Oli Anderson previews today’s match against Bonnyrigg Rose

**Today’s match is subject to an 11am pitch inspection**

It will certainly be an uphill battle for the Black and Gold this afternoon, as the Fifers visit the outskirts of the Capital, to play strong starters Bonnyrigg Rose at New Dundas Park. Last week, East Fife conceded late, after Alan Trouten gave us the lead at MGM Timber Bayview Stadium, against Forfar Athletic. While the performance was slightly under par, the result was still welcomed, as our unbeaten run has stretched to 4 games now, with our last defeat coming on the 2nd of September against Dumbarton in a game we deserved to draw, if not win.

Our opponents have failed to win in their last 3, two of which were away from home. In their most recent affair, they squandered a 2-0 lead against The Spartans, in a fightback that was extremely similar to our own against the newly promoted side. Gray fired Bonnyrigg ahead after 20, and Currie doubled their advantage after the break, though they never got maximum points in the two sides’ first derby of the season, as goals from Armstrong and Russell cancelled out the lead.

Standings

Across the League Last Week

Dumbarton 3-1 Stranraer @ Dumbarton Football Stadium

East Fife FC 1-1 Forfar Athletic @ MGM Timber Bayview Stadium

Peterhead 6-0 Elgin City @ Balmoor Stadium

Stenhousemuir 2-2 Clyde @ Ochilview Park

The Spartans 2-2 Bonnyrigg Rose @ Ainslie Park

This Weekend’s Action

Bonnyrigg Rose (4) vs East Fife FC (8) @ New Dundas Park

Clyde FC (9) vs Dumbarton (3) @ New Douglas Park

Elgin City (10) vs Stenhousemuir (2) @ Borough Briggs

Forfar Athletic (7) vs Peterhead (1) @ Station Park

Stranraer (6) vs The Spartans (5) @ Stair Park

The Form

The Hosts

In their last 6 games Bonnyrigg Rose have recorded 8 points from 6 games in the cinch League Two. Their games have been split between home and away equally showing a level of consistency, as they have produced similar results, although a recent dip has seen them slowly slide down the league table.

At Home:

Their three most recent games played at New Dundas Park have seen 4 points come their way. However, their most recent game ended in defeat as they fell to Stenhousemuir 1-0 thanks to a 66th minute winner from Edin Lynch.

The draw came back in August against former Fifer Scott Agnew’s Stranraer. The Rosey Posey took the lead through Neil Martynuik from the spot before a late equaliser from Deryn Lang forced the side to share the spoils.

The win came in emphatic fashion, as Bonnyrigg metaphorically blew the roof from New Dundas Park, as they romped over Elgin City 5-1. Martynuik bagged two from the spot, including the opener, before Grigor doubled Bonnyrigg’s lead before the break. After half time they went up another gear, with both Peggie and Osadolor scoring within the first 5 minutes of the second half. A Russel Dingwall penalty after 75 minutes was merely a consolation, as Martynuik’s second in injury time was Elgin’s misery compiler.

On the Road:

Similar results for Bonnyrigg on the road have seen another 4 points come their way. Ths loss came at Balmoor, where another Martynuik penalty was matched by Hamish Ritchie before Kieran Shanks did the damage with a spot kick of his own in the 89th minute.

The draw came at Ainslie Park, as the Rosey Posey squandered a 2-goal lead, to share the results in the maiden derby of the 23/24 season.

Their victory was against our opposition last week, Forfar, at Station Park. Bonnyrigg had to work for it though, though Martynuik found himself on the scoresheet for a 5th time in the last 6, all from the spot, giving Trouten’s record a run for its money. Stuart Morrison (the scorer against us) equalised after 64 minutes, though Alieu Faye had a swift reply as Bonnyrigg ran out victorious.

The Fife

East Fife have recorded 2 wins, 3 draws and 1 loss in their last 6, accumulating 6 points from 5 games in League action, as well as progression in the SPFL Trust Trophy. The Fifers have played 3 at The Fortress- MGM Timber Bayview Stadium and remain undefeated in that time frame. On the other hand, our away form is rather disappointing, as we have played three and are yet to win on the road this season (inside 90 minutes).

The Wooden Fortress:

Our sole draw at home came last week, as East Fife dug deep, in what was a poor day at the office, but could not hold on to the lead that Trouten gave us in the first half.

Our first win in the last 6 came against Albion Rovers in the 3rd round of the SPFL Trust Trophy. As has been the story of our season, the Fifers sauntered in at the interval a goal down, after a goal from Niyah Joseph after 30 minutes gave the Rovers the lead. This did not deter the Fifers however, who with fire in their bellies, dominated the second period, grabbing two goals, completing the turnaround thanks to goals from Jonathan Page and Connor McManus. Our other victory came against Clyde, in a game the Fifers controlled from the 1st to the 91st. Scott Shepherd scored early on, breaking East Fife’s hoodoo of conceding the first goal, and Trouten was able to add to the lead after 70 minutes, killing the game as a result.

On the Road:

Our only loss in the last 6 was “through the west”, as we fell short against Dumbarton at the Rock, despite looking the better outfit for the majority of the contest. It was another late goal which stung us, as Crighton’s bullet header soared in in the 88th minute.

Our first draw was the aforementioned game against The Spartans two weeks ago, where the Fifers stood up, and were all counted putting in a shift in the second half to rescue the point. Our other draw was not quite as positive a result, as we slumped in the first half against Elgin City in August, going into the half time interval a goal down. The Fifers showed signs of promise, but could not find the clear-cut opportunity, relying on an Alan Trouten penalty to ensure that we did not leave the Highlands empty handed.

Previous Encounter

The last time the two sides met was a disappointing affair, where we shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw at New Dundas Park. The game was an uphill battle, both sides scrapping from anything and East Fife did manage to take the lead, through Trouten after 57 minutes of action following a disappointing first half. The turning point in the game was the introduction of Kieran McGachie, who led the Bonnyrigg attack with prowess and brought the goal that would hand the hosts a point, which proved to be crucial in their survival.

Squad News

Outs- Slattery, Murdoch and Murray still miss out due to previous injuries, though there are no new injuries to report.

Ins- Millar is back fit, and available for selection this week, giving McDonald a boost in the middle of the park to either start, or make an impact off the bench.

Team Colours

East Fife will don the Macon Resources-sponsored third kit this weekend, with the green and white top, matched with white socks and shorts, while the goalkeeper will be clad in all turquoise kit for the game.

Bonnyrigg will be in their traditional red and white hoops for the match, with red socks and shorts, while the Rosey Posey goalkeeper with wear all neon green.

Match Tickets

Admission for tomorrow’s game in the heights of the Andes is exclusively pay-at-the gate, though both cash and card are accepted.

Please find match prices below:

Adult- £14

Concessions (+65/Disabled/Carer)- £9

Under 16s- £5

Under 12s go FREE (With a paying adult)

Programmes

Programmes will be available for sale at the summit of New Dundas Park for £2, and half time 50/50 draw tickets are available for £1 a pop.

Live Stream

Live Streaming of the game will be available on East Fife TV for our international fans. This can be accessed through a monthly or season pass. You can access this HERE!

Officials

The on-pitch official on Saturday will be Greg Soutar while his assistants running the line are Calum Doyle and Frazer Bushell.

MON THE FIFE!