Match Report - Elgin City

East Fife were back at Bayview for the first time in 3 weeks following away matches at Forfar Athletic, Bonnyrigg Rose and Stenhousemuir. Last time out against Stenhousemuir, the Methil Men fell just short as the Warriors triumphed 2-1 and progressed to the next round of the Scottish Cup, despite a good Jack Healy goal for East Fife.

It was back to league this week and Greig McDonald was gearing up to take on 5^th placed Elgin City in his first game after being announced as official East Fife manager earlier in the week. Five changes were made to the starting team that lost out to Stenhousemuir last time out with Alan Fleming, Scott Mercer, Joao Balde, Liam Parker and Alan Touten replacing Reece Beveridge, Stewart Murdoch, Ryan Schiavone, Liam Newton and Taylor Steven in the starting line-up.

The game got off to the worst possible start when they were reduced to 10-men within the first 5 minutes as Nicolson was dismissed for a high challenge on Balde. Despite being a man down, it was City who had the first chance when Hester was played through, but his weak effort was straight into the gloves of Fleming. 

On the 15-minute mark, Elgin had another good chance when, once again, Hester was played in by Dingwall, but his attempted lob drops wide of the post.

After working their way up the pitch with some nice passing moves, East Fife grabbed an opener on the 20-minute mark when Ferguson’s corner was headed into the net by the unmarked Scott Mercer to give East Fife the lead.

Almost immediately, the visitors had the chance to draw level when Hester is beat the offside trap, rounded the keeper but dragged his effort wide under pressure from Fleming albeit with a strong shout for a penalty.

As half-time approached, Elgin had yet another chance to grab an equaliser with a well worked free kick which saw Dingwall in acres of space inside the box although, to the relief of the Fife faithful, his effort was well saved by Fleming at close range.

HALF TIME: East Fife 1-0 Elgin City

6 minutes into the second half, Elgin levelled the match when Dolzanksi sent Hester through 1-on-1 with Fleming who slotted the ball underneath the Fifer’s number 1 to give the Black and Whites a deserved goal.

Nearing the hour, East Fife passed up an opportunity to take the lead again when Healy drilled the ball across the face of goal however Shepherd was unable to steer the ball towards goal.

In the 66^th minute, East Fife were awarded a penalty after Shepherd was bundled over inside the box. Alan Trouten confidently stepped up and rolled the ball past Hoban to restore East Fife’s advantage.

With 15 minutes left, Mercer saw his free kick bounce off the crossbar with the rebound falling to Balde however couldn’t get the ball under control and the Elgin defence were able to clear.

In the remaining 15 minutes East Fife made three changes with Shepherd, Trouten and Ferguson making way for Taylor Steven, Liam Newton and Pat Slattery who was making his 243 appearances for the club and climbing into the top 20 in the all-time East Fife rankings – overtaking East Fife legend Charlie Fleming.

After an uneventful final 15 minutes, the referee blew for full time, giving East Fife a much-desired home win and three points against a play-off rival.

The Methil men are back at Ochilview next week, this time for a league match up, against Stenhousemuir looking to keep up their 100% start to the second quarter. 

FULL TIME: East Fife 2-1 Elgin City 

Report by Andrew Laing

East Fife Team: Fleming, Mercer, Steele, Denham, Parker, Millar, Healy, Balde, Ferguson (Slattery 90+2’), Shepherd (Steven 78’), Trouten (Newton 84’)

Elgin City: Hoban, Mailer (Allan 89’), Nicolson, Dolzanski, Draper, McHardy, Dingwall, MacEwan (Lawrence 75’), Antoniazzi (Young 11’), Cameron, Hester

Referee: Iain Sneddon

Attendance: 439

Match Preview - Elgin City

We welcome Elgin City to the Locality Hub Bayview Stadium this afternoon for matchday 12 in our cinch League Two campaign.

Both sides will be showing their support for Show Racism the Red Card prior to kick off this afternoon.

Squad News

Allan Fleming, Scott Mercer and Joao Balde all return to the squad this week after missing last week’s Scottish Cup tie at Stenhousemuir however Stewart Murdoch misses out with the injury that forced him off early last weekend.

Brogan Walls, Connor McManus and Scott Gallacher all continue to be absent with long-term injuries

Team Colours

East Fife will be in our traditional colours of black & gold strips, black shorts and black stocking with the goalkeeper in all blue.

Elgin City will be in their away colours for red & black strips, black shorts and red & black stockings with the goalkeeper in all black.

Previous Encounter

The last meeting between the sides took place on the opening day of the season at Borough Briggs where the visitors claimed all three points with a 3-1 victory thanks to goals from Scott Mercer and a Scott Shepherd double. Darryl McHardy added a late consolation for the home side.

Elgin City Team: Hoban, Cooper, Dolzanski (MacInnes 84’), McHardy, Anderson, Dingwall, Mailer, Cameron, Lawrence (Cairns 24’), Hester, Machado (MacEwan 65’)

East Fife Team: Fleming, Murdoch, Steele, Denham, Mercer, Walls, Millar, Ferguson, Newton, Schiavone (Cunningham 83’), Shepherd (Slattery 88’)

Match Tickets

Tickets for today’s match are available to buy online here ahead of the game. Please note, there will be no cash turnstiles and tickets must be purchased in advance. Tickets can be presented digitally or printed at home. Those unable to purchase tickets online can buy theirs over the phone (01333 426323) or directly from the club office. Parent and child tickets cannot be purchased online.

Ticket prices are as follows:

Adults - £18

Concessions* - £14

Under 16s** - £5

Parent & Child - £21

Parent & 2 Children - £24

*Over 65s and full-time students. Proof of eligibility may be requested

**Proof of age may be requested

All child members of EFCFC & EFG&WFC will be admitted free with a paying adult or as part of an organised group for all of our home league matches this season. Tickets for this are being organised through EFCFC.

Season tickets are valid for this match. Those who have still to collect their season ticket card can do so up until kick off this afternoon.

Turnstiles will open at 2pm.

Match Officials

Match Referee: Iain Sneddon

AR1: Colin McAlpine

AR2: Steven Wilson

Car Parking

Car parking is available at both ends of the stadium for both home and away supporters free of charge.

Live Streaming

No live stream is available to viewers with the UK & Ireland.

Viewers outside the UK & Ireland can watch the match via East Fife TV with a monthly or season pass.

Matchday Catering

The stadium bar will be open to both sets of supporters from 12.15 pm this afternoon for pre- and post-match refreshments.

Pie stalls will be open at both ends of the stadium from 2pm. Please note, our pie stalls are cash only.

Matchday Programme

Issue 9 of our new-look matchday programme is available to purchase for £2.50. Please look out for our programme sellers around the stadium before the game.

Show Racism the Red Card

East Fife Football Club are proudly continuing their support Show Racism the Red Card’s Match Actions Campaign during tomorrow’s match against Elgin City. Show Racism the Red Card is the UK’s leading anti-racism Education Charity, and our club has supported their messages of tolerance and inclusion for many years. Now more than ever, the importance of active anti-racism cannot be overstated.

Across Scottish football, clubs will show their commitment to anti-racism over one weekend – Friday 28^th, Saturday 29^th and Sunday 30^th October. In doing so we can raise the profile of year-round commitment to anti-racism within football. Show Racism the Red Card works within schools, workplaces, sport, and community organisations to educate children, young people, and adults on challenging prejudice and stereotypes, using the power of football as a powerful tool to initiate conversations about anti-racism. They ran educational programmes with over 10,000 participants here in Scotland over the past year.

Here at East Fife we recognize the importance of being alert to the inequalities that persist due to racism. A recent SRtRC survey revealed 46% of staff are aware of racist bullying or discrimination in Scottish schools, while 66.4% are aware of pupils expressing misconceptions, stereotypes, or negative attitudes that are racist.

Chris Priestley, from Show Racism the Red Card had this to say; “We are delighted with the support for anti-racism that exists within Scottish football and are very proud of our upcoming match actions. However, the work must continue. We call on our supporters to continue to challenge racism. It is a shared responsibility across the game, from dressing rooms to boardrooms, and from stadiums to social media, to ensure that an anti-racism ethos is maintained throughout the year.

East Fife Captain Stewart Murdoch: “Everyone at East Fife is proud to be supporting this year’s Show Racism the Red Card’s campaign. There is no place for racism, or discrimination of any kind, within football or the wider society. Football is a sport that is followed by people across the world and matches should be an enjoyable experience for all, regardless of their background. We all have a part to play in challenging racism in football and society and I encourage everyone to unite behind the efforts to Show Racism the Red Card.”

East Fife FC stands with everyone who has had to endure racial prejudice in all areas of their lives. We condemn all forms of racism, and any racist behaviour will not be tolerated at our club.

Football is a sport that is loved across the world and football matches should be an enjoyable experience for everyone, of all backgrounds. Education is the key and East Fife FC will support Show Racism the Red Card to ensure Scotland is equipped with the tools to challenge and eradicate racism from football and society.

For useful resources and information from Show Racism the Red Card, please:

Visit their Website: www.theredcard.org
Explore their anti-racism video platform: https://voices.theredcard.org/

And follow them on:

Instagram @SRtRCScotland

Twitter @SRtRCScotland

Facebook.com/theRedCardScotland

Ticket Info v Elgin City

Tickets for our cinch League Two match against Elgin city on Saturday 29th October at the Locality Hub 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.

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. Supporters who have not yet collected their season ticket card can do so up until kick off.

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. 

Greig McDonald Appointed First-Team Manager

We are delighted to announce the appointment of Greig McDonald as our new First-Team Manager.

Greig returned to the club as Assistant Manager towards the end of last year after enjoying a hugely successful playing stint at Bayview. Joining towards the end of the 2002/03 promotion winning season, he went on to make 189 appearances in the black & gold, scoring 36 goals and picking up a Third Division winners medal with the club in 2007/08. Greig left Bayview in May 2009 for Stirling Albion where he was appointed player-manager in January 2012 and guided the side to promotion to League One via the play-offs in 2014.

Greig was appointed caretaker Manager last month following the departure of Stevie Crawford to Dundee United and has overseen a recent upturn in form, including away victories against Forfar Athletic and Bonnyrigg Rose.

Paul Thomson will also continue on at Bayview in his new role as Assistant Manager. Prior to joining East Fife, Paul held the position as Head of Youth at Heart of Midlothian and was responsible for running the Hearts performance school at Balerno High School.

Lindsay Hamilton will also be continuing on in his role as Goalkeeping Coach, a position he's held as the club since 2018. As a player, Lindsay signed on at Bayview in 1995, making 76 appearances over 2 seasons at East Fife and was part of the team that won promotion to the First Division under Steve Archibald in 1995/96.

Greig McDonald: “I am both delighted and honoured to be named as Manager of East Fife Football Club. The board, and everyone associated with the club, have been fully behind us during my recent spell as caretaker and I look forward to their continuing support as we enter this exciting new chapter.

“I’d specifically like to thank Paul Thomson, Lindsay Hamilton and the players for their response and hard work over the last few weeks and I’m very much looking forward to continuing to build on that good work with them over the remainder of the season and beyond.

“To the supporters, I’d like to acknowledge all of the best wishes and good luck messaged I’ve received, it’s been greatly appreciated and, as a group, I can promise that we will work tirelessly to give you an East Fife team to be proud of”.

Chairman Jim Stevenson added: “We are delighted to announce the appointment of Greig McDonald as our new manager. Greig very much has East Fife in his heart, and it was very clear from both his interview and the conversations I’ve had with him over the last few weeks how he plans to improve the club going forward and, as a board, we will support him in any way we can.

“I’m also delighted that Paul Thomson has been named as Greig’s Assistant Manager. A lot of Paul’s work at the club until this point may have gone unnoticed to supporters but I know the players highly value his knowledge and input which many have highlighted in recent post-match interviews.

“The board was impressed with the standard of all applicants who were interviewed for the position, and we would like to wish them well for their future endeavours”.

Greig’s first official match as Manager will be on Saturday when we welcome Elgin City to Bayview.

Congratulations Greig!