Faramir

12.1.08
East Fife (2) Clyde (1)
East Fife- Paul Martin 12 David Templeton 28
Clyde- Sean McKenna 87
MOM- David Templeton, East Fife
Redcards- (Clyde- Chris Higgins 19)

"I was very glad to hear that final whistle. Nothing is ever easy against that club," sighed a relieved Grayling.

"It was an exciting first match to be a part of," grinned Hickey.

"It could have been a lot less exciting. If Paul Walker converts the penalty after Chris Higgins got his 2nd yellow for tripping David Templeton in the area or if Templeton finishes one of his other golden chances- then McKenna's goal doesn't matter."

"Templeton completely impressed me. He is going to be outstanding. Are you sure we can't get him here permanently?"

"I am trying, but our chances are pretty minimal. David doesn't want to be playing down a league more than this season."

Faramir

17.1.08

"New signing will be in training today," said Grayling to Hickey.

"Who is our new addition?" asked Hickey.

"You might know him Eddie. 25 year old Irish rightback Shane Sweeney. He was on free transfer list after Alloa released him."

"Ah yes, I know Shane. A good bit of pickup there Lew."

"I have been disappointed with the inconsistent play of Paddy Kelly. I have transfer listed him. Sweeney will work in rotation with Alex Rawcliffe at rightback."

***

19.1.08
Peterhead (3) East Fife (1)
Peterhead- George Snee 36,66 Ben Jackson 40
East Fife- Craig O'Reilly 45
MOM- George Snee, Peterhead

"Well, that wasn't a very worthy exhibition of playing defense," glumly commented Grayling.

"Nor goal either. Michael Hilton has the signs of a good young keeper- but he proved today he isn't there yet," commented Hickey.

"The backline played brutally bad. One of our worst matches in awhile."

"Our midfield didn't exactly shine either, but they did play better than the backline."

Faramir

26.1.08
Brechin (1) East Fife (3)
Brechin- Iain Russell 64
East Fife- David Templeton 29 Craig O'Reilly 37 Sean Lynch 52
MOM- Craig O'Reilly, East Fife
Redcard- (East Fife- Craig Farr 47)

"Good thing we had a couple goals in the bag when the Referee decided to send Craig Farr off to the showers," stated Hickey.

"I thought the boys improved their focus and determination- the Ref's call got them mad. Then David Templeton set up Sean Lynch for his 1st goal- that was icing," commented Grayling.

"With Farr suspended, who will be in goal- Dodds?"

"Sink or swim for the youngster. Michael Hilton will be back in goal. Dodds is leaving at the end of the season and Hilton is the one we need to keep developing."

***

1.2.08

"Pretty nice sweep there Lew," grinned Hickey.

"It was great to see the tandem of David Templeton and Craig O'Reilly as Player of the Month and Young Player of the Month," said a smiling Grayling.

"Now come on. Don't forget yourself as Manager of the Month- a trifecta."

Faramir

2.2.08
East Fife (4) Berwick (0)
East Fife- Craig O'Reilly 7,13 John Sutton 18 Sean Lynch 57
Berwick- None
MOM- Andrew Duffy, East Fife
Redcard- (Berwick- Darren Smith 64)

"Excellent match for us. We never let struggling Berwick think they were in the match as we got those first three goals," observed Grayling.

"I really thought O'Reilly would be MOM. The selection of Andrew Duffy surprised me," stated Hickey.

"They could have picked any of a handful. Our squad played really well today."

Faramir

9.2.08
Stirling (0) East Fife (2)
Stirling- None
East Fife- Sean Lynch 41 Craig O'Reilly 44
MOM- John Sutton, East Fife

"It was pleasant to see us explode for those two goals at the end of the first half. After seeing Paul Walker miss *another* penalty, we managed to put the goals up that we needed for the win," offered Grayling.

"Both goals came from good execution. David Templeton did a great job picking out Sean Lynch with the pass that allowed him to just blast away," answered Hickey.

"Scott Christie had Templeton flustered- stopping two brilliant chances will do that."

"It was another solid clean sheet for Craig Farr. I see why you like him so much, he always gives us steady play."

Faramir

14.2.08

"It was surprising when he agreed to sign with us, but he can be a very good player if he develops at all," observed Grayling.

"Ryan McStay is a very nice addition. I had heard a lot of good things about him and was surprised when Falkirk released him. The only problem I see now is the glut of center midfielders," replied Hickey.

"That is a bit of a problem. But that is the kind of problem that will work itself out."

***

16.2.08
East Fife (1) Stranraer (1)
East Fife- David Templeton 36-P
Stranraer- Michael Bolochoweckyi 14
MOM- Andy Graham, Stranraer

"One mistake on a set piece and we have to settle for a draw," muttered Hickey.

"If we could have finished better, we would have won easily. We just didn't do the job around their goal today," stated Grayling.

"Bolochoweckyi was both the hero and the goat of this one. That trip of Craig O'Reilly in the area was an easy call for the Ref to make."

Scottish 2nd Division- 26 matches played, 10 remaining
<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">1- Clyde 58 pts (+23)2- Hamilton 54 pts (+32)3- East Fife 53 pts (+17)4- Alloa 40 pts (-4)</pre>

Faramir

23.2.08
Raith (2) East Fife (2)
Raith- Steven Hislop 1 Armand One 63
East Fife- David Templeton 45 Craig O'Reilly 84
MOM- Nicky Smith, East Fife

"We deserved better than this draw," spat out Hickey bitterly.

"No, we didn't," rumbled Grayling. "If we don't give away a goal in the first minute...or if we finish better, we win this match."

"True, David Templeton had at least five one-on-one chances and only was able to score his 35 yard strike when Michael Brown was out of position."

"We worked hard to at least earn this result. So for that, I can't be too upset. We just have to quit giving away bad goals."

"Their second one was just a fluke- when Shane Sweeney went down, Armand One moved right into the empty space for the goal."

***

27.2.08

"That is bad news," murmured Grayling.

"What?" asked Hickey, looking up from reading.

"David Templeton was hurt running sprints. Back strain I guess. Looks like he will be out a month."

"Argh. Right on the eve of our showdown match with Hamilton too."

"We will just have to muddle through."

Faramir

1.3.08

"Nice to see Nicky Smith get the recognition," beamed Hickey.

"Player of the Month honours definately caught him by surprise," grinned Grayling.

***

1.3.08
Hamilton (3) East Fife (4)
Hamilton- James McCarthey 3-P Javier Payo 18 Brian Wake 78
East Fife- Mark McLaughlin 44-OG Ryan Gregg 46 Ryan McStay 73-P,74
MOM- Ryan McStay, East Fife

"Well, Ryan McStay certainly proved something to me today," said Grayling with admiration in his voice.

"He came off the bench and sparked us to the win," agreed Hickey.

"After we fell behind 2-0 and then just could not score- I thought we were in deep trouble. The own goal just before halftime was a blessing as it gave us hope- and then we equalized right away to open the second half."

"It was a game effort from the boys. We almost wasted it after letting Wake score on his header with 10 minutes left."

"We were a bit lucky they could not get the equalizer."

Faramir

8.3.08
East Fife (1) Alloa (0)
East Fife- Nicky Smith 32
Alloa- None
MOM- Nicky Smith, East Fife

"It was our turn to win a match on a set piece," chuckled Grayling.

"A well-executed corner, as was Paul Walker's that Nicky Smith deflected past Allan Creer, is just a thing of beauty," observed Hickey.

"We were more than a bit lucky that their shooting was atrocius today."

***

9.3.08

"Ryan McStay won't be available when we travel to face Clyde," said Grayling with a sigh.

"His wrist?" asked Hickey.

"Yes, it was badly sprained in the collision in practice today. He should be out a week or two."

Faramir

15.3.08
Clyde (1) East Fife (2)
Clyde- Gary Shields 23
East Fife- Nicky Smith 26,53
MOM- Nicky Smith, East Fife

"It is hard to imagine stepping up that way in a huge match, but Nicky Smith clearly has put his name forward for the annals of East Fife," beamed a tired Grayling as they relaxed on the bus trip back home.

"Nicky was tremendous. Clyde really kept our forwards from impacting the match and without Templeton's pace..." remarked Hickey.

"The other key to the match was Craig Farr. He was just brilliant today as they overran us for large portions of the match."

"Warmed my ex-keeper's heart to see him do so well," smiled Hickey. "Still, don't forget that we had pretty solid backline play- except for the counter-attack that sprung Shields for their goal."

"When Smith hit back for us immediately after Shields goal, I had good feelings about the match."

Scottish Second Division- 30 matches played, 6 remaining
<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">1- East Fife 63 pts (+20)2- Clyde 62 pts (+20)3- Hamilton 60 pts (+33)4- Raith 49 pts (+12)5- Alloa 46 pts (-3)</pre>