penalty to the Fifers when Ross McGeachie bundled over Jack Healy on the bye-line. Stirling Manager Darren Young was sent to the stands for dissent after he voiced his disagreement over the referee’s decision. Alan Trouten, as the resident penalty taker, stepped up and sent Currie the wrong way, levelling the game up for the Fifers.
In the 37th minute, Balde received the ball in the middle of the park and was taken out by a very poor challenge from Leitch. Most in the stand expected to see a red card shown toward the Stirling man however the referee waved play-on to the dismay of most in attendance.
Stirling went in front again again during injury time when Fotheringham played a pass into the feet of Dale Carrick who, after a bit of a scramble, manages to bundle the ball over the line to restore the visitor’s lead.
Half time: East Fife 1-2 Stirling Albion
Stirling showed no slowing after the break, as ten minutes into the second half, they had a chance to score a third. McGeachie, on the right-hand side, cut the ball into the centre of the box for Leitch whose powerless shot drops to Carrick clatters his shot off the post at close range, and the ball is eventually cleared by Steele.
On the hour mark, Caretaker Manager, Greig McDonald made a double substitution as Slattery and Healy made way for Taylor Steven and Ryan Schiavone. A few minutes later, Stirling had another chance to kill the game off, when Thomson was sent through one-on-one with Fleming and took the ball around the ‘keeper but his blasted his effort over the bar and out for a goal kick.
After a fairly uneventful final 20 minutes, the referee blew his full-time whistle, ending the game with ex-Fifer Darren Young reigning victorious. East Fife having had a poor performance will hope to bounce back at Forfar next weekend and potentially pick up a result at Station Park.
Full-Time: East Fife 1-2 Stirling Albion
East Fife Team: Fleming, Mercer, Denham, Steele, Murdoch, Balde, Slattery (Steven 61’), Ferguson, Healy (Schiavone 61’), Trouten, Shepherd
Stirling Albion Team: Currie, McGeachie, McLean, McGregor, Clark, Fotheringham, Leitch (Clark 78’), Banner (Denholm 85’), Moore (Dunsmore 27’), Thomson, Carrick (Davidson 85’)
Referee: Daniel Graves
Attendance: 511