Oli Anderson previews today’s match against Peterhead
At long last, we have finally arrived at the start of East Fife’s cinch League Two campaign. Opening Day sees us face newly relegated side, Peterhead at the MGM Timber Bayview Stadium, after an insightful and promising Viaplay Cup campaign. Our only defeat came last weekend when we fell 3-0 to Premiership outfit Motherwell. The Steelmen showed their experience and quality in the game last week, seeing them break down the Methil Men’s defences after half an hour of play. The floodgates then opened, as the opening goal was scored and then the scoreline doubled within three minutes of each other. A red card for Jonathan Page then followed to make matters worse before the break. A routine second half followed, leading Motherwell to a 3-0 victory, and advancing to the next round with it.
Peterhead’s cup campaign started brightly, narrowly missing out to Partick Thistle on penalties, before defeats to Dundee United and Falkirk contributed to them finishing at the foot of their group.
Their other game came against fellow League Two competitors and newly promoted Spartans. The Edinburgh based team, came out on top winning two-one in a back-and-forth battle, showing they are ready to compete at this level.
Previous Encounter
The last time the two sides met, was in 2022 when both clubs played in the third tier. Peterhead ran out victors at the Balmoor Stadium, thanks to an early Jack Brown goal after just after 10 minutes. Despite it being a rather even contest back and forth, East Fife could not give a reply to the early opener and the result was unfortunately one which did not help enroute to relegation.
Squad News
Outs: Scott Shepherd misses out today after his red card against Clyde in the final match of last season. Also, after the aforementioned red card last for Jonathan Page also sees him miss today’s match. Both will be available for selection again next week.
It gets even worse too, as Pat Slattery’s injury keeps him out of the playing squad this afternoon as well.
Team Colours
East Fife will don the traditional tartan top, matched with black socks and shorts on Saturday, while the goalkeeper will be clad in all yellow for the match.
Peterhead will also be in their classic kit. Wearing all blue for the affair. The Blues’ goalie will be in all orange for the clash.
Match Tickets
Admission prices for this game are as below:
Adults - £18
Concessions (Over 65s/Disabled) - £15
Under 16s - £5
Parent and 1 child - £21
Parent and 2 children - £24
There are no cash turnstiles at Bayview and fans are strongly encouraged to buy online where possible. Online sales are available right up until kick off however tickets can be bought from the matchday reception for those who are unable to purchase online. Please note, parent and child tickets cannot be purchased online and should be bought directly from the matchday reception.
Season tickets are valid for this match and anyone still to collect their card can do so right up until kick off from the matchday reception.
Like last season, East Fife Community Football Club members under 16 years of age will be admitted for free of charge for all home league matches this season.
Live streaming
Live Streaming of the game will be available on East Fife TV for our international fans (outside the UK and Ireland). This can be accessed through a monthly or season pass.
Your commentators for this afternoon, both making their commentary debut on East Fife TV, are the handsome duo of Oli Anderson and Pat Slattery.
Officials
The on-pitch official on Saturday will be Chris Fordyce, while his assistants running the line are Brian Christie and Keiran O’Reilly
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 for post-match refreshments.
Programme
Issue Number 2 for the 23/24 edition of the Bayview will be available from vendors outside the ground pre-match for £2.50.
If you can’t make today’s match, programmes can also be bought online for home delivery.
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Motherwell 3-0 East Fife, Viaplay Cup Group G MD5
Saturday 29th July 2023, Fir Park
It was not to be for the Fifers in the Viaplay cup this year, as they succumbed to a 3-0 loss to Premiership opposition Motherwell at Fir Park at the weekend. The Fifers, who finished the game with 10 men after Johnny Page was sent packing late in the first half, struggled to get going in the contest.
The game started in a similar vein to that of East Fife’s other league cup games against higher tier opposition, holding off and looking for a goal that never looked like arriving.
We did have the first clear cut chance early doors when Shepherd sprayed a great square ball into the box, which Blaney beat Healy to by a matter of millimetres. That was the best chance the Fifers had in the opening half an hour, with Fleming having to make a number of great saves from close range, keeping Soare out on two occasions.
The best Fife chance came just after the 30 minute mark, when Gregor Nicol’s free kick was met with a stramash in the box, which no Fifer could get on the end of, and after a stramash in the box, the Steelmen had managed to clear it and the counter was on, the ball was cleared to Slattery on the halfway line, who then fed through Lennon Miller. Miller sent Fleming the wrong way, and 10 seconds after it looked destined that Fife would take the lead, the Premiership side were in front.
It went from bad, to awful in a matter of minutes for the Black and Gold as 3 minutes later, Conor Wilkinson had a low driven dig from 25 yards out, which beat an outstretched Fleming, essentially killing the contest in the first half.
Somehow, it went from awful to horrendous for the Fifers, when Page was sent off just before the interval, when he was caught in an entanglement just outside the East Fife box. Limbs were flailing, and the referee adjudged that there was a stamp involved, leaving the Fifers one man and two goals down before we could even get to half time.
Half Time: Motherwell 2-0 East Fife.
The second half was a much more dominant display from Motherwell, who knocked on the door for the entire 45 minutes, strangling the game with relative ease. Fife noticeably struggled, though they only shipped one other goal.
That came in the 66th minute through Callum Slattery. The midfielder jinked inside and around three Fife defenders before firing into the far bottom corner.
The ball was in the net five minutes later, after a passage of play started by a slack back pass, though the linesman’s flag was raised for offside.
That marked the last action for Fife in the league cup campaign, who narrowly miss out, despite not losing any of their other 3 games. All attention has been turned to Saturday when the Fifers start their second season back in the 4th tier of Scottish football, at the MGM Timber Bayview Stadium against newly relegated side, Peterhead.
Report by Oli Anderson
Motherwell – Oxborough, Casey, Blaney, Paton (Zdravkovski 50’), McGinn (O’Donnell 45’), Miller, Souare (Wilson 68’), Spittal, Slattery (Ferrie 68’), Wilkinson (Maguire 77’). Subs not used: Kelly, Lamie, McGinley, Ross
East Fife – Fleming, Newton, Page, Docherty, Easton (Murdoch 73’), McManus, Trouten, Healy (Philp 88’), Nicol (Comerford 45’), Shepherd (Millar 74’), Walls (Schiavone 68’). Subs not used: Cunningham, Hambrook, Beveridge
Attendance: 3,076
Referee: Kevin Clancy
Tickets for our cinch League Two opener against Peterhead on Saturday 5th August at the MGM Timber Bayview Stadium are now on sale and can be purchased here.
Admission Prices
Adults - £18
Concessions* - £14
Under 16s** - £5
Parent & Child** - £21
Parent & 2 Children** - £24
*Over 65s/Full-Time Students/Disabled – proof of age/eligibility may be requested
**Proof of age may be requested.
Supporters who haven't yet collected their season ticket card can do so right up until kick off.
All member of East Fife Community Football Club & East Fife Girls & Womens’ Football Club who are under 16 go free with a paying adult or as part of an organised group for all cinch League Two matches at Bayview this season. Tickets for this are arranged through EFCFC.
Season tickets are valid for this match.
There are no cash turnstiles at Bayview and supporters are strongly encouraged to purchase their tickets online. Online sales are available right up until kick off. Tickets can also be purchased over the phone by calling 01333 426323 or directly from the club office.
Please note, parent and child tickets cannot be purchased online and should be bought directly from the club office.
There is no live stream available for viewers within the UK & Ireland this weekend, however overseas supporters can watch the match via East Fife TV with a monthly or season pass.
Highlights from Saturday's match v Motherwell along with post-match reaction from Greig McDonald, Alan Trouten and Brian Easton
Oli Anderson previews today’s final Viaplay Cup Group G match against Motherwell.
This weekend the Black and Gold have a winner takes all blockbuster against Scottish Premiership Side Motherwell, at Fir Park, to round up Group G of the Viaplay Cup. To guarantee qualification to the next stage the Fifers will have to overcome the Steelmen inside 90 minutes, though considering that there were around 25 teams in between the two clubs’ league finishes last year, it will be no easy task. With that being said, the Fifers continue their purple patch in the group stage, taking the bonus point at Palmerston Park on Tuesday Night after a goalless draw, whereas Motherwell’s last game came against Queen’s Park last weekend, where they won 1-0 through a Jon Obika goal in the first half. It was confirmed by the Steelmen earlier in the week that the scorer may be unavailable for the affair this afternoon.
Motherwell: A deep dive
Liam Kelly
When looking at the Motherwell side, it would be impossible not to talk about Liam Kelly. The former Fifer spent 4 years with Rangers before making loan moves to both Methil and then Livingston. The stopper made 16 appearances in 5 months for the Fifers and his quality was clear to see for all in the stand. He showed his leadership abilities too at such a young age, something he would continue to use at every club he has since travelled to. Playing at a consistently high level too in recent years, Kelly had jumped between QPR and Motherwell before settling down at the Claret and Amber in 2021. It will be a good sight for the Fife fans seeing the ‘keeper in action against the club that gave him a shot.
Conor Wilkinson
Obika’s strike partner last Saturday was new signing Conor Wilkinson who signed from Walsall this summer. A proven goal scorer in England, netting around once every 3 games at the aforementioned Walsall as well as Leyton Orient and Dagenham and Redbridge too. Looking like the potential Van Veen replacement, Wilkinson stands at 6’3 and has been used as a target forward for most of his career. The 28-year-old also boasts 9 caps for Republic of Ireland at youth level, 2 at U19 and 7 at U21, netting twice for the latter. Making a partnership with Obika in earlier fixtures caused him to look dangerous, so it will be interesting to see how he does potentially without the England International by his side.
Lennon Miller
This 16-year-old has bags of potential, already having made 8 appearances for the first time since the beginning of last season. He is also a regular starter for Scotland now, appearing on 8 occasions for the Scottish U17 side too. He has netted once for the Steelmen pushing through the midfield on numerous occasions. He has the ability to play all over and is a player who could be one to keep an eye on both on Saturday and in years to come.
East Fife: The stand outs
Scott Shepherd
Despite having raved about his hold up play since his arrival, he showed again his ability on Saturday as the Methil Dynamo ran the show up front against a strong QoS defence at Palmerston on Tuesday. His ability to pop a pass and find the run in behind helped massively too, giving the rest of the team a chance to create an opportunity. This was seen clear as day at the sending off, his pass and go made both centre halves lose him, giving them no choice but to bring him down on the edge of the area, resulting in the dismissal. We know that Shepherd’s game is about more than just the numbers, but Tuesday night went a long way to showing what he is going to be all about this season.
Allan Fleming
At the other end of the park, another man in fine form was Allan Fleming. The veteran has been playing like a teenager in recent weeks, only conceding once in competitive action so far in this campaign. He’s been put through the ringer as well, never getting the opportunity to rest when typically playing against a higher-level opposition. Flem has showed just how important he is to the squad, and another performance like we’ve seen so far could be the difference to push the Fifers into the second round.
Squad News
Ins: Trouten returns from suspension for the final group game.
Outs: Both Pat Slattery and Charlie Murray are unfortunately out of action for the clash due to injury.
Team Colours
East Fife will don the green and white Macon Resources-sponsored kit, matched with white socks and shorts today, while the goalkeeper will be clad in all blue for the tie.
Motherwell will wear their traditional amber and claret affair for the occasion, with amber in the shorts and socks and claret socks too. The goalkeeper will wear all red.
Match Tickets
Please find admission prices below for the game today. Tickets are available to buy online.
Adults - £12
Concessions (Over 65s/Disabled/U18) - £6
East Fife fans will be housed in the North Section of the Phil O’Donnell Stand (Main Stand) this afternoon.
Travel and Parking
Motherwell FC have advised us that there is currently roadworks on the M74 and recommend that supporters travelling to Fir Park from Fife use the M8 instead.
There is no dedicated car park for supporters at Fir Park however there is ample on street parking close to the stadium. Please take care not to block any of the driveways of the surrounding houses.
There is accessible parking available for supporters who require it.
Livestream
There is no PPV option for today’s game however overseas supporters can watch via East Fife TV with a monthly or annual subscription.
Officials
The on-pitch official on Saturday will be Kevin Clancy while his assistants running the line are Alan Mulvanny and Paul McAvinue.