Pre-Season Friendly, Bayview Stadium

East Fife 4 Dunfermline Athletic 1

 

 

 

 

East Fife turned in an excellent performance in the first pre-season friendly at Bayview, to deservedly defeat their First Division neighbours by three clear goals. For the first hour of this game, a near full-strength home side put on a show of football which left the strong Pars side reeling; scoring four great goals into the bargain. The final half-hour saw enough substitutions to turn the Fifers into a youth squad; whereby Dunfermline fought back; scored one; and piled on the pressure. The young Fife side held out, however, to the deserved applause of the home fans.

 

Whilst Dunfermline had an early flurry in front of goal, it was the Fifers who struck first in the 14th minute, when Crawford took a long ball and raced to the bye-line - where his low cross was met by Hislop, who slotted home with the keeper in close attendance.

 

 

 

Baillie was to have two good saves before the Fifers doubled their advantage - on 34 minutes, a forward ball found Linn in space outside the box. Rounding one man, he cheekily chipped the advancing goalie to place it in the top corner.

 

Things soon got even better - on 42 minutes, Crawford delightfully fed Linn; he raced to the bye-line, and crossed for the inrushing Tansey to blast home.

 

Sloan almost made it 4 moments later, after a great Fife move, but he fired wide. Just the other side of half-time, Hislop had a chance with a breakaway, but was cynically body-checked. The fourth goal eventually came in the 59th minute, however. A poor clearance saw Linn pick up the ball 25 yards out; he ran across the 18 yard line, and then rifled the ball into the top corner with his left peg - a superb goal.

 

 

 

Job done, a rash of substitutions followed. The game then turned completely, as the Pars fought back in the face of a humiliating defeat. Full-back Woods scored with a bullet header from a corner on 67 minutes, and the pressure continued - with Ovenstone heading and Durie booting balls off the line. Baillie then dived low to make a save in the dying moments to preserve the Fifers advantage.

 

The Fife fans enthusiastically cheered the team as they left the field, in recognition of a first-class performance - a good passing game, allied to deadly finishing. How often do we say that?

 

East Fife: Baillie, Durie, Deland [McMillan 78], Muir [Smart 29, Murdoch 75], Ovenstone, Young [Carroll 63], Linn [Cargill 61], Crawford [Bryce 78], Hislop [R Brown 82], Sloan [Whately 69], Tansey [Johnstone 55]. Sub not used: Collier.