Lacklustre Fife Gift Points to Not So Fearsome Warriers

22nd Dec 2007: Stenhousemuir 2, East Fife 1 (Barrs Scottish League Third Division)

Like the otherwise ubiquitous Number 7 bus, you wait outside Bayview for ages for one and then two arrive almost together. We'd had to wait over thirteen hours to see our heroes concede a goal in the league. It then took less than twenty five more minutes for the second one to come along today. It was always going to be a moot point - it's been so long since anyone scored against us; the question was how we'd react when we finally did let one in. Sadly, the boys' reaction to Willie Lyle's 36th minute goal was disappointing to say the least...

It could have been so different. We started this one like we start every game - confident, well organised and with a great away support (granted, I was a bit worried for a while; most of the fans arrived in the two minutes before kick off - must have got caught up on the Falkirk Interstate Freeway) cheering them on. We've even started singing songs about the red and white away strip.

And within the first ten minutes it looked like it was just gonna be business as usual. Dougie Cameron floated a great ball forward that was met by O'Reilly (in for Paul McManus - I can only presume that he's no' weel). Craig's header found Greig McDonald who met the ball on the volley and blasted it home from fifteen yards out. It was a fuckin' screamer of a goal and, despite what I told the auld guys behind the goal, it was all too fast for me to catch on camera (my only consolation is that the real photographic talent at this club, Mr Corstorphine, didnae get a photo of it either...).

Only minutes later McDonald was at it again, making a great run into the box and being unlucky to just miss a great cross from the left. Twenty five minutes in it was McDonald yet again who came close, blasting the ball from the edge of the six yard box. His shot beat the keeper but Greig was frustrated to see the ball riccochet back off the bar. Hard luck all round - an hour to go and, by rights, we should have been three up. But although our misfortunes in front of goal didn't, at this stage, appear to be getting the boys downhearted, by comparison, you could see our hosts visibly lifted.

They happily accepted our carelessness in finishing and slowly built their own game. They were nothing special but did all the simple things well. No doubt buoyed by last week's result at Stranraer, their confidence grew and eventually they started creating a few chances of their own. Their opener, when it came, was as good a move as the home fans could hope to see. Winning the ball (rather easily) in midfield, they moved forward. Ross Hamilton slipped a lovely looking pass (well, it looked pretty good fae where ah wis standin' at the other end of the park) through to Willie Lyle who, from the edge of the box, fired home a low shot that snuck inside the post and left young Fox helpless.

The goal lifted both the Stennie fans and the players on the (plastic) park while at the other end there was a fair amount of disgruntled hurumphing. I guess, just like the players, when you've been used to clean sheets for so long, it's hard to take when some cheeky wee piddly team sneaks (and when I say sneak, I do, of course, mean score a perfectly good goal) a goal against us. Whatever it was, it appeared to slide from the terraces onto the pitch and for the remaining ten minutes of the first half, the boys all looked rather shaken.

Not to worry; Baikie will do his usual magic trick at half time, we'll get over the disappointment of the goal against (fuck sake, it's just a goal) and we'll come out and play this mob aff the pitch. Ahem. No' quite the way it worked out. If anything, it was Stenhousemanure who started the second half the more confidently. With the Fife reverting to a 4-5-1 formation, there appeared to me (and I accept that I know fuck all about tactics and was at the other end of the park) that, if anything, it was Stennie that were the more comfortable with the set-up. Bobby Linn continued to work hard but it was apparent that without his strike partner, Paul McManus, he was having a tough time of it.

That was the least of our worries however. In the middle of the park our hosts were now really starting to exert their authority. It's difficult to imagine a more ridiculous situation; we're top of the league by merit, and Stennie are... well, just pretty poor. And yet, somehow, they were giving us a lesson in football. While we dillied and dallied, they stuck to simple football and, no' tae put too fine a point on it, were starting to give us an object lesson. They were hardly the greatest thing you've ever seen on a football pitch but they were going about their business while we were running about like haddies. That was disappointing.

But not half as disappointing as what happened on the hour mark. Willie Lyle (who was a right pain in the arse throughout the entire game) managed to work his way to the goal line and fire over a high looping cross to the back post. It should have been meat and drink to young Fox but, for some bizarre reason (and not for the first time), he stayed on his line and allowed Stennie forward, Stevie Ferguson, to stick his nut on the ball and loop his header into the net. Johnnie Smart dispairingly lunged at the ball in an attempt to clear it but, alas, it still ended up in the back of the net. Ah'm no' one tae apportion blame, and Fox has been outstanding this season so we'll just leave it this way.... maybe the keeper could have done better...

Our hosts hardly looked like adding to their lead at any time in the last thirty minutes but, in fairness, neither did we look like levelling things up. We did press hard and came close on a couple of occasions when we forced corners. Having said that, however, apart from those stramashes in the box, the best that we managed for the most part was the tactic of hoofing the ball up the park in a vain hope that someone in a red and white shirt would get on the end of it. It didn't work the first time we tried it and, you guessed it, didn't work the last time we tried it. Notwithstanding that, it didn't stop us having a go again and again. And no matter how good, bad or indifferent Stennie were, they were never going to have too much trouble mopping up our vain efforts.

So, the time eventually ran out and right on the final whistle there was a wee hoo-haa on the edge of the pitch - it was about as animated as we'd gotten in the final half an hour so, whoever it was, you deserve applause - no' for trying tae` banjo a Stennie player; but at least it was nice tae see that there was still some passion out there.

It was a disappointing result all told but, be honest, if someone had offered you only two defeats in the first half of the season and a twelve point advantage at the top of the league, you'd surely have taken it. It's aye painful tae see the team losin' but maybe it came just at the right time. Wi Stranraer and Montrose no' really doin' anything out of the ordinary, there's still plenty of reasons to be cheerful. The team looks good and now that they've had a good kick up the arse, we've got to be confident that they'll come out for the next game and gie Arbroath a good doin' on Wednesday. Fuck it - we'll do them and get it all back on track. Happy Christmas and c'mon the Fife!

Post Script: When ah got back to Kirkcaldy tonight ah' nipped intae Tesco tae buy a few beers (tae cheer masel up). Can you believe that two fuckers in their lino-lickin' gear had the audacity to huckle me. Ah thought that they'd be wantin' tae rip the pish because of the result at Stennie but naw... can you believe that they we hasslin' me about the fact that East Fife fucked their fixed odds coupons. The bastards had us doon for an away win and the Candy Strips losin' cost the twats a couple of hundred quid each. Talk about every cloud havin' a silver lining. You couldnae make this stuff up. Have a great time over the holidays; see you all on Wednesday!