East Fife v Stenhousemuir at New Bayview Park, Methil on 16.4.11

Irn Bru Scottish Second Division               Att 562

East Fife 1 [Durie 55] Stenhousemuir 1 [Murray 90]

 

New Bayview has been the graveyard of Stenhousemuir managers in recent seasons with both John Coughlin and Campbell Money leaving the club after heavy defeats there. I t has not been all bad there however as it was the venue for the emergence of David Templeton into the first team and with Stuart Love making his first ever start for the Warriors hopefully it will be the launching pad for his career.

 

Apart from Love starting the game instead of Brian Gilmour there was one other change from the midweek defeat at Forfar with Chris McCluskey returning for the injured Ally Brown.   

 

The game started with the Warriors playing with the wind at their backs but it was blustery and intermittent and therefore difficult to judge and did not make for an appetising match. Indeed the travellers who were encamped outside the far end of the ground and watching from atop their vehicles gave up after a short period of time.

 

It was the visitors that started brightly and Love came close with a header in the 9^th minute when his header from a Grant Anderson effort drifted just wide and it was another aerial attack in the 16^th minute that brought the first save from either keeper when Simon Lynch sent a header goalwards but with little power on it, it was a comfortable save for Michael Brown. East Fife rarely threatened in the early stages but there was a scare for Stenhousemuir when the wind caught a Marc McCulloch effort that was going wide and as it kept in play instead there was a scramble to clear.

 

Anderson had the ball in the net in the 25^th minute but the standside assistant had already flagged for an infringement so the ‘goal’ did not count. The Fifers were a bit flat compared to normal but they caused another scare when Scott Gibb blocked a Lloyd Young effort. The resulting corner saw McCluskey make a vital interception at the back post to prevent East Fife taking the lead.

 

The first half finished with Stenhousemuir still on top and a powerful drive by Stevie Murray had Brown scrambling but went inches wide of the target.

 

East Fife had been a shadow of their normal side in the first half but they looked far stronger at the start of the second period and Bobby Linn dragged an effort wide of the target two minutes after the resumption. They took the lead in the 55^th minute when a cross field ball picked out Scott Durie on the right and he fired a close range effort into the net. Stenhousemuir responded positively to this setback and Sean Dickson burst through the heart of the home defence before laying the ball off to Lynch but his curling shot though well struck went just the wrong side of the post. Stuart Love then had the chance to make it a dream first start when he found himself one on one with the keeper but his effort lacked power and Brown was able to get a hand to it before it was eventually scrambled clear by Dylan McGowan. East Fife almost extended their lead in the 66^th minute when a Ryan Wallace header was tipped over the bar. Nevertheless they looked to be gathering all three points as the game entered stoppage time when Stenhousemuir were awarded a free kick 22 yards out after Iain Thomson had been fouled. Stevie Murray and Eric Paton were the candidates to take it but in the end it was Murray who struck a well executed effort that with the slightest of deflections beat Brown and nestled in the net. This goal once again showed that the Warriors have fight and determination to comeback into games and grab points when least expected and highlighted the spirit and determination that hopefully will stand them in good stead in the closing stages of the season.

 

East Fife – Brown, Durie, Park, Ovenstone, McGowan, Muir, Linn, McCulloch, Hislop [Smart 86], Young and Wallace [Johnstone 71]. Subs not used – Campbell, Fagan and Lyness.

Stenhousemuir – McCluskey, Lyle, Dickson, Gibb [b86], Devlin [Thom 60], I.Thomson, Anderson, Love, Lynch, Paton and Murray. Subs not used – Gilmour, Sloan, Hunter and Brown

 

Referee – Neil Watters                Assistants – Stuart Stevenson and Nick Walsh