Pre-Season Friendly, Bayview Stadium

East Fife 2 Heart of Midlothian XI 2

 

 

 

 

The Fifers continued their pre-season unbeaten run in sharing the spoils with a young, fit, Hearts team on a blustery afternoon. Twice the visitors went ahead with preventable goals; twice the Fifers came back with great ones - and then were perhaps unlucky to have what looked like a winner ruled offside by a replacement linesman.

 

It was back to a more experimental line-up for the home side today. Young, playing in a forward position, had the first home chance when fed by Linn on 17 mins, but his effort was blocked by ex-Fifer Mark Ridgers. Moments later, Hearts had three great chances blocked by Ovenstone, Brown and Murdoch in quick succession.

 

 

 

The opener came on 27 mins - Walker broke down the wing, and sent a looping cross over Brown, with Mole waiting at the back post to knock it home. The remainder of the first half was end-to-end stuff - a Hearts free kick just went wide; Linn had a couple of chances; then the post saved Fife on 45 mins when a header from a corner rattled it.

 

The second half, with a couple of changes made, saw the Fifers step up a gear - a Crawford chip slipped past the post; a Linn corner was hooked off the line by a defender, with Deland then heading wide; then came the deserved equaliser on 51 mins. Crawford delivered an exquisite diagonal ball which Linn ran on to and guided sidefooted past a despairing Ridgers.

 

 

 

Unfortunately, the Fifers were unable to build on that - within five minutes, the visitors were back in the lead. A free kick 25 yards out was floated into the box, where Stewart rose unchallenged to powerfully head home.

 

The Fifers did respond well to this setback - Young rattled the post from 12 yards; the pressure continued; and another equaliser duly arrived on 62 mins. Linn made space on the right, and sent over a great cross, where Hislop was waiting to head home from 10 yards out. The home side were playing well now - Deland headed against the post from a Sloan free kick; then the home fans were convinced that they had a third - a low Linn free kick wasn't held by Ridgers, and Johnstone nipped in to fire home from a tight angle. To his, and the supporters dismay, up went the linesman's flag [dubiously].

 

More substitutions followed, but that was to prove the end of goalmouth incidents. Both keepers made a few routine saves in the final twenty minutes; both teams will have been content with another good workout.

 

East Fife; M Brown, Durie [Tansey 45], Deland, Murdoch, Ovenstone, Carroll [Hislop 45], Linn [McMillan 80], Young [R Brown 70], Crawford [Trialist 59], Sloan, Johnstone. Subs not used: Trialists [2], Baillie.