The Spartans 1-3 East Fife, Saturday 2nd March 2023
Ainslie Park, cinch League Two
East Fife have made it 4 games unbeaten under the new management team as a fantastic performance gave the Fifers a well-deserved 3-1 victory over 2nd placed The Spartans, at Ainslie Park. After results midweek, East Fife now sit in 5th place, just 9 points off Dumbarton in the last playoff place, with 9 games still to go. The last quarter of the 23/24 campaign is nail-biting, as after Saturday, it looks like there is a slight chance that East Fife could achieve the unachievable, and sneak into the League One playoffs. While the primary goal remains safety in the division, there is no reason we cannot look up given our upturn in form in recent weeks.
Despite my high level of praise for the Fifers, it was another nightmarish start as we found ourselves a goal down inside 4 minutes. Cammy Russell latched onto a flicked header and beat Fleming in the 1-on-1, handing The Spartans an early lead.
Flem was forced into a great save in the 20th minute, stopping Russell from getting his brace, in the moment which looked to turn the tide, after The Spartans’ opening dominance.
After Fleming’s crucial save, the Methil Milan advanced up the park, grabbing the equaliser two minutes later through Alan Trouten. Loanee Robbie Hamilton delivered a deadly cross which met Trouts’ head and the fox in the box drew us level.
We could’ve taken the lead after 35 minutes when The Spartans failed to clear their lines, but after a series of blocks in the box, the Edinburgh based side were able to clear.
This took us into the break on level terms, where despite a fast start from the hosts, it cannot be argued we were the stronger of the two sides in the opening 45.
The second period, however, saw us take total control, taking the lead just 10 minutes into the half. Nathan Austin got the break of the ball after a defensive error, and charged toward goal, lashing his shot past Carswell, 2-1 Fife.
Despite an impressive performance going forward on Saturday, props must also be given to the backline, namely, Brian Easton. He showed some sublime defensive prowess, popping the ball out of Blair Henderson’s feet when he looked destined to equalise for The Spartans.
In the 70th minute, Dick Campbell made a double change which would richly benefit the Fifers, with Lyon and Healy replacing Hamilton and Austin. This marks the second consecutive week in which the substitutions have changed the game in the latter stages.
This was most prominent in the 84th minute, when James Lyon did excellently well in creating a chance for Scott Shepherd. East Fife’s number 9 was unfortunately denied by Carswell, but that did not stop Alan Trouten being first to the rebound, bagging a true poacher’s goal, and a brace for the day.
The turnaround was complete, and spelled another victory for the Fifers under Dick Campbell, amassing 8 points from the last 4 games played.
Speaking after the game, Assistant Manager Ian Campbell said: “From the time we scored I thought we were in control of the game. We were first class. We can take a great deal out of the game today, I thought we were tremendous. It was great to see the fans celebrating so much too.”
The Spartans – Carswell, Booth, Tapping, Sonkur, P Watson (K Watson 66’), Russell, Denholm (McNulty 60’), Armstrong, Craigen, Whyte, Henderson. Subs not used: Waugh, Jones, Brown, McCready, Laing, Thompson.
East Fife – Fleming, Murdoch, Newton, Page, Easton, McManus, Trouten (Nicol 89’), Hamilton (Healy 70’), Walls (Millar 88’), Shepherd, Austin (Lyon 71’). Subs not used: Schiavone, Blaney, Beveridge, Ramsay.
Referee – Andy Gamble
Attendance - 534