Match Report - Dumbarton

Dumbarton 1-0 East Fife, Saturday 2^nd September 2023

Dumbarton Football Stadium, cinch League Two

East Fife fell short for the 5th week on the trot, this time losing to Dumbarton, 1-0 at the Rock. It is a truly disappointing result for the Black and Gold, who for the most part looked the better of the two sides. A last-minute winner from Sean Crighton was enough to leave East Fife winless and the Sons unbeaten after 5 games of the season.

The first half was a stark contrast to how the Fifers have played this season, as they largely hit on the front foot. Inside the first two minutes, Scott Shepherd cannoned a shot off the woodwork and East Fife implemented a high tempo and played a style of football similar to that which earned us a playoff spot last year.

Summer signing Brian Easton had the next chance of the game, as his flicked header from the corner was well timed, but unfortunately at too tight an angle, as it sailed out for a goal kick past the near post. 

Dumbarton’s best chance at success was coming via a long ball to the onrushing strike partnership of James Hilton and Finlay Gray. The former nearly fired the Sons into the lead inside the opening 15 minutes, his driven effort from the edge of the area flashing wide.

Two minutes later, the hosts had another great opportunity in the form of a direct free kick, and despite it being very well struck, Allan Fleming was able to pluck it straight from the top corner, to keep the scores level.

Jack Healy was then able to tip the scales in East Fife’s favour, as he carried the ball into the box from a short free kick, he lasered the ball across the touchline, though there were no takers and it remained goalless.

Trouten and McManus both had long range digs at Brett Long, though the shots were right at the ex-Fifer.

Right on the stroke of half time, Healy was cannoned into the back of inside the penalty area, but the referee adjudged that there was no foul, and the sides went into the break goalless.

The second half saw the game massively open up, and Dumbarton put us under the cosh in the opening stages, Fleming was forced into another two great saves, one to deny a dinked effort, before seconds later parrying the second off of the post, keeping East Fife’s clean sheet in-tact.

Shortly after, Shepherd, who has been re-positioned out wide, put a lovely ball into the mixer, but Austin could not convert unfortunately. A further 10 minutes later saw East Fife squander two fantastic opportunities to break the deadlock.

Kieran Mitchell, the new striker on loan from local rivals, Championship side Raith Rovers, made his debut, and showed his blistering pace on the wing. He came on alongside Brogan Walls, who had a good chance with 10 on the clock, ushering himself into a small patch of space before firing wide.

The game entirely opened up, and it looked like if either side would win the game, it would be the Fifers, although that was not to be. In the 88th minute, Sean Crighton got on the end of an out swinging corner and met it with what can only be described as a bullet to hand Dumbarton the lead in the dying embers.

That was enough for Dumbarton to keep the points at the Rock as East Fife still search for their first League win of the season, despite a much-improved performance. Heads turn now to next week where we will see the Fifers face former SPFL side Albion Rovers in the 3rd Round of the SPFL Trust Trophy.

Dumbarton – Long, Durnan, Lynas (R Wallace 68’), Young (T Wallace 78’), Crighton, Malcolm, Wilson (Ruth 68’), Shiels, MacLean (Orsi 68’), Hilton (Blair 68’), Gray. Subs not used: Broun, Wylde, Vata, Byrne

East Fife – Fleming, Page, Docherty, Easton, Murdoch, McManus (Walls 78’), Millar (Nicol 90+1’), Trouten, Healy, Shepherd (Mitchell 78’) Subs not used: Beveridge, Comerford, Philp, Newton

Referee – Peter Stuart

Attendance - 599

Match Preview - Dumbarton

Oli Anderson previews today’s match against Dumbarton

Another disappointing result on the road at the weekend, has not helped revive our early season form in the cinch League Two. The Black and Gold were only able to salvage a draw last weekend against fellow strugglers Elgin at Borough Briggs. A Trouten penalty deep in the second half handed us only our second point of the season. This week we look to the west, as we’re on the road again. This time, to the Rock where we will face league leaders Dumbarton this afternoon. The Sons remain unbeaten so far in their opening four games, sitting with 8 points, winning both of their most recent games. East Fife on the other are yet to win in the league, though both of their points have come away from MGM Timber Bayview Stadium, both in the form of score draws, versus Elgin and Stranraer.

Last Week, Dumbarton ran riot at Ochilview Park, beating Stenhousemuir 4-2. The game looks closer than it really was however, as Dumbarton played their last 15 minutes with just 10 men. On top of this, Stenhousemuir’s two goals came in the form of a penalty after 55 minutes, and a goal in the 97th, when the game was well and truly wrapped up. New signing James ‘Jinky’ Hilton also got on the score-sheet, netting the fourth for the visitors.

The Standings:

Previous Encounter

The last time the two sides played was a very stale contest, comparative to watching paint dry at times, as the pitch conditions matched with the tactics used causing a perfect stalemate. Neither side played like they deserved to win, in a performance which was a stark contrast to the way the Fifers played the week prior, when they demolished Stranraer 8-0.

Sons’ winger Kalvin Orsi had a standout performance, putting in a great shift against a struggling Liam Newton. He brought Dumbarton their first and only real chance of the first half, after just 4 minutes had past, cutting inside from the right wing, giving himself some space and firing off a shot which was denied by the woodwork. That was the only real piece of action in the first half, as East Fife sat deep and looked to hit Dumbarton on the break.

Half Time: Dumbarton 0-0 East Fife.

At the start of the second half, East Fife showed their quality, attacking with pace and flair, although they were struggling to do any real damage in the final third. That was until the 55th minute when Scott Shepherd was brought down inside the box, leaving the referee no choice but to point to the spot.

Youngster Alex Ferguson stood over it, with regular penalty taker Alan Trouten on the subs bench. Unfortunately for the Methil Men, Ferguson’s penalty was at perfect height for Brett Long, who guessed the right way and kept it out to keep the score level. This knocked the wind out of East Fife’s sail and spurred on Dumbarton, proving to be the turning point in the matchup.

Dumbarton got their lead after 73 minutes of football, piling on the pressure after the penalty miss for what could only be described as 20 minutes of domination. The ball was played into the box after a set piece, and Connor McManus was left marking 2 Dumbarton players, including Martin McNiff, who picked up the ball, beat McManus and drilled his shot past Fleming.

Things went from bad to worse for East Fife, as a miscommunication between Sam Denham and Allan Fleming let target man Russell McLean in on goal, though Fleming done well to keep the score line just 1-0.

In the 89th minute, the referee preposterously gave Dumbarton a penalty after East Fife Sam Denham put in a fantastic challenge. Karma played its course however, and Allan Fleming made a great save to keep it out.

In the final minutes of stoppage time, East Fife had their chance, Jack Healy burst away from Arron Lynas, giving the Fifers a 3 on 2 advantage against Gregor Buchanan and ‘keeper Brett Long, though rather than playing the square ball, for a guaranteed goal, Healy tried to beat the goalie from close but hit it right at Long.

Squad News

Outs- Slattery and Murray both still miss out due to previous injuries. Ryan Schiavone adds himself to the injury list too.

Ins- New signing Kieran Mitchell is available for today’s tie, providing another attacking option going forward. In other news, Manager Greig McDonald has been cleared to take his place in the dugout following his red card last weekend.

Team Colours

East Fife will don the Taxi Centre-sponsored away kit, matched with pink socks and black shorts on Saturday, while the goalkeeper will be clad in all yellow for the contest.

Dumbarton will be in their home kit, wearing all white for the tie. The Sons’ goalie will be in all orange for the clash.

Match Tickets

Tickets can be bought at the gate, which will be cash only. They can also be purchased on Ticket Tailor should you rather pay by card. There will be available QR codes at the turnstiles for you to access this. Prices below:

Adult: £17

Concession (Student/O65): £11

U16- £5

Live Streaming

There is no live streaming this weekend for viewers within the UK & Ireland however overseas supporters can watch the match via East Fife TV with a monthly or annual subscription.

Officials

The on-pitch official on Saturday will be Peter Stuart while his assistants running the line are Stuart Stevenson and Scott Bunting.

Matchday Catering

The Bar at the Dumbarton Football Stadium will be open from 1:30pm this afternoon and can be accessed after entering through the home turnstile.

Kieran Mitchell Signs On Loan

We’re delighted to announce the signing of Kieran Mitchell on a season long loan from Raith Rovers.

The 20-year-old forward came through the youth ranks at Hearts, alongside current East Fife players Ryan Schiavone and Sean Docherty, before moving on to Fife Elite then signing on at Stark’s Park in the summer of 2021.

Kieran spent the majority of last season on loan at fellow League 2 side Bonnyrigg Rose where he scored 3 goals in 24 appearances for the New Dundas Park side during the last campaign. He scored his first goal, the equaliser, for his parent club in a 2-2 draw against Partick Thistle earlier the month.

Speaking to East Fife TV, Kieran said: “I played against East Fife last season at Bonnyrigg, and I thought they played very good football and a type of football I’d like to play with good passing & movement. I’ve been keeping my eyes on the team and knew that if they were interested then I was definitely thinking about this move”. (Full interview)

Manager Greig McDonald added: "I'm delighted to bring Kieran to the club as he's someone we've been monitoring for a while. He's very quick, direct and will bring energy to our front line. He offers us a different attacking option and will fit in well with the group".

Kieran will join up with the team ahead of Saturday’s match against Dumbarton.

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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