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Match Report - Elgin City

East Fife 4-0 Elgin City, Saturday 9^th December 2023

MGM Timber Bayview Stadium, cinch League Two

East Fife cruised to their 3rd 4-0 win of the season, hammering Elgin City at the MGM Timber Bayview Stadium. The emphatic win has given East Fife a comfortable cushion from the bottom of the SPFL League Two table.

Walls handed East Fife the lead after just 18 minutes. The opportunity broke, as Scotty Shepherd beat ‘keeper to a loose ball on the edge of the 18, though with his back to goal, he was incredibly selfless, and laid the ball off to youngster Brogan Walls, who rifled his shot into the bottom corner.

Elgin bounced back and earned a corner, after squandering a golden opportunity, as Fleming denied the black and whites from close range.

Schiavone brought a long-switched pass down, though his attempted cross-come-shot was launched wide. The Fifers headed wide shortly after, missing opportunity to double lead before half time.

However, Austin did take his chance right on the stroke of half time, to make it 2-0 to East Fife - what a way to finish 1st half! Walls hit a braw, in swinging corner which passed the entire box, before landing at Austin’s feet behind the penalty spot. The striker readied himself before hitting his half volley found itself nestling in the top corner. The goal proved to be the last kick of the half, setting the Fifers up for a comfortable second period.

The second half started as the first half ended, with the Methil Men running rampant. Brian Easton was the one with the chance, although his near post effort was denied by the Elgin goalie.

Five minutes later, Austin had a chance to bag a brace, after Shepherd set him up. Unfortunately for the Fifers though, his shot was into the side netting instead.

We had the ball in the net again after 55 minutes through Austin, but the linesman’s flag was raised for offside.

It took another 10 minutes for East Fife to get their third, but when the chance came, they certainly took it. Brogan Walls bagged his second of the game in what was a quality team move. Ryan Schiavone slipped Austin in behind, who did very well to square it to Connor McManus. The midfield maestro did not hesitate to set up Walls, who caressed it into the bottom corner on his weak(er) foot (I don’t think this man has a weak foot at this point, the Methil Zidane for the Methil Milan).

McHale did excellently to stop it being four on the 75th minute mark, as he plucked Walls’ shot out of the top corner, denying the dynamo a hattrick.

McManus then hit an effort wide two minutes later, which once again stopped us getting a fourth.

At long last the fourth goal did arrive, when Scotty Shepherd who, as per usual, ran his socks off and nipped in with five on the clock when he capitalised on Draper’s poor backpass.

That sealed the deal and was a much-deserved win for East Fife.

East Fife – Fleming, Murdoch, Page, Docherty, Easton, Millar, McManus, Schiavone (Ramsay 80’), Walls (Nicol 88’), Shepherd, Austin (Healy 76’). Subs not used: Newton, Mitchell, Rollo, Comerford.

Elgin City – McHale, Cooper, Mackenzie, Taylor, Ewan, MacEawan, Cameron, Harvey (Cairns 67’), MacLaman (Dingwall 67’), Draper, Jones (Barron 70’). Subs not used: King, Cooney, MacInnes, Crucikshank.

Referee – Ryan Lee

Attendance - 394

Match Highlights - Elgin City

Highlights from yesterday's match against Elgin City along with post-match reaction from Greig McDonald, Brogan Walls and Ryan Schiavone.

Match Preview - Elgin City

Oli Anderson previews today’s match against Elgin City.

It has been an even hotter minute since we have been able to watch the Black and Gold, as a result of the Scottish Cup third round being followed by East Fife’s second postponed game of the season. We now gear up to play Elgin City, a side who find themselves in the bottom four, with ourselves, Forfar Athletic, and Clyde, and who find themselves 5 points adrift at the foot of the cinch League Two table.

This afternoon’s game is of paramount importance for the Methil Men, as it gives us yet another opportunity to put some space between ourselves and the dreaded trapdoor.

Elgin’s match against Clyde last week was also postponed, so will be well rested ahead of this 6-pointer.

There will be a minute’s applause prior to kick off this afternoon in memory of club legend Billy McPhee and supporters Eric Walker and Podge Robertson who have sadly passed recently. We kindly ask that all supporters are in their seats in time to observe this.

The cinch League Two Standings

Last Week in the cinch League Two

After our postponement vs The Spartans, there were only 2 cinch SPFL League Two games played out last week. The first of these saw Stenhousemuir build a gap at top of the table, when they beat Bonnyrigg Rose 1-0 in a close encounter. The second of the two games saw the two teams directly surrounding us, Forfar Athletic and Stranraer, draw 1-1, which means that a win today would move us into 6^th, just 2 points away from Bonnyrigg Rose in 5^th. This would also give us a much bigger gap to those currently below us.

This Week’s Fixtures

Bonnyrigg Rose vs Peterhead

Clyde vs Stranraer

Dumbarton vs Stenhousemuir

East Fife vs Elgin City

The Spartans vs Forfar Athletic

The Form

The Fife

We currently hold a form which shows 6 points from 5 cinch League Two games, and a premature exit in the Scottish Cup, which is certainly far from ideal.

Our 2 wins came against Clyde on the road, and against Stranraer, back in October, at the MGM Timber Bayview Stadium. There were lots of similarities in the games, which look to be somewhat a mirror of the other. Both games saw fast starts, with us leading 2-0 at the break. On top of this, Nathan Austin and a full back found themselves on the scoresheet in both games (Newton against Stranraer, and Docherty against Clyde).

Unfortunately, not all of our results have been quite as emphatic.

We have succumbed to 4 defeats in our last 6, losing to Dunbar in the Scottish Cup 1-0, through a penalty in what was a devastating game. Before witnessing two defeats in the weeks that followed, against Peterhead and Dumbarton, failing to score in either.

Our last defeat was in our most recent games, losing out to Bonnyrigg 4-2. We looked slack at set pieces on the day, which proved to be our downfall, conceding from a concerningly deep free kick and two penalties. Austin once again found himself on the scoresheet however, which gives some hope that he could be up and running now for the remainder of the season.

The Visitors

Elgin have recorded their best run of form so far this season, despite seeing three losses in the last 6 outings. The manner of the losses is most certainly a cause for concern, however, recording two wins, and a draw with league leaders Stenhousemuir is no mean feat.

Their losses came at the hands of, most recently, Dumbarton, who were victorious at the Rock, 1-0, thanks to a 67^th minute penalty from Tony Wallace. Before that, it was Stranraer who got the better of the Black and Whites. Goals from Forrest, Grant and Dolan were more than enough to supersede Rob Jones’ 76^th minute consolation, ensuring that Elgin lost at Stair Park. Their final loss was a diabolical one for the club, as they were completely gubbed by Jeanfield Swifts 6-0 in the Scottish Cup 2^nd Round at the Riverside stadium. There were three braces on the day for the non-league side, with the doubles coming from Dayle Robertson, Chris McLeish and Chris Scott.

Their draw against Stenny at Borough Briggs was an action packed one, as Elgin left it late to salvage a point against the 10-man Warriors side. Adam Brown opened the scoring for the visitors, before his teammate Meechan was sent for an early shower with only 40 minutes on the clock. It took Elgin some time to find their breakthrough, but they eventually did, and Rory MacEwan’s 86^th minute goal was enough to share the spoils.

Their two wins have also come at Borough Briggs, showing that they are much stronger in the Highlands than they are on the road. They toppled Bonnyrigg 2-0, thanks to goals from Rory MacEwan and Connal Ewan. Forfar were Elgin’s other victims, as a goal from Ryan MacLeman in the 13^th minute bedded them a fortnight ago.

Squad News

Outs- Trouten now has to serve his suspension, given for his accumulative bookings this season. On top of this Kieran Mitchell is doubtful as he continues to recover from injury. Sadly, Pat Slattery has returned to the injury table, after picking up a knock in training through the week.

Ins- Brendan Ramsay has been called up from the Under 20s side, as Greig McDonald will look to add him into his first team plans.

Match Tickets

Season Tickets are valid for our league campaign, with prices below:

Adults- £18

Concessions (Over 65s/Disabled)- £14

Under 16s- £5

Parent and 1 child- £21

Parent and 2 children- £24

There are no cash turnstiles at Bayview, so supporters are strongly encouraged to buy online where possible. Tickets can also be purchased from the matchday reception for those unable to buy online.

Like last season, EFCFC players Under 16 years of age will be admitted for free!

Live Streaming

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. You can access this HERE! There is no live streaming option for viewers within the UK/Ireland this weekend.

Officials

The on-pitch official on Saturday will be Ryan Lee while his assistants running the line are Ross Nelson and Mark Harris.

Refreshments

The stadium bar will be open from 12:15pm pre-kick off on Saturday! We welcome you to join us for a drink before the match. The bar will be open again following the full-time whistle for post-match refreshments.

Pie stalls will be open at both ends of the stadium from 2:00pm today. Both cash and card are accepted.

Programme

Issue Number 10 for the 23/24 edition of The Bayview will be available from vendors outside the ground pre-match. This week’s edition contains a tribute to club legend Billy McPhee, an interview with Brogan Walls and a look back at when East Fife beat the then Norwegian champions Sportsklubben Brann 7-1, as well as all of the usual features.

Those unable to make today’s game can purchase their programmes online for home delivery.

Ramsay Promted to the First Team

We’re delighted to announce that Brendan Ramsay has been promoted to the first-team squad.

18-year-old Brendan joined the under 20s set up in the 2021/22 season after coming through the ranks at East Fife Community FC. He made his first-team debut against St. Johnstone B in the SPFL Trust trophy last season before going on to make a further 2 first team appearances; against Forfar Athletic at the end of last season, and most recently as a substitute against Clyde.

Brendan has been a stand-out for the under 20s this season, with 5 goals in 12 appearances and a number of impressive performances which have caught the eye of the first team management.

Manager Greig McDonald: “Brendan did pre-season with the first team and has been training with us regularly since. He has done really well for the under 20s so far this season, and recently coming on against Clyde and having a hand in our fourth goal. He’s another home-grown player we’ve added to the first team squad and I’m looking forward to seeing him challenge for a place in the first team”.

Congratulations Brendan!