Match Report - Elgin City

Elgin City 1-1 East Fife, Saturday 26^th August 2023

Borough Briggs, cinch League Two

Another disappointing result for the Fifers, as we drew 1-1 with Elgin City at Borough Briggs this past Saturday. Despite a much improved second half showing, a lacklustre first 45 was enough to deny the Black and Gold our first League win of the season.

City scored the opener inside the first 15 minutes, as forward Matty Wright latched onto a through ball that slid through the defence, before he coolly slotted the ball past Fleming, giving East Fife another mountain to climb.

The Methil Men created little, and the contest was fought largely in the middle of the park, though Healy was a stand-out from the wide position. On the stroke of half time, he hit a tidy free kick which forced a reaction save, before Elgin hit on the break, looking to double their lead. Fleming was called into action, to do what he does best, as the stopper swatted the ball out of the top bins, to give the Fifers a small foothold on the game.

The team looked low on confidence in the second half, as they played some incredible football leading up to the 18-yard box, but players were either too hesitant, or too hasty to release the ball, and challenge the Elgin ‘keeper. The was first seen just after the beginning of the second half when Schiavone struggled to get the ball out of his feet from a good position.

This looked to be the case again for Austin 20 minutes later, though the ball was already out of play before Fash could bring it down.

We relied on the old guard to give us some life, and they did just that. Healy and Austin linked up, with a crisp one-two, which saw the former being dragged down inside the box. Trouten stepped up and scored his 51st career penalty, maintaining a 93% conversion rate, in a span of almost 15 years.

The Methil Men then had the ball in the net to take the lead with 8 minutes left on the clock, though the referee adjudged that there was a foul in the box, and as a result the goal did not stand.

A back-and-forth end to what was a mediocre game at times, saw Fife and Elgin share the spoils. The course of the game made it clear that this was unfortunately two points dropped, rather than a point gained on the day.

Report by Oli Anderson

Elgin City – McHale, Cooney (Cooper 90+5’), Mackenzie (Dolzanski 90+5’), Draper, Ewan, MacEwan (Taylor 85’), Dingwall, Cameron, Wright, Harvey (Barron 70’), MacLeman. Subs not used: Hoban, Cairns

East Fife – Fleming, Murdoch, Page, Docherty (Philp 78’), Easton, McManus, Trouten, Walls (Austin 65’), Schiavone (Nicol 62’), Shepherd, Healy

Referee – Colin Whyte

Attendance - 542

Admission Info v Dumbarton

Admission prices for our cinch League Two match against Dumbarton on Saturday 2^nd September at the Dumbarton Football Stadium have been confirmed as follows:

Adults - £17

*Concessions - £11

U16s – £5

*Over 65s/students – proof of age/eligibility required

Cash turnstiles are available via the home end (1 & 2) however tickets can also be purchased online in advance.

The Bar at the Dumbarton Football Stadium will be open from 1:30pm on Saturday and can be accessed after entering the ground via the home turnstile.

Due to demand, the 1903 Travel club have increased the size of the bus heading to Dumbarton this weekend and 5 seats are now available. Anyone interested in travelling should contact Ian Lowson to book their seat.

Match Highlights - Elgin City

Highlights from yesterday's match against Elgin City along with post-match reaction from Greig McDonald, Scott Shepherd and Connor McManus

Match Preview - Elgin City

Oli Anderson previews today’s match against Elgin City

We make the second camel trek of the League Two season today, as we venture north to Elgin, to play the Black and Whites at Borough Briggs. A disappointing start to the league campaign for both teams, as we both find ourselves on one single point after 3 games. Last week, we fell short against a strong Stenhousemuir side, as a Buchanan goal in the first half, and a cool finish from Adam Brown with the last kick of the ball, handed the Methil Men two losses from two at home so far. Today’s hosts, Elgin also fell on the wrong side of the scoreline, losing 2-1 to newly promoted Spartans at Ainslie Park. Two goals within three minutes of each other bedded City, but a late Russell Dingwall goal halved the deficit and made for an intriguing last 15.

The Standings

Previous Encounter

The last time the two sides met, we overcame Elgin 3-1 in rather convincing fashion, in the League Cup. A Nathan Austin hat-trick, along with a stunning performance from Jack Healy proved the difference, as the local lads ran riot in Methil. A late reply from Elgin was only enough to spoil the clean sheet in what was an impressive performance.

Squad News

Outs- Slattery and Murray both still miss out due to previous injuries.

Ins- Gregor Nicol returns to fitness and is available for this afternoon’s match

Team Colours

East Fife will don the Taxi Centre-sponsored away kit, matched with pink socks and white shorts today, while the goalkeeper will be clad in all yellow for the tie.

Elgin City will be in their classic kit, wearing black and white striped top and socks for the affair with black shorts. The City’s goalie will be in all blue for the clash.

Match Tickets

Tickets can be bought at the gate, or online at Fanbaseclub.com. Please find Prices Below:

Adult: £14/16 (stand/ground)

Concession: £9/11 (stand/ground)

U16s: Free with a paying adult

Live Streaming

There is no live coverage of today’s game for viewers within the UK or Ireland however live Streaming of the game will be available on East Fife TV for our international fans. This can be accessed through a monthly or season pass.

Officials

The on-pitch official on Saturday will be Colin Whyte while his assistants running the line are Paul McAvinue and Ross Donaldson.

Date Confirmed for SPFL Trust Trophy Match

Our SPFL Trust Trophy 3^rd round match against Albion Rovers will take place on Saturday 9^th September at the MGM Timber Bayview Stadium with a 1:00pm kick off.

Admission prices for the game have been agreed as follows:

Adults - £10

U16s - £5

Season tickets are not valid for this game.