Fuck!

15th Nov 2008: Brechin City 2, East Fife 1 (Barrs Scottish League Division Two)

Despite being a bright, dry afternoon (blue skies an' a'thing), they must have had a shit load of rain up here recently. When ah stepped onto the grass tae start takin' ma foties ah'd barely taken three steps before ah was up tae ma ankles in mud. Looking over to the tunnell just before three o'clock, ah half expected Swampie and a gang of tree-huggers tae come runnin' oot rather than two fitba teams. The pitch was just a big, boggy mess.

So it was maybe no' too surprising that a team full of neat passing footballers would find it so difficult to cope. With half the squad missing through injury, it was another makeshift team side that Baikie had to field; and among those wearing the shirt, three or four were also carrying niggles - big Tweedie was hobbling about within five minutes but still managed to courageously battle through the full ninety. Apart fae that, however, we did hee-haw tae get excited about in the opening forty five minutes, the pitch conditions more than sufficient to ensure we'd struggle throughout.

Which kinda begs one question - how come Brechin City appeared tae find it all so easy, taking everything in their stride and pretty much bossing us through the first half? Maybe they've had tae get used tae the muddy conditions back home in their hobbit-holes; maybe their big fat, hairy feet give them a wee bit more purchase on top of the park; maybe they wore shirts a size too big and used them as big sails tae flow freely, skimming over the waves on the hurricane force gale that was blowin'. Or maybe they were just better than us...

Whatever it was, it took them barely five minutes tae take advantage of it. We'd started strongly enough, pushing forward from the kick-off but somehow it just didn't appear to have any fluidity about it and our early possession tended to fizzle out as soon as we got close to the final third. Despite looking spritely, Brechin hadn't really created much in the opening exchanges but didn't really have to - just five minutes in, we gifted them the lead; big Torro clumsily lost the ball and the Hedgemen pounced, Charlie King taking only a second to look up and slip a pass through to Kevin Byers - his first time effort from twenty five yards nearly burst the net. It was an absolute screamer; it was a right boot in the collective baws for the Fife fans who'd made the trip; it was just what the home side needed to give them the confidence tae keep on pressing...

Sadly, it was also an opportunity for the Fife defence tae fall tae bits. Through thick and thin this season, what's always impressed has been the fact that our team spirit has remained intact. This afternoon, unfortunately, the back four spent the next quarter of an hour bickering amongst themselves instead of concentrating on the game. If the goal settled the Reds, the fact that we wurnae givin' it a hundred percent meant that they could now start knocking the ball around without any real concerns.

Their fans were cheered to see City send wave after wave of attacks forward into the Fife half. Thankfully, Torro and big Tweedie soon made their peace and got back to what really matters. They worked hard and together with the Fozzmeister and Dougie C, stood up to the onslaught from the Hedgemen. What made all the difference, however, was the form of Michael Brown in the Fifers' goal. He made a number of great stops throughout the first half and certainly kept us in the game - if the Hedgemen had taken even half their chances, this one would have been over well before the interval.

It looked like luck might be on our side after all but just past the half hour mark, fortune conspred tae gie us a fair whack in the knackers. It seemed like an inoccuous enough tackle but it was clear that Shagger's shift was over for the day. He hobbled off the park and was replaced by young O'Reilly. Now, don't get me wrong, Craig always gives his all but with our top scorer sitting the remaining hour out, it looked like it might prove tae be an even tougher afternoon than it had already been...

And right on cue, our hosts upped the pressure again and forced another couple of rapid attempts on goal. Their finishing left something to be desired, however, and as long as we were only one goal down there was still hope that we'd fight our way back into this one. As it was, the last ten minutes or so proved to be the most positive for the Fife as we finally started to exert some pressure at the other end. We managed to create a couple of chances - Lloydie unfortunate to head wide - but the best fell to Rob Campbell who tragically miscued his shot and ended up looking like a prize plum. Never mind, big man; at least you were tryin'.

And we kept the full-paced effort up as the second half started, looking far more animated than we had done earlier. JUst five minutes in we grabbed an equaliser. We'd been pummelling the Brechin goal, efforts from O'Reilly, Cameron, Campbell and Crawford all forcing desperate defensive efforts from the home side. They thought they'd finally managed to clear the ball to safety but hadn't accounted for Torro who'd moved forward and met it perfectly, blasting a low shot past the despairing dive of Nelson in the Hedgemen goal.

It had been a hell of a time coming so the cheers that greeted Greig's strike were as much in relief as they were in joy. Now to up the ante and pinch a winner. Just moments afterwards the opportunity arose when the ball fell comfortably for O'Reilly just outside the box. He looked to have plenty of time to set himself and met the ball well enough - only to see his shot fire harmlessly wide. It was a real pisser but, the way our luck was going this afternoon, just about what we could have expected.

And in response our hosts came forward with renewed vigour. Even though we'd had the better of the opening fifteen minutes, we were never so comfortable that we could relax at the back. As it was, Brechin took confidence from Craig's miss and were soon causing their own problems at the other end. They carved out three great chances in rapid succession and only the quick wits of Brown stopped them adding to their lead - on each occasion the young keeper cleared the danger, surely making a claim for the man of the match performance (nae luck, Mike, you were just pipped by Mr Crawford...).

The Boaby might only have had the last twenty minutes but he also ran Stevie quite close. The wee man hadnae trained all week because of a leg strain but still he still managed to inject a level of pace and urgency that had been missing. Despite being second best throughout the match, Linn's arrival gave us all reason to believe that we might yet steal an unlikely victory. With the light fading fast both Linn and the Wonderhorse (who'd come on to replace Paul Stewart) did their best to brighten up proceedings but were disappointed to see their efforts slide wide.

Being honest, we'd all have admitted that sneakin' out of Brechin this afternoon with a point would have been a BIG bonus. We'd been stinkin' in the first half and, although we'd looked an improved team in the second, our hosts had still been cabable of scaring us throughout. If the ref had simply blown his whistle, he'd have been the most popular guy in the town but as the clock ticked ever onwards towards five o'clock, the fucker steadfastly refused even to look at his watch. Brechin had one last throw of the dice and started lumpin' balls towards the Fife penalty area...

And, unbelieveably, that did the trick. With the Fife defence looking like statues, it was an easy task for Brechin's Nimmo to gain control of the ball before sliding it sideways to team-mate Iain Diack, who simply blasted a low shot past Brown and sent the home fans delerious. They're a fickle lot, mind; throughout the second half they'd been using language that even ah widnae use but now they sounded altogether somewhat happier, turning on the Fife fans instead and plunging the dagger deeper into our hearts than Diack had already managed.

It was the ninety fifth minute of a game that had hardly seen a bad tackle so where the added time had come from is anyone's guess. We certainly had been second best today but the manner of our defeat was sickening all the same. Diack's goal proved to be from the SECOND last kick of the game.... but only just. The ref whistled for the restart and then immediately for the finish; whether we managed to get the ball moving again we'll probably never know but one thing was certain - as the players trudged off the park, their despair was tangible. The pain etched on Dougie Cameron's face is something ah'll no' forget in a hurry. And his pain was shared by the countless fans who'd once again made the trip to follow the team.

But we've got scant time to feel sorry for ourselves. It's another tough trip for us next week when we head for Ayr - another team that's currently above us in the league. But we've got form on our side - our three goal demolition of Ayr in Methil should send us down there full of confidence. And surely things are gonna have to start improving on the injuries front soon... Here's hoping anyway!

C'mon the Fife - remember that come what may, we are, and always will be, the Kings of Fife! So let's get doon tae Ayr and make some noise. If there was ever a time that the boys need tae hear us, it's now!!!