Oli Anderson previews today’s match against The Spartans
After our first defeat of the year against Elgin City last week, we have the chance to get ourselves back on track as we visit Ainslie Park for the second time this season.
We have claimed victory over The Spartans in both of our previous encounters this season, though with The Spartans now able to focus solely on the league we could be in for a close affair today.
The Spartans are coming off the back of a midweek away win against Stirling Albion, where a Blair Henderson brace undone the Binos.
William Hill League 2 Table
| Team | Pld | GD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | East Fife | 23 | 27 | 45 |
| 2 | Peterhead | 23 | 8 | 41 |
| 3 | Elgin City | 22 | 11 | 40 |
| 4 | Edinburgh City | 23 | 1 | 34 |
| 5 | The Spartans | 21 | -1 | 29 |
| 6 | Stirling albion | 23 | -8 | 27 |
| 7 | Bonnyrigg Rose | 23 | -10 | 25 |
| 8 | Stranraer | 22 | -6 | 24 |
| 9 | Clyde | 23 | -11 | 23 |
| 10 | Forfar Athletic | 21 | -11 | 16 |
Last Week’s League Results
Saturday 1st February
Elgin City 1-0 East Fife
Edinburgh City 4-3 Stirling Albion
Bonnyrigg Rose 1-0 Clyde
Peterhead 2-2 Forfar Athletic
Stranraer 2-0 The Spartans
Tuesday 28th January
Stirling Albion 1-3 The Spartans
Elgin City 3-0 Bonnyrigg Rose
This Weekend’s Fixtures
Bonnyrigg Rose vs Peterhead
Clyde vs Stranraer
Forfar Athletic vs Edinburgh City
Stirling Albion vs Elgin City
The Spartans vs East Fife
A message from the management team
Speaking with East Fife TV before today’s game, assistant manager Ian Campbell said: “We are really looking forward to the game against a Spartans side who are getting their big defensive players back to full fitness. Last week hurt everyone at the club so we will be looking to get back to what we do best."
The Form
The Fifers
Despite last week’s defeat, East Fife are still on fantastic form on the whole, having won five of our last six games, accumulating 15 points from a possible 18 in the league.
Firstly, Alan Trouten scored the only goal from the spot in a 1-0 victory over 10th placed Forfar Athletic.
Midweek victory over Edinburgh City showed the squad’s character further, with a quick double countering Connor Young’s first half strike, before three goals in the last ten minutes saw the game wrapped up 4-2 in East Fife’s favour.
A commanding second half performance then saw us claim a 3-0 victory over Darren Young’ Clyde side, before our dominant first half display against Stranraer made it five wins in five.
A fortnight ago, 15 minutes of pure quality blew Edinburgh City out of the water. Eighty minutes of mediocrity drew null and void, as Nathan Austin, Adam Laaref, Reis Peggie and Alan Trouten all found the back of the net in the dying embers of the contest. Edin Lynch saw red too, in what was a shambolic end to proceedings for the Citizens, who competed well in the majority of the match.
Last week, Kyle Girvan scored the only goal in a 1-0 defeat against Elgin last week.
Our Opposition
The Spartans have won three, a draw and lost three of their last six matches.
Their losses came firstly away to us where they lost 5-1, before they fell to Stranraer on the road again, with the Blues running out 2-0 winners last Saturday.
Their draw was a 2-2 affair with Bonnyrigg Rose, the Spartans came from behind twice in the game to grab a point.
The Spartans have been victorious over Edinburgh City, Peterhead and Stirling Albion. Both the Citizens and the Blue Toon fell 1-0, whereas the Spartans won 3-1 over the Binos.
Previous Encounter
East Fife 5-1 The Spartans
Saturday 21st December 2024, MGM Timber Bayview Stadium
Alan Trouten, Connor McManus, Scott Shepherd and Kieran Millar all found the scoresheet in a 5-1 drubbing of the Spartans the last time the sides met. Trouten grabbed a brace in the first half, while the other three scored, more than cancelling out Mark Stowe’s second half strike.
Squad News
Gregor Nicol is our only confirmed absence today as he remains out long term but a couple of players will have their fitness assessed before kick-off.
Match Tickets
Admission prices for today’s game are as follows:
Adults- £17
Concessions (Over 65s/Disabled)- £12
Under 16s- £5
Tickets can be purchased online however pay-at-the-gate is also available.
East Fife fans will be housed in the north half of the main stand and the embankment behind the goals for today’s game.
Live Stream
For our international fans, live streaming for today’s game will be available on EFTV, using a Monthly, or Annual Gold Pass. Today’s commentator will be Oli Anderson.
Club Colours
The Fifers will don the MPH Group-sponsored home kit. They will wear the famous black and gold striped shirt, with black shorts and socks. The Fife goalkeeper will wear yellow for the tie.
The Spartans will be in their traditional colours too, wearing a white top with red shorts and white socks. The Spartans goalie will be all green.
Officials
The referee today will be Ryan Lee, with his assistants Stuart Stevenson and Ian Hart running the lines.
Mon the Fife!