Fifers Up for Cup Challenge

For the third Saturday in succession East Fife are on their travels, this time in the Scottish Cup, where they take on Clyde at Broadwood Stadium.
The home side have had a challenging start to the campaign but will be rejuvenated following the appointment of Danny Lennon earlier in the week. The former Cowdenbeath and St Mirren boss has a wealth of experience both as a player and manager and will be keen to get his time in Cumbernauld off to a good start.
Bayview manager Darren Young was left frustrated last Saturday, as his side failed to capitalise on controlling large periods of the game and returned pointless from this to Forfar Athletic. Tomorrow’s game does however provide the Fifers with an opportunity to enjoy a run in the cup, with the possibility of earning a money-spinning draw should they progress.
Broadwood was the scene of a title party on the Methil men’s last visit in April 2016 following a 0-0 draw, but you have to go back a further seven years to find the last time that a win was recorded there. Paul McManus with a double and Bobby Linn were the men on target in a 3-1 success on that occasion.
The sides have been paired three times before in the Scottish Cup with Clyde progressing in 1935 following a 2-1 victory at Bayview Park. In 1967 the Bully Wee once again came out on top, winning 4-1 at Shawfield, while ten years later it was the Fifers turn to triumph courtesy of a 2-1 win in Methil.
There was some better news on the injury front last week with the return of Chris Kane to the squad after several weeks’ absence, while midfielder Kyle Wilkie will be available for selection tomorrow after serving a two game suspension.

Fifers Rue Missed Chances Against Loons

Ladbrokes League 1

Saturday 11^th November 2017

Station Park

 

Forfar Athletic 1 (Malone 59’, Travis 67’))

East Fife 0

 

Forfar Athletic XI: McCallum, Bain, Kennedy, Whyte, Travis, Malone, Aitken, MacKintosh, Lochhead, Cox (Peters 87’), Easton (See 83’)

Subs: Cregg, Suthie, McBride, Quigley, Adam

Booked: Bain, Whyte, Easton

East Fife XI: M Hurst, Dunsmore, Docherty (Kane 86’), Page, Piggott, Lamont, Wilson, Millar, Flanagan (Willis 79’), Reilly (Smith 65’), Duggan

Subs: Goodfellow, Mutch

Booked: Dunsmore, Docherty, Wilson

 

Referee: Alan Muir

Attendance: 647

 

East Fife were left to rue missed chances as the went down 2-0 to Forfar Athletic at Station Park. Manager Darren Young made two changes to the side that narrowly lost to Raith Rovers last time out with Nathan Flanagan and Kyle Wilson replacing Pat Slattery, who missed out through injury, and Paul Willis.

The home side were afforded an early sight of goal when Scott Lochhead found space down the right and managed to get a shot away that ‘keeper Mark Hurst was forces to turn behind for a corner. Forfar had another opportunity on 6 minutes with a free kick from 35-yards. The ball was laid-off for Dylan Easton but his strike was never going to trouble Hurst.

The visitors had been slow to settle into the game but were starting to threaten the Forfar goal with Nathan Flanagan forcing Loons ‘keeper Marc McCallum to tip his left-footed strike over the bar. East Fife had another opportunity shortly after when Mark Lamont corner was spilled by McCallum into the path of Kyle Wilson but he was unable to keep hit shot down.

East Fife enjoyed the lion’s share of possession in the first half and were unlucky not to open the scoring on 20 minutes when a good break upfield by Aaron Dunsmore saw him pick out Flanagan level with the 6-yard box. Flanagan fired in a cross from the right that narrowly failed to find Kieran Millar in the centre of the goal. Moments later, Lamont played a free kick on the edge of the box along the ground that almost deflected into the net but the Forfar defence were able to scramble clear.

When Forfar did venture into the East Fife half during the first period they failed to test Hurst; David Cox with their best chance 24 minutes but he strike from 15-yards was never going to trouble the East Fife stopper. At the other end, Flanagan’s blocked shot fell into the path of Mark Docherty 20-yards from goal who had McCallum scrambling backwards to collect at the second attempt. East Fife had one final chance before the break when Millar got on the end of a free kick from the left-hand touchline but was unable to steer his header towards goal.

East Fife started the way they finished after the break with Jonathan Page heading down a free kick into the path of Chris Duggan who just failed to connect at the back post. Excellent work by Ben Reilly near the corner flag saw him steal the ball from Michael Kennedy and fire in a cross from the right-hand side that only needed the faintest of touches but no one was able to connect.

Forfar took the lead against the run of play on 59 minutes when Eddie Malone rose highest to head a Matthew Aitken cross past Hurst. The opening goal failed to dent the visitor’s confidence and they were agonisingly close to levelling the match 5 minutes later. Substitute Kevin Smith got on the end of a Lamont cross at the back post only to see his header cleared off the line before McCallum was able to clear. Forfar put the game to bed when a Michael Travis’ volley found the back of the net on 68 minutes.

The visitors had a couple of chances as the game drew to a close with Smith sending a free kick over the bar on 72 minutes before Page saw his header saved by McCallum with 8 minutes left to play.

A game where East Fife had plenty of the ball and created plenty of chances but were just lacking in the final 3^rd. 

Resurgent Forfar Next up for Fifers

East Fife are on their travels once again tomorrow as they head north to take on Forfar Athletic. Recently appointed manager Jim Weir has turned around the fortunes of the Angus club, following up a draw against league leaders Raith Rovers with an impressive 4-3 success over Albion Rovers at Cliftonhill last Saturday. Bayview boss Darren Young left Stark’s Park after last week’s narrow derby defeat disappointed not to have gained at least a point after his side’s efforts, but knows that a performance of a similar standard will be required against opponents who will be determined to continue climbing the table. The gaffer will also be hoping for some better news on the injury front with Greg Hurst the latest casualty, missing out on the visit to Raith after picking up a knock in midweek. East Fife’s recent record against the Loons is fairly decent, recording a 3-0 win in Methil back in September, but the Bayview faithful will recall that the last visit to Station Park saw their favourites go down 2-0 in the Betfred Cup at the beginning of last season. A result that ultimately cost the Fifers a place in the next round of the competition. Supporters heading to the game are advised that there will be a minute’s silence before kick-off to mark Remembrance Day.

The Bayview | Black and Gold and Blue - Charlie Fleming

I am one of those people lucky enough to be able to say that I have seen Charlie Fleming play football and, despite the fact that this memorable bent took place almost fifty years ago, it is still very much etched on my memory.

The occasion was an exhibition match played in the very early 1970s at Bankie Park in Anstruther as part of the local Sea Food Festival programme, between the local amateur side Anster United, and a team of “All Stars”, which boasted in its ranks the legendary Charlie Fleming as well as Andy Matthew, another East Fife star of the 1950s.

Charlie made an immediate impression on me and, despite being considerably older than the Anster players, he was able to show each and every one of his opponents a clean pair of heels as he raced past them en-route to goal. “Imagine lettin’ an auld man skin ye!”, was just one of the many light-hearted comments that emanated from the hundred who lined the Bankie Park touch-lines that late summer evening as the veterans showed Anster how the game should be played. As the match drew to a close, the wearied Anster ‘keeper (who, as I recall, had been beaten by Charlie on more than one occasion!), looked for a willing recipient to roll the ball back out to. As the Anster left and right-backs indicated their availability, cheeky Charlie Fleming, who was standing directly in front of the goalie, shouted “keeper – HERE!”. Amidst the peal of laughter that rippled through the crowd, one spectator was heard to shout “Good old Charlie Fleming!”. It was clearly evident that the bunnet-wearing spectators standing three and four deep along the lines at Bankie Park that evening had come to re-kindle some nostalgic memories from the great East Fife days of the 1950s; and they were to to be disappointed!

Of course, being only about ten or eleven years old at the time, I had only a vague idea who Charlie Fleming was and, after making the trek home to Cellardyke, asked my father if he had ever heard of the player. My Dad, who turned his back on East Fife and football in general when the halcyon days of the 50s had come to an end, turned to face me with a twinkle in his eye. He sat me down and reminisced about Charlie ‘Cannonball’ Fleming and his unstoppable shots that were in the back of the net before the ‘keeper had even seen the ball; and also the skills of Any Matthew, who, as said previously, had played alongside Charlie that evening. My Dad had “ta’en a real scunner tae fitba” when the Methil men fell out of the big time in the 1950s, and rarely, is ever, spoke about the game when I was a lad, but here he was, clearly enjoying looking back to the days when ‘Cannonball’ Fleming had thrilled the packed Bayview terraces.

Inside-forward Charlie Fleming signed for East Fife from west Fife village side Blairhall Colliery in June 1947. After spending his first season at Bayview rattling in the goals for the reserve team, including a hat-trick in a 4-1 demolition of Raith Rovers in a second eleven cup-tie at Stark’s Park and four goals in a 9-4 ‘C’ division victory over Montrose. Charlie made his first-team debut against Stenhousemuir at Bayview on 7^th April 1948, where he scored twice in a 4-0 victory.

From that day on, Charlie never looked back, and in almost eight seasons with East Fife, the lanky inside-right played 244 competitive games for the club and scored an incredible 175 goals, including a remarkable thirty league goals during season 1952/53. Indeed, Charlie is credited with having scored what is widely reckoned to be East Fife’s greatest-ever goal when he netted the winner against Rangers in the League Co semi-final victory at Hampden on 8^th October 1949. With the teams tied at a foal-apiece in the second period of extra-time, Charlie Fleming gathered the ball and weaved his way past Rangers’ Cox, Woodburn and Shaw before sending an unstoppable shot past ‘keeper Brown which almost burst the net!

Despite his goal-scoring feats for East Fife, however Charlie didn’t feature in the plans of the Scottish International selection committee at this time. The press had long been full of praise for the East Fife player, and were of the opinion that Charlie should be considered for international duty with the following article appearing in the Dundee Courier on Monday 4^th October 1948 following Wats Fife’s 3-1 league victory over Queen of the South in which the free-scoring Fleming had scored twice:

“It is time our selectors were realising that our best footballers ate no longer confined to the west, and so give the eastern players more consideration when the honours are handed out!”

Although Charlie was subsequently selected as a reserve for the Scottish League’s matches against the Welsh League and the Irish League in October 1948, it was to be another five years before the East Fife star was selected to represent his country at full international level! The occasion was a Home International Championship meeting against Ireland at Windsor Park in Belfast on Saturday 3^rd October 1953, which was also o double as a World Cup qualifier for the forthcoming tournament in Switzerland.

Despite scoring twice that afternoon in a 3-1 victory, however, this was to be Fleming’s one and only appearance for Scotland. Like his East Fife teammate Henry Morris before him, Charlie had made a scoring debut for his country, yet was mysteriously never picked to play for Scotland again. Id the newspaper reports of the day are to be believed, however, it would appear that Charlie had not played to the best of his abilities that afternoon in Belfast, but surely the fact that the player had netted twice was good enough reason fir him to have been selected for future internationals? It would appear not!

Charlie Fleming did make one other “international” appearance, however, when he was selected to plat for the Great Britain against Wales at Ninian Park in Cardiff in December 1951. The match had been arranged to commemorate the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Football Association of Wales and Fleming scored the first of Britain’s two goals in a 3-2 defeat.

In January 1955 Charlie Fleming was transferred to Sunderland in a cash-plus-player deal that saw Scotland internationalist Tommy Wright move from Roker Park to Bayview. Charlie played for Sunderland for three seasons before ending his senior football days with Bath City in the Southern League, finally hanging his boos up in 1965.

Jim Corstorphine

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