Following the conclusion of the 2020/21 season, the club can now confirm that Craig Watson, Brett Long, Kyle Bell, Jordan Hart and Josh McConville will leave the club when their contracts expire at the end of this month.

Craig Watson joined the club in the summer of 2017 after leaving Hamilton Academical, making his debut against Peterhead in July that year before going on to make 100 appearances during his 4 years at Bayview, scoring 9 goals.

Goalkeeper Brett Long signed on at Bayview in May 2018 and featured on 77 occasions, keeping 19 clean sheets. Brett was awarded the Supporters Club Young Player of the Year twice in his time at the club, including for season 2020/21.

Kyle Bell’s 3 years at East Fife were badly impacted by a serious knee injury picked up in a pre-season match before the start of season 2019/20. Kyle made 22 appearances during his first season at Bayview and will move on to East of Scotland side Glenrothes FC for the start of next season.

Jordan Hart joined the club in May 2019 from Queen’s Park and has featured on 28 occasions, keeping 5 clean sheets during his two seasons at Bayview.

Midfielder Josh McConville was promoted from the Under 20s set-up at the start of last season. Josh made his first-team debut as a 16-year-old against Stirling Albion in the Challenge Cup in August 2019.

Speaking to the media team, Manager Darren Young expressed his thanks to the players moving on: “Janny (Craig Watson) has had a bit of an up-and-down time during his 4 years at the club due to injuries but established himself as a first-team regular this season. Craig has been a great servant to East Fife and always gave his all for the team.”

“Brett and Jordan have both done well for the club over the past few seasons however, goalkeeper was one area we wanted to freshen up before the start of next season. Both guys are still young and I’m sure they’ll continue to develop and progress in their careers.”

“Kyle has been so unlucky over the last 18 months, firstly by a serious knee injury, then his comeback was curtailed by the covid pandemic. Kyle has signed a pre-contract with Glenrothes FC so hopefully he gets the game time he needs and deserves.”

“Josh is another who’s career has been badly impacted by the pandemic. Josh needed games but unfortunately his spell at Lochee was cut short by the closure of their league. We felt Josh’s opportunities were limited at East Fife so hopefully he will get the matches he needs elsewhere”.

“All of the players leave with the best wishes from both me and the management team and we thank them for their contributions during their time at the club”.

Everyone at East Fife would like to thank Craig, Brett, Kyle, Jordan and Josh for their efforts and wish them all the best for the future.