A Stroke of Luck And A Stroke of Genius Take Fife Through

27th Oct 2007: Inverurie Loco Works 0, East Fife 2 (Tennents Scottish cup)

It was a narrow, bumpy pitch, a wild, westerly wind was blowin' and our hosts were in our faces right from the start of this one. And didn't they use the conditions to their full advantage? Despite being firm favourites for this tussle with so-called Highland League minnows, if anything, it was the Fife who looked like the underdogs throughout most of the first half.

From the first whistle, the Locos' midfield dominated and controlled possession. Our midfielders did their best but, with the bobbly pitch hardly conducive to our normal passing game, it took some time to even get into this one, by which time our hosts had already created a number of half chances. Even our normally dependable defence looked somewhat out of sorts - big Smartie in the centre was happy on more than one occasion to have his big pal Tweedie there beside him to steady the ship. Meanwhile, Dougie Cameron, despite all his hard work, was having a torrid time stopping their right winger.

Going forward was proving to be just as difficult. Paul McManus ploughed a lonely furrow up front, running his heart out trying to find a little space but decent home defending and the narrowness of the pitch made it as tight as hell and the few times that we did get crosses over, they all tended to be overhit, leaving the Locos keeper in relative safety.

So the first half pretty much took care of itself; not really much to write home about at all. But, for the record, here are the positives (there were some...) for the first forty five. 1. It didnae rain (the away end would otherwise have been a swamp so perhaps we should be grateful for that); 2. Our heroes came out in the 'home' kit - great tae see them in the Black and Gold (ok, yellow....); 3. The home side were extremely welcoming pre-match and the beer in their social club was tip-top; 4. (leading on from number 3) I used the 'portaloo' early doors so didn't have tae face the trauma of havin' a pish after two hundred other Fifers had been in; 5. Er, em, oh aye - we went in at half time wi' the score still nuthin' each!

But, as has oft been the case this season, we were reminded again that football is, indeed, a game of two halves. With the quality of the half time fare on offer at the social club, it's hardly surprising that the lads came out looking refreshed and rarin' to go. To be fair, the Locos continued to play well but, at last we finally witnessed the Fife with some shape and far more composure as our midfield eventually came into the game and started to exert their authority. We had a couple of half chances that came to nothing but were to enjoy a fair stroke of luck to open the scoring in the 55th minute. Dougie Cameron (I think) swung over a decent corner into the crowded Locos' box, and after doing the normal bagatel routine, the ball finally skelped off Steven Tweed's arse and ended up in the Inverurie net. It wasn't pretty (the goal, I mean, not Tweedie....) but it was certainly effective. I know it could never convey the quality of the finish but see the photo below - now just imagine that pose in the Locos' box and the ball banging aff his hinend. It was just like that!

The goal settled the nerves of the two hundred Fifers at the far end but failed to rattle our hosts who simply rolled up their sleeves and got stuck back in. They were to continue to pose threats in attack but, thankfully, our back four were now looking far more robust than they had in the first half. On a number of occasions their centre forward appeared to be in the clear but the carefully orchestrated offside trap caught him out most times. Even when they did sping the trap and penetrate the defence, young Fox was quick to react and safely mopped up any trouble. He hasn't had much of a look in recently but the on-loan keeper did all that was asked of him today without too much bother.

At the other end we continued to press for a winner, all the time having to remember that any slip could lead to a Locos' counter attack. As a result, despite being far more composed in the middle of the park, it was still all rather disjointed when we got into the final third. As it was, our second and decisive goal came from one of those floundering attacks. Fiftee minutes from time yet another ball was flung into the box but nobody in black and gold was able to get that elusive touch towards goal. It looked like Inverurie had coped with another attack as they cleared the ball into the midfield. However, they hadn't bargained for the quality of left back, Dougie Cameron, who met the ball thirty yards from goal and battered a screamer into the back of the net. Utter genius!

The away end errupted into noise (the relief, as well as the joy, was palpable) as every one of his team mates ran to congratulate him. Get yer mobile's ready for the BBC's Goal of the Round competition because nothing else this weekend, anywhere in the country, will come close.

And that pretty much knocked the stuffing out of our hosts who continued to work hard but, by now, looked a beaten side. They fired the occasional ball forward and tried their best but the nearest they came to what could conceivably be called a result (and that could only be for the most sadistic Locos' fan) was when Smartie mis-timed his tackle on their centre forward and ended up nearly decapitating Dougie Cameron at the edge of the Fife box. I suppose if he'd caught the striker, he might have given away a penalty (as well as picking up a jail sentence). As Dougie lay there dazed and confused, the ref, of course, waved 'play on' and the ball was eventually cleared.

But the full back regained consciousness just in time to enjoy the closing moments and soak up the plaudits from both the fans and his neebs on the park. They trotted off to the well earned applause from the fans who'd made the long journey north. A potential banana skin eventually negotiated and Monday afternoon's Third Round draw to look forward to. Here's hopin' we can have a go at the Lino Lickers at the end of November!