Ladbrokes League 1
Saturday 24th February 2018
Bayview Stadium
East Fife 2 (Dunsmore 13’), Duggan 23’)
Albion Rovers 0
East Fife XI: Mackenzie, Page, Watson, Allardice, Linton, Dunsmore (Kane 87’), Slattery, McManus, Millar, Knox (Wilkie 73’), Duggan (Jones 90’)
Subs: Lamont, Livingstone, Trialist
Booked: Dunsmore, Millar, McManus
Albion Rovers XI: Wright, McLaughlin, McLeish (McMullin 78’), Marr, Mbayo, Fisher (Gallagher 34’), Davidson, Trouten, Victoria (Hester 64’), Higgins
Subs: Perry, Potts, Watters, Trialist
Booked: McLaughlin, Higgins
Referee: Mike Roncone
Attendance: 390
Easy Fife recorded their second victory over Albion Rovers this season with a comfortable 2-0 victory at Bayview Stadium. Manager Darren Young made 3 changes to the side that lost to Ayr United last time out with Scott Linton, Matthew Knox and Ben Mackenzie replacing Chris Kane, Robert Jones and Ryan Goodfellow who had been ruled out earlier in the week with concussion.
The visitors were first to threaten when Ross Davidson delivered a dangerous free kick from 30-yards out which Harlaw Mbayo sent back across goal into the path of Joao Victora who’s shot was blocked by Ben Mackenzie in the East Fife goal before Alan Trouten put the follow-up wide of the left-hand post. Albion Rovers had another opportunity of 9 minutes when Trouten beat the offside trap and homed in on goal only to be denied by a great stop from Mackenzie.
The visitors were left to rue their missed chanced as East Fife took the lead in the 12th minutes when Kieran Millar sent Aaron Dunsmore clear sown the right. Dunsmore skipped past Rovers defender Craig McLeish before drilling the ball past Kieran Wright for his second goal of the season – his first coming against the same opposition back in December. Jonathan Page headed just over from Linton’s corner on 17 minutes as the home side looked to extend their advantage before Victoria’s shot was blocked at the other end after former Fifer Gary Fisher had done well to work space for himself down the right.
A second goal was coming and it duly arrived in the 22nd minute when Linton’s free kick picked out Chris Duggan who had peeled away the back post to volley the ball in off the underside of the crossbar. Wright pulled off a cracking save low to his left 3 minutes later to keep out a glancing header from Duggan. Dunsmore, playing in a more attacking role this week, almost scored his second of the afternoon 5 minutes before half time when he cracked in a shot from 35-yards the skiffed the top of the crossbar with Wright a spectator.
Mackenzie was called into action again to keep out a close-range effort from Mbayo shortly after the restart before the ‘keeper was also on hand to keep out Victoria’s shot on 56 minutes. East Fife should have wrapped up the points just before the hour mark when Dunsmore hit the by-line and fired in a cross from the right that was met by Pat Slattery, unmarked, 5-yards out but dragged his volley wide of the right-hand post before Matthew Knox was denied by Wright after being sent through by Duggan.
Substitute Kane Hester forced Mackenzie to turn his effort over the bar with 10 minutes left to play as the visitors looked for a way back into the match but the East Fife defence held firm to record a comfortable 2-0 win and a welcome clean-sheet as we move into the final quarter of the season.