On Our Way Again... Right!

14th Jul 2009: East Fife 1, St Mirren XI 2 (Pre-season Friendly)

Fourteenth of July so hope all the Frenchies are havin' a great time. Not quite so much fun at my house - I was facing up to the fact that, in spite of our new baby being a wee boy, it doesn't automatically follow that me and him would be heading tae Methil tae sample the fare in the first pre-season outing of the season. C'mon guys, hand on heart - four weeks and five days surely can't be considered too young tae make yer first visit tae Bayview, can it? Exactly.

But that's no' the way Mrs FC sees things so while five hundred real fans were making their way to the gemme, ah was left... holding the baby. Worse still, ah had tae rely on a series of text messages fae a guy fae Paisley that ah know, he and his son having a far less evil other half and therefore more than able to make the trip east. (Oh aye, an' his wee boy's eleven...). By the sounds of things, me and Callum missed a cracker.

The Buddies management was obviously in no mood for an embarrassing night against lower league opposition so fielded what looked close to a full strength team. In contrast, the Craw named a team that would have been virtually unrecognisable just a few short weeks ago. Big Smartie, Lloyd Young and the Boaby were the only old timers who started (unless you include young Cargill cos he got a couple of starts late last term) with the rest of the team made up from guys that the gaffer's drafted in over the summer.

Darren Gourlay's made the trip up from Peterborough (only quite impressive; his mam still lives in Edinburgh...) for a couple of week's trial and would appear tae be doing no' too bad - as well as getting the whole of the first half, he then came back on as a late substitute for the last ten minutes to let the Craw have a closer look at what he can offer us at the back.

But it was one of the other new faces who was to light up Bayview in the early stages of this one. Trialist, Mark Staunton, took no time to settle into this one and looked right at home when he ran onto a chance as early as the fifth minute. He got his effort on target but the Buddies' keeper pulled off a decent save. Undeterred, however, the young forward stuck at it throughout and was eventually rewarded with a goal.

Unfortunately, by the time the youngster had scored the goal of the game, the Paisley side had comfortably seen us off. As it was, however, it still took them until the twentieth minute to open their account for the night. They did have a fair slice of luck, mind; awarded a free kick, they obviously thought that the rules of fitba don't apply in pre-season friendlies. It wasn't so much a moving ball as a deflected shot but the cheat waved play on and the Buddies took their chance.

With our defence off guard, they created just enough room to fire over a speculative cross. Keeper, Stewart Baillie, mistimed his jump just slightly and could only half punch the ball into Billy Mehmet's path and the striker had no problems in stabbing the ball home from a couple of yards out.

Undaunted, Crawford's boys knuckled down and tried to get back into the game. Within just a few minutes of the goal, we'd forced a couple of corners and, although we failed to capitalise on those opportunities, we certainly looked to be matching St Mirren at that end of the park. It was turning out to be a decent game with more passion from both sides than you'd normally expect from one of these insipid pre-season affairs. Gus MacPherson's men were taking it seriously enough to show us plenty of respect. In return, our youngsters were showing the Buddies none at all and working their socks off to impress the gaffer - the season proper is just around the corner.

For all their efforts, however, we had to be content trotting off at the break still the one goal behind. It had been a decent work out so far and with underfoot conditions as perfect at they always are at Bayview, there was every reason to believe that we'd get just as impressive a second half. The fans weren't to be disappointed.

In spite of a number of substitutions by both managers, the two sides continued to play attractive football with end to end action throughout an entertaining forty five minutes. That there were no further goals in the early part of the half was testament to the efforts of both keepers who made a number of decent saves after some promising moves from both teams.

The breakthrough eventually came with about fifteen minutes remaining. Alas, it was the Buddies who doubled their lead; a penetrating cross was fired into the box and ex-Fifer, Lee Mair, rose, unchallenged, to head home from close range. Between the sticks, young Baillie was left rooted to the spot - he had no chance.

That was the catalyst that Crawford needed. He took himself to one side and told himself tae get stripped. Just moments later the player-manager made his way onto the pitch and immediately appeared to raise the spirits of his teammates. Just two minutes later we'd clawed our way back into the match with a goal that any striker would have been proud of. It was grand to see young Staunton opening his East Fife account with such a cracker.

Aaron Conway knocked a cross into the box where Staunton controlled the ball (silky) and bamboozled two Saint Murn defenders (smooth) before taking the time to bang one away from ten yards out, leaving their keeper helpless and his own gaffer speechless. It was a peach of a goal and the Craw will be hoping for plenty more like it once the season starts for real.

The team pushed forward with renewed vigour in an attempt to find an equaliser but despite holding onto the ball for the last ten minutes of the match, our opponents were able to straightforwardly mop up anything that we threw at them. In the end they were able to play the ball around and clear any danger without too much trouble. The cheat eventually blew for time and the teams marched off to well deserved applause.

It had been a great run out for all the new boys; even though there have been wholesale changes in personnel, it already looks like Crawford's got the makings of a decent team. Onwards and upwards and the team can now look forward to the long weekend in Durham. Come what may, at least there'll be nae ferries tae be fechtin on his year.

C'mon the Fife!