Fitba - A Funny Old Game...

6th Dec 2008: East Fife 1, Alloa Athletic 0 (Barrs Scottish League Division Two)

You really do have to feel for Chris Templeman! For weeks now he's "done what the gaffer asked him to" even though that's never suited his natural game. He's worked his socks off, played for the team and done what he could to create space and opportunities for his team mates. After another tireless (but ultimately thankless) performance this afternoon he was substituted on the hour mark. His replacement was Paul McManus, returning from injury; it took him less than five minutes to win the match and for the fans to forget all about the Wonderhorse's efforts. Football really is a cruel game; sometimes you just don't get what you deserve...

Just ask the Alloa players... They must have headed home this evening utterly stupified - just how did they fail to pick up the points from a game that they pretty much dominated from start to finish? Well, here's the answer - as fat Derek Johnstone always used tae say (when Radio Clyde was just Radio Clyde - not a sign of FM anywhere...), "it doesnae matter how good you are; football's about how many goals you score". Sure, Maitland's Mob certainly deserved tae get something out of the game... However, only one team actually deserved tae win the game - and that was the one that scored the goal.

So, ah'm more than happy to acknowledge that you were short changed today. But, on the back of that all ah can say is... tough! Bad luck happens tae us all - look at us over the last month. So, I am, of course, equally happy to accept the good fortune that the Fife had today - it's about fuckin' time! We can wheel out all the cliches about what goes round, comes round. Ah'm just glad that it came round today - all the players' hard work deserves it...

At about thirty seconds past three, mind, it didnae look like our luck was changing for the better. It was like someone had kidnapped Alloa and replaced them with a football team... they came right out of the traps and headed straight towards McCulloch's goal, winning a corner from their first attack. Seconds later we were all breathing a sigh of relief when we saw their first shot on goal skim the top of the bar. An early escape for the men in black and gold but if we thought it was gonna get any easier, we were sadly mistaken.

After last weekend's creditable draw at the Links Street Piggery, Alloa's intent was obvious. And fair play to them - whatever they've done in the weeks since we humped them at the Wreck, they've come on leaps and bounds. Alan Maitland has built a hardworking side who play simple football very well. If we didn't watch out, that lethal combination could yet prove to be our downfall.

So, a minute in and already it was apparent that we were up against it. But with what looked on paper to be our strongest starting line-up for weeks, there was surely no reason to get our knickers in a twist just yet. Ah, well maybe we'd need a wee rethink there.

Alloa showed us no respect at all but, instead of standing up to the vigour of their attacks, we stood back and paid them far too much respect. Torro, Jay, Tweedie and Dougie C were all working their hearts out but there appeared to be no way for the midfield to get into the game, such was the pressure that our visitors were exerting in the middle of the park. Kyle MacAuley, in particular, was having a blinder and, in spite of the close attention he was getting from Jay, more often than not he was able to get a shot at goal - more than once we were happy to have the safe hands of Mr McCulloch between the sticks.

And the onslaught continued; the Wasps played fast, passing football and we did our best to keep up with them. Our infrequent forays up the park, however, tended to fizzle out before we could get close to the Alloa goal. Ah mentioned a week or two back that it doesnae have tae be pretty so long as we win. The first half hour of today's match was indeed far from attractive but had the distinct disadvantage of looking like a potential gubbin' just waitin' tae happen!

Fortunately, we just about managed to keep our heads above water and eventually there was something for the home fans to get excited about. About ten minutes from the interval we created our first real opportunity of the game when Bobby Linn made some space at the edge of the Wasps' box and fired in a low drive. He was unlucky to see his shot deflected just wide.

That effort was as close as we got in the whole of the first forty five but that didn't mean that there was any shortage of goalmouth action. Annoyingly, however, it was all at the other end, the Wasps content to keep pinging balls into the Fife box. More desperate defending and two fine saves from Willie ensured that, miraculously, we'd be heading in at the interval on level terms. As the players trudged in at the break they appeared completely shell-shocked. By the looks of some of the faces in the stand, they wurnae the only ones...

But not only is it a funny old game; football is, as we all know, a game of two halves. So with forty five minutes still to go and with the lads' pride having taken a bit of a bullying in the first half, it was with renewed focus that the troops streamed out of the tunnel. Conditions were still great for fitba and with the wee sea breeze to our backs things, surely, could only get better.

And whilst we were hardly looking like Real Mathreed, at least we now had the haw-maws tae put up more of a fight than we'd done earlier. For their part, it was evident that Maitland had sent out his boys with a 'more of the same' message so it was no surprise that they still looked sprightly and confident. However, they weren't to have the same freedom in the second half than they'd had in the first.

As it was, the first real chance fell to the Fife. Bebo, Fozzie and Shaun Fagan had all been holding onto the ball better and were starting to grow in stature as their passes connected. The Boaby and big Temps were also looking far more comfortable and some slick movement soon presented the Fozzmeister with an opportunity to have a pop from a free kick just outside the box.

Alas, his effort went narrowly wide but at last we started to look like we could get back into the game. Alloa still posed a serious threat at the other end but now we were watching a somewhat more even contest.

And just before the hour mark Dave Baikie pulled a master stroke, substituting the Wonderhorse to enable Shagger to make a welcome return to first team business. And what an impact the striking wizard was to have. We weren't at this stage gonna scare the Wasps into any big changes but at least we were now giving their defenders some pause for thought. McManus' pace caused them problems from the off so it was no shock, just five minutes later, when he managed to get behind his marker and made a move into their box.

It was a great run although the keeper looked favourite to collect the ball. For some bizarre reason, however, young Dougie Hill decided against simply tracking back with the forward and committed himself to a clumsy challenge that sent Shagger sprawling; the far side linescheat's flag was raising but in any case, the ref was already pointing to the spot.

Mayhem ensued - yeah, yeah, you'd expect the Alloa players to be upset and their fans to be pissed off but at the other end of the stand, the home fans went bonkers, scarcely daring to believe that we could, somehow, take the lead. Paul had no such worries, confidently taking the kick himself and burying the ball low in the net. Unbelieveable...

The goal certainly settled the nerves but there was still plenty of time left and a shit load of football left in this one. The Wasps continued to knock the ball around well and were soon creating further chances for themselves. The next clear chance, however, fell to the Fife when big Torro (no doubt looking for some respite at the other end of the pitch) forced a decent save from White.

Ah'd be tellin' porkies if ah said it was then end-to-end stuff for the remainder of the game but although Alloa kept pushing (and they did, with some considerable ease at times...), the way things were turning out, you just got the idea that we were gonna be able to sneak out today with all three points. We had a perfect opportunity late on when we won a free kick just at the edge of the box - only the Boaby will be able to explain how he could get the ball SO high over the bar.

Not that it was going to cost us. The fans in the stand had one last hearts-in-mouth moment in the dying seconds when John Grant proved that anything Linn could do, he could do worser. From no more than five or six yards out and with the goal at his mercy, he somehow contrived to blast the ball over. Just moments later the ref brought it all to an end and we'd grabbed the most unexpected three points of the season so far.

Not that ah'm complaining. It would be tough having to watch us go through this kind of game too often but, given the tough hands that've been dealt to us in the last month or so, ah'm more than happy to accept today's good fortune, file away the points and start concentrating on next week's match against Stirling. Let's hope that this afternoon's victory gives DB and the boys the confidence to go out and play them off the park.