East Fife welcome Jim Weir’s Forfar Athletic tomorrow afternoon to Bayview Stadium as they aim to put last Saturday’s Scottish Cup defeat to Brora Rangers behind them.

Manager Darren Young was forthright in his comments following the cup exit, expressing his frustration at the poor defending that resulted in conceding the only goal of the game. The Fifers dominated proceedings after the break but were unable break down a well marshalled Brora defence. The men from Station Park were last in action a fortnight ago, seeing off the challenge of Albion Rovers in the league, with goals from Mark Millar, Andy Munro and a Michael Travis double securing a 4-2 victory.

Despite the visitors’ league position East Fife know that the Loons are more than capable of providing tough opposition and will need no reminding of the outcome the last time the sides met in November, with Forfar running out 2-0 winners at Station Park. The previous encounter in September saw a much better performance from the Methil men when Chris Duggan’s early goal paved the way for a 3-0 success. Mark Docherty was the other man on target, converting two penalty kicks in an impressive display from the team. 

One of the few positives from last Saturday was the appearance of new signing Craig Thomson from St Johnstone. The Aberhill based wide midfielder came on as a second-half substitute and should be a valuable addition to the squad. The return of Craig Watson from injury could also prove timely with Aaron Dunsmore set to miss tomorrow’s clash through suspension. Also available for selection is new signing, goalkeeper Ben McKenzie, who put pen to paper in a loan deal until the end of the season.    

Supporters of both clubs are reminded that they are welcome to enjoy refreshments at the stadium bars before and after the game.