East Fife 4 Dunfermline 1

Pre season Friendly

EAST FIFE 4 DUNFERMLINE 1

MATCH PICTURES
For the second pre season friendly Dunfermline took the trip east to Methil. Jordan White, Alex Keddie and Neil McGregor came into start meaning Gary Mason, Chris Higgins and Andy Dowie dropping out of the team that lost to Hibs on Saturday. Weather was characteristically cool (picture above is library pic)

Dunfermline kicked off attacking the seaside end and Calum Woods had the first attempt in seven minutes meeting a Joe Cardle corner from the right but hitting over the bar. Graham, Phin and Cardle moved the ball swiftly to send an inviting cross through the six yard box a minute later.

East Fife won a corner in tenth minute, Bell headed away but the return got the home fans excited as the ball was headed down in front of goal but Austin McCann challenged and Chris Smith grabbed the ball. Two minutes later Tansey almost nicked a header in front of Smith but the but evaded everyone and was taken away on the Pars right.

Warnings had been given but Stevie Crawford rounded the defence on the quarter hour to cross in from the right byeline and Stevie HISLOP turned in an easy chance into the left corner ahead of McGregor.

Cardle was well placed fifteen yards out to shoot from a cut back on the left but keeper Stewart Baillie held well at his near post. Dunfermline looked positive but were not being allowed any time on the ball by their lower league opponents.

Efforts were made to go forward; Cardle, McCann combining on the left but running out of space and next White won the ball in the centre of the park and laid the ball off to his left for Bell but his touch through was too big.

White made Baillie save a well connected header from a Woods cross but then in 34 minutes Bobby LINN sprung the Pars offside trap. The defence stopped and Smith came out.  The East Fife no.7 evaded the challenge and placed the ball in the left side of an empty goal.

In 41 minutes another Woods cross created danger but Cardle was unlucky to see his header drop beyond the far post. There was another goal to come before the interval and again it came from East Fife. Linn used his speed to advance away from trouble down the right and his cross was put away by Paul TANSEY to make it 3-0.

Before the first 45 were over Robert Sloan had another good chance that he hit wide right.  Not a good first half for the West Fifers.

Half Time: East Fife 3 Dunfermline 0

The same eleven resumed for Dunfermline, this time with their backs to the wind. Hislop and Crawford got things underway and the former was unceremoniously stopped by Keddie as he broke away trying to capitalise on a misplaced pass in midfield but the opposition could make nothing of the free kick.

Smith made the first save of the half in 49 minutes when John Ovenstone slid the ball to Young on the edge of the box. The shot was good but the keeper was its equal. Jim McIntyre introduced Paul Willis, Steven McDougall and Andy Dowie in 51 minutes. A 30 yard effort from Graham was fired over the East Fife crossbar and then Willis was unlucky when a strong run up the right did not earn a corner.

Chris Higgins came on for Alex Keddie in 56 minutes and he was barely on when he misjudged a pass out from his keeper and Bobby LINN nicked the ball to finish superbly into the top left corner. On the run Willis fired a rare Pars effort over the bar and 20 minutes into the half Sloan and Hislop created more danger in the Pars box.

Midway through the half a WOODS cross yielded a corner on the right and when Willis delivered the perfect ball the full back headed home. There were hopes of a dramatic comeback as the visitors started to look better. A McCann cross found Bell on the far side of the six yard box and his header back was flicked goalwards by Willis but Baillie held from close range.

Andy Kirk skinned the crossbar with a 74th minute attempt from 25 yards. Kirkie almost accepted a gift from a miskick after Ryan Thomson had powered his way into the East Fife box but the shot crept wide right. Next there was one almighty stramash on the home goal line with McDougall in the thick of it but the defence piled in to clear the threat.

A left footed shot from Willis was well stopped by Baillie down at his left post, Kirk rolled a shot past the left goalpost but with the ninety minutes ending in twilight,  for Dunfermline the gloom had long since descended. Things can only get better. No Methil no more.