Hill o' Beath Hawthorn v East Fife, 20th February 2010
Friendly, Dalgety Bay
Hill o’ Beath Hawthorn 0 East Fife 0
Match Report and Photos: Jim Corstorphine
FIFERS FAIL TO BREAK THE DEADLOCK
On a bright and sunny afternoon that seemed perfect for football, it was rather hard to believe that football matches all over the country had been called off due to frozen pitches, including the East Fife v Arbroath league match.
There was no such problem with the Dalgety Bay Astroturf, however, as East Fife lined up for this hastily arranged bounce-game against Fife Junior outfit Hill o’ Beath Hawthorn in a 4-4-2 formation.
Stuart Baillie returned to take his place in goal; the back four consisting of central defenders Paul Nugent and Guy Kerr, with Jamie McKerrow and Robert Campbell at right and left back respectively. Shaun Fagan and Jamie McCunnie in midfield were flanked by Bobby Linn on the right and Aaron Conway on the left, with the front two consisting of Steve Crawford and a trialist.
Hawthorn’s height and physical presence were apparent from the start, and the Junior side pressed forward during the opening exchanges. East Fife didn’t take long to settle, however, and the pace of wide midfielders Conway and Linn soon started to cause problems for the Hob-Haws.
Guy Kerr heads strongly towards goal
Although the front-line of Crawford and the trialist No.9 showed some nice touches, the Haws goalkeeper was rarely troubled, and an evenly balanced first half drew to a close with the score-line blank.
The trialist No.9 is tackled wide on the left
East Fife introduced five substitutes during the second half, including three youth team players, and gradually took control of the match.
Dean McMillan showed some nice touches on the left flank, and was unfortunate not to open the scoring with a fierce shot from the edge of the penalty area mid-way through the second period. Fellow youth team player Ross Brown was equally impressive on the right, and the third member of the under-17 trilogy, Murdoch, looked comfortable at the rear.
Ross Brown duels with a Hawthorn defender
Jordyn Sheerin and Steve Crawford both had chances to win the match, but try as they might they just couldn’t find a way through the stubborn Hawthorn Defence and the match drew to a close with no goals scored.
The Hawthorn ‘keeper touches the ball over the bar
East Fife: 1.Baillie 2.McKerrow 3.Campbell 4.Fagan 5.Nugent 6.Kerr 7.Linn 8.McCunnie 9.Trialist 10.Crawford 11.Conway Substitutes: 12.Sheerin 14.Thomson.15.Brown 16.McMillan 17.Murdoch GK.Westwood
