retired_ivonta

The season was in full flow now and the dynamics of the squad were good. We had started the season better than I or anyone else had expected, and what pleased me was that the overall balance of the squad was encouraging, as we had a good blend of youth and experience as well as a greater strength in depth than at any other time since I joined the club. We had some good young players in the reserves fighting for recognition and a chance in the first team and the coaching staff was both adequate in numbers and strong in quality. Things were going well.

They say a lot can happen in a week in football though, and this was certainly true because in our next game away against Queen of the South we were battered 4-1 and only days later we were knocked out of the League Cup in the first round by 3rd Division Cowdenbeath. It had been a disappointing week for everyone at the club, although perhaps a good one for the pundits as several journalists felt vindicated by our dip in form having so nonchalantly written us off at the start of the season (as they had the year before might I add). The players were down in the dressing room after the Cowdenbeath game in particular, as we had gone out on penalties against a team lower than us in terms of both quality and league status. We had taken the lead in that game through Brian Blair with a second half header, but we took our eye off the ball in the last few minutes and from our own corner Cowdenbeath launched a counter attack from which they equalised. Extra time was almost a non-event before we went out 3-0 on penalties, not one of our players managing to score from the spot. In all honesty I had seen it coming. We were playing 3 games a week at present and had not had much time to rest and recuperate between these games, and when one considers the fact that we had also already gone through two gruelling extra time cup ties as well as the enormous effort it was taking to up our game just to adapt to the new division, I had thought privately that a dip in form would be soon in coming. I tried to take precautions for this after the extra time victory at St. Johnstone by leaving some players out of the fixture against Queen of the South, but it was to no avail and we had been comprehensively beaten by four goals from their young striker Emilio Jaconelli. The Cowdenbeath defeat had been a bit of a downer, moreso due to the fact that it went to extra time again than anything else, and I sensed when they equalised that we were too tired to raise our game and take the victory there, but the good thing was that we now had no fixtures for eleven days due to international fixtures, and the players had the chance to get a good rest.

During the international week I decided to go to Hampden Park to watch Scotland lose 1-0 at home to Poland. I was excited by the fact that I would soon be leading the lads out here for our semi-final clash against Queen's Park, and the game was more about me analysing the pitch, looking around the excellent facilities and considering who to play in such a tie. Scotland were dire though and Emmanuel Olisadebe's 62nd minute goal gave the Poles all three points.

The international break fell at the right time for us and I used it to give players some time to rest. Training was soon restored to its usual hectic schedule however, but the players' break meant that they responded to it well. Our next fixture was at home to Ross County who we had previously knocked out of the Challenge cup, and the renewed freshness in the side was there for all to see. We put in our best performance since the 6-0 victory against Clyde and managed to once again sweep them aside 3-0 this time, with two goals from Willie Stewart and one from Brian Fairbairn, his tenth of the season. With the semi-final at Hampden Park just four days away, it was good to be back to winning ways.

retired_ivonta

The Scottish League Challenge Cup. Formerly known as the B&Q Centenary Cup, the B&Q Cup and the Bell's Challenge Cup, this competition is for clubs outside the top division in Scotland. Established in 1990 to celebrate the league's centenary, Dundee were the winners of the inaugural trophy conquering Ayr 3-2 after extra time in the final that year. Since then the competition had become a regular fixture in the Scottish football calendar except in 1998 when no competition took place due to a lack of sponsorship. Airdrie were the most successful club having won it three times, with Falkirk and Hamilton Academicals also twice winners, but as yet East Fife had never got to the final. Needless to say then, that the semi-final against 3rd Division Queen's Park was a huge game for the club. Tickets sold like hot cakes in Methil even if it did mean a long trip to Glasgow on a Wednesday night for the fans. They didn't care and I was glad that I had managed, thus far, to bring some good times to the club. Along with ourselves and Queen's Park, Queen of the South and Morton were our fellow semi-finalists.

Our form had picked up, training was going well and with no real injury worries the only concern for me in my team selection was regarding the defence. Of late, I had noticed a change in Colin Hendry's form. It was fair to say that he had been at fault for a number of goals already this season and his replacement Eddie Forrest had not been much better, failing to fully settle in so far since his move from Partick (he was even awarded 3 out of 10 by one national newspaper for his performance against Queen of the South). The problem was troubling me slightly, and indeed even in the 3-0 victory against Ross County last week Colin had had a poor game, no longer leading with such authority from the back and struggling to even make it through an hour let alone the full 90 minutes. Given that he is 38 this is understandable, but doesn't help me sleep any easier at night, and it had been bothering me. I spent several time during the training sessions analysing all the centre backs available to us, and after a long chat with Baltemar Brito I decided to name Greig McDonald not only in the starting lineup, but as captain. He would lead us out at Hampden Park for the semi-final of the Challenge Cup.

We met for a drink the night before the game and I had left the captain's armband on the coffee table before I arrived, as a test. Purposefully arriving late, I was actually watching from the lobby upstairs to see how he reacted to seeing the captain's armband on the table, and he had not gone to try it on or even so much as touch it, as some younger members of the squad may have tried sneakily with me not there. That convinced me that he had the humbleness and maturity needed and when I went downstairs we shook hands.

'You wanted to see me boss?'

'Yes Greig, I wanted to let you know tonight that you'll be starting the game tomorrow' I informed him. A smile flashed across his face, but he tried to conceal it.

'I'm also naming you captain for that game, and for the foreseeable future you will fulfil the role as team captain. Good luck son.' I handed him the armband and walked off. His face still looked stunned when I looked down at him again from the upstairs lobby, him still staring at the armband. It certainly was a picture.

Queen's Park were sitting at the top of Division 3 and I knew it would be a tough game. You can never tell the big game mentality of your own players until they actually get to play in a semi-final or final, and there was a slight air of nervousness and tension in the dressing room before the game. My job was to keep everyone relaxed and excited, before leading them out onto the pitch at Hampden Park.

'Just enjoy yourselves' were my last words to the players before the game.

In the first half we were by far and away the better side and we played some exciting football, knocking it around patiently and opening the defence up well both through the midfield and down the flanks. We created several chances without really threatening however, and were mainly restricted to long shots from outside the box or blocked shots. It was an entertaining game though, and certainly better than that awful Scotland performance I had seen here only a week earlier. At half time it was 0-0, but generally I was confident that we would make a breakthrough if we could keep our concentration and keep playing it simple. I was also pleased to see McDonald having an outstanding game at the back, looking very assured in everything he did. Just keep plugging away was my advice and I sent them back out to finish the job.

To my delight, the breakthrough was not long in coming. In the 55th minute we won a throw in deep into their half on the right hand side. Ross Currie hurled it in but Watson managed to clear it. However he only headed it as far as Ross O'Donoghue who whipped in a first time cross on the half volley. It was perfectly weighted for Jimmy Rae to head home and we were ahead in the semi-final of the Challenge cup. We kept our pressure up after the goal and played ok without every really creating much, but I was happy with the way we kept hold of possession and Queen's Park really didn't offer much. In the last minute though, hearts were in mouths when Daniel Ferry cut in from the right hand side and beat Ross Currie. From a narrow angle he should really have scored, but sent his shot wide and that being the last kick of the game, we had qualified for the Scottish League Challenge Cup final for the first time in history and were heading to Tynecastle Park where we would have a rematch with Queen of the South who had emerged 3-1 winners from their semi-final clash at home to Morton.


Challenge Cup Semi Final - 22/9/2004
Queen's Park 0-1 East Fife
Goals: J Rae '55

MoM: W Stewart
Attendance: 2585 - Hampden Park


GK: S Colgan
DR: I Chalmers
DC: G McDonald (c)
DC: R Currie
DL: B Duncan
MR: W Stewart
MC: R O'Donoghue (>>G Cunningham '74)
MC: B Blair
ML: J Rae
FC: D Walker
FC: B Fairbairn

(Subs- C Bell (GK), C Hendry, G Cunningham, R Baldacchino, K Deuchar)

retired_ivonta

In the build up to the cup final we had four games, St. Johnstone (A), Brechin (H), Falkirk (A), Ayr (H).

Three days after the semi-final we went to St. Johnstone and picked up a point after a 1-1 draw. Overall I was happy with a point, but in reality we should have taken three. Before the game Steven Colgan had picked up an injury in training and so I threw Cameron Bell into the starting lineup for his league debut. In all honesty he was disappointing and failed to deal with their only shot on target in the whole game, although it was a beautiful free-kick. We had previously taken the lead in the 30th minute through Brian Fairbairn after a brilliant team move and we played with a lot of authority in the first half, but lost our way a bit in the second and conceded the equaliser. We dominated in terms of possession and shots on goal, but overall a point was probably a fair result.

A week later Brechin were on the receiving end of a 4-1 hammering at New Bayview. It was vintage stuff from the lads, and one thing I'm happy about is that I seem to have built a free scoring side. Last season we were the division's top scorers by some distance and it seems we have kept up this habit in the 1st division, and after twenty-two minutes of this game we were already 4-0 up. Captain Greig McDonald opened the scoring in the sixth minute heading home Jimmy Rae's corner. Dean Walker then scored a ten minute hat-trick of Robbie Fowler like proportions to virtually wrap the game up before the half hour mark. Three minutes later Brechin reduced the deficit but we held on for the win, 4-1.

Going into the game against Falkirk we found ourselves at the top of the league after eight games and we were going well. The table was very tight however and Falkirk were only a point behind us. They are the bookies' favourites for the title this year and are a good side. They had also strengthened in the summer with some good players, Tesfaye Bramble being one of them, so I knew we would need a good performance to get something from the game. I made one change from the side that beat Brechin, bringing Brian Blair back into the first team in place of Alex Walker. It was a really pulsating first half, end to end stuff with both teams creating chances. Steven Colgan rescued us a few times, thwarting Falkirk's attempts on goal, and their keeper was also in good form denying Dean Walker and Willie Stewart . At half time I was pleased with our performance but slightly concerned at how open the game was. I decided not to make any changes though and sent the lads back out hoping we would be more clinical in front of goal.

In the second half the game turned into more of a tactic battle of wits between myself and Rob McDonald the Falkirk manager. He switched his formation to a 4-3-3 looking for a breakthrough goal, which had them exposed in the midfield but more potent upfront. I decided to leave it as it was, but as the game went on I decided to push the wingers higher up the pitch to support the strikers in almost a 4-2-4 formation when we had the ball. Jimmy and Willie had been getting a lot of space and I felt we needed more penetration down the flanks hence the tactical switch. Both managers were going for the win. Unfortunately my switch didn't pay off. Within minutes Falkirk took the lead. They made a quick break down our right hand side and thanks to good link-up play between their strikers, a neat one-two opened up our defence and allowed Andy Rodgers to slot home the opening goal.
I decided to leave the formation as it was though, and in the 81st minute the freedom the wingers were having paid off. Ross Currie played a long ball down the left to Jimmy Rae who had all the freedom he needed to pick out a beautiful cross for Brian Fairbairn to smash home the equaliser. At 1-1 I reverted back to our normal 4-4-2 system and decided to hold on for a point. 3 minutes later it was 2-1. Dean Walker was tackled inside the centre circle and their midfielder hoofed a long ball into our box. It looked like an easy clearance for Iain Chalmers, but instead of clearing it up the pitch he decided to head it back to Steve in goal. Caught unawares, Steve slipped and only just managed to palm it away to prevent the own goal, but he only cleared it as far as substitute Tesfaye Bramble, whose simple tap-in from eight yards out gave Falkirk all the points. I was absolutely livid, and Iain certainly found out the extent of my rage at the final whistle. With that defeat we were down to 3rd.

All the talk in the two week break that followed was of the Challenge Cup final, and although I tried not to make a big deal about it I was as excited as anyone about the trip to Tynecastle Park. But first and foremost we had to get past Ayr in the league. They were lying in 9th place in the division, and in all honesty they played like a team in 9th place, low on confidence. They didn't really offer much in terms of attacking play and we swept them aside 4-0, Brian Fairbairn bagging a hat-trick to take his tally up to 15 goals in 13 games. The 21-year old was impressing everyone with his remarkable scoring exploits and his confidence showed in the cool manner in which he scored each of his three goals. Jimmy Rae also got on the scoresheet, and he is making a great contribution to the team this year, weighing in so far with 11 assists in 13 games as well as scoring three goals. He is only 19 and it is good to see that he has progressed well since last season. Heading into the cup final against Queen of the South we were full of confidence, scoring a lot of goals and the morale at New Bayview was sky-high.

Would next week's game bring our first ever silverware in the Challenge Cup?

retired_ivonta

'This is what its all about' I uttered to my assistant manager Baltemar Brito as we took our seats in the dugout for the biggest game in my embryonic managerial career. He looked at me with a somewhat bemused grin, which made me put it into context somewhat. The man had won Brazilian championships and cups, so to him the Scottish Challenge cup probably didn't represent what it was all about, but for me this was my first taste of it all. I'd never amounted to much as a player and I was delighted just to be in management at all, so to have guided East Fife to a cup final within a year had me almost light-headed with excitement leading up to the game.

Walking out to greet a packed Tynecastle Park gave me a buzz the likes of which I hadn't experienced for a long time. They say 1 high outweighs 10 lows in football and right now all the hours spent neglecting my family and friends, working into the small hours of the morning devising new training schedules or analysing the wing play of a Norwegian Second Division match seemed more than worth it. This was where I wanted to be. The (relatively) big stage.

In the week leading up to the game the reserves were in action a few times and I used the opportunity to hand out new contracts to a few young players in the reserve team whose contracts were soon approaching expiry. Iain Chalmers and current captain Greig McDonald were also rewarded with contract extensions. Training was geared towards dealing with the pace Queen of the South possessed both upfront and down the flanks, as we had found out first hand in our 4-1 thrashing only a few weeks ago, and just in case they needed any reminder I made very clear just how dangerous young striker Emilio Jaconelli could prove to be by showing them a repeat of the game, in which he had scored all 4 goals.

The fans were in full voice before kick off and thousands of Fifers fans had made the trip to Edinburgh for the game, making me rue somewhat the fact that our stadium only had a 2,000 capacity as there must have been somewhere near quadruple that packed into the ground. The main surprise for them before the game was in the team news. Brian Blair, darling of the Fifers fans last season, was left on the bench and young Alex Walker filled his place alongside the thus far impressive Ross O'Donoghue. It was only Walker's second start since he was snapped up on a free transfer at the end of last season, and it certainly shocked both fans and perhaps players alike, but my reasoning was that Blair may have more of an impact in the latter stages of the game as opposed to Walker whose tenacity and strength suited the way I wanted to get anongst Queen of the South. Aside from that the team was largely familiar to everyone, with the in form Brian Fairbairn keeping his place in the side alongside Dean Walker, and the out of form veteran Colin Hendry warming the bench. 'This is what its all about' I muttered under my breath once again. Now I need the silverware to go with it.

retired_ivonta

Gino, so close and yet so far, how does it feel?
Well obviously it doesn't feel good, we really should have won that game and I'm very disappointed to be collecting a losers medal

'A magnificent game from a neutral point of view, you must be proud of your players'
'And why is that exactly? We've thrown away a two-goal lead and given away two sloppy penalties. If anything I'm unhappy with them. We were far too casual after going 3-1 up and defended abysmally. We didn't defend adequately when we lost the ball and that created pressure for ourselves. Im bitterly disappointed.'

'You brought keeper Steven Colgan off on the hour mark, any reason behind that?'
'Err..well he picked up a slight knock and I decided to give him the second half but he was still struggling so we brought him off'

'What was your view on the penalties, both conceded by Ross Currie?'
'Well the first one looked a bit dodgy to me, I'm not really sure if that should have been given, but their second one was a penalty I suppose. It was a disappointing way to lose, but in no way am I going to single Ross out. He has been exceptional for us since the minute he joined and today was just a bad day.'

'Where do you go from here then Gino?'
'Well we've got Partick Thistle on Wednesday so we'll go on from there. Thanks Bob.'

-------------

I looked across to the East Fife end of the stadium, rapidly clearing, then to the Queen of the South players' celebrations with the trophy and then down to the ground. My coach David Gorman patted me on the back and said something, but it didn't really register. I took a deep breath of the cold Edinburgh air and let out a sigh of frustration before moving into the dressing room for the post match team talk, still numb with defeat.

On the coach home I ran through the game in my head over and over again. How did we lose? Thats all I could think to myself. How did we lose? I wasn't feeling like this at 3-1 up. We had the game in the bag and we had then opened up that bag and thrown the game on the floor for Queen of the South to pick up. It had started so well though, when after ten minutes of pressure we took the lead through a Brian Fairbairn penalty after Dean Walker was brought down in the box. We had got the start we needed and it seemed to settle us, as we went on to play some fantastic football. Five minutes later the thousands of fans in the East Stand were in ecstasy, as we took a 2-0 lead, Walker converting Ross O'Donoghue's inswinging corner. I was calm because I knew that with the quality of the team we were up against it was far from over, but I felt if we had kept our concentration we would have seen them off. As it happened that was not to be the case. Minutes before half time we let them back into the game after Ross Currie conceded a dubious penalty, won and converted by Jaconelli.

At half time I had some harsh words for the players, aimed with the intention of keeping their concentration levels up, and in the 55th minute I thought it had paid off with the finest of rewards, when Deano converted Jimmy Rae's through ball to finish off a blistering counter-attack from the lads. The fans could smell the trophy and I must admit I thought I caught a whiff too. But then we pressed the self-destruct button. Despite looking comfortable we managed to concede a ridiculously sloppy goal which was well taken by their second striker Dean Keates in the 70th minute. With 20 minutes to go I was concerned as to whether or not we would have the composure to see the game out. In hindsight I should maybe have brought Colin Hendry on to give us that experience, but perhaps this was my managerial inexperience showing too. Their equaliser with 9 minutes to go was frankly a joke. I don't know how many times a week we practise defending corners, but its obviously not enough because when the ball cruised towards the 6 yard box for what looked like either a simple take for Steven Colgan or the easiest of clearances from someone, anyone, the whole defence just froze and allowed Derek Allen to poke home a simple equaliser. Pathetic.

My reaction was to bring Brian Blair, and Cameron Bell on in goal to replace Colgan after his injury, but this had little effect. The game went to extra time and we looked like a side that knew had blown its chance, just waiting for them to score the winner. We created some decent chances in this period but our finishing let us down and tiredness seemed a big factor in this lack of cutting edge. Queen of the South looked like the only team that were going to score in this period and so it proved the case in the 113th minute, when a freekick from their own half hopelessly pumped into our box was dealt with atrociously. Ross Currie, Iain Chalmers and Cameron Bell all went for the same ball and in the mixup Ross bundled Jaconelli over. Penalty given and the chance to win the cup was not wasted by Queen of the South, Alex Burke stepping up to slot home and complete the remarkable comeback that saw them take the trophy.

The coach was completely silent on the way back to Methil, and I sat at the front staring at the runners up medal, echoing the feeling of emptiness reciprocating through the whole coach. They say 1 high outweighs 10 lows in football but don't ask me, I'm still collecting the low tokens.


Challenge Cup Final - 31/10/2004
East Fife 3-4 Queen of the South (a.e.t.)
Goals: B Fairbairn pen'11, D Walker '17 '56 E Jaconelli pen'37, D Keates '70, D Allan '81, A Burke pen'113

MoM: D Walker
Attendance: 17,996 - Tynecastle Park


GK: S Colgan (>>C Bell '82)
DR: I Chalmers
DC: G McDonald (c)
DC: R Currie
DL: B Duncan
MR: W Stewart (>>S Nicholas '64)
MC: R O'Donoghue
MC: A Walker (>>B Blair '82)
ML: J Rae
FC: D Walker
FC: B Fairbairn

(Subs- C Bell (GK), C Hendry, S Nicholas, B Blair, K Deuchar)

retired_ivonta

November came and it was back to the bread and butter of the league for East Fife. Despite the disappointment of the Challenge Cup Final the season had thus far been a successful one and the team went into the winter fixtures sitting in third place in the First Division with only Falkirk and St. Johnstone above them. It was however a tight division at this point in time, and Dooba-Mackay was all too aware that a few defeats would see his side slip rapidly down the table.

Partick Thistle were the next opponents for East Fife at New Bayview, and although the former SPL side were currently struggling to find their feet in the division, the quality and experience they possessed meant they were not to be underestimated. The two teams had already met twice so far this season with the Fifers winning both games, 3-0 in the league and 5-1 in the Challenge Cup, so both managers had some sense of what to expect from their opposite numbers in terms of personnel and team selection. After the emotions of the Cup final the previous Saturday, Dooba-Mackay chose to bring in some fresh faces into the side, so Chris Miller was recalled to first team duties and loan signing Ryan Baldacchino was given his first start for the club on the left wing.

The game began a scrappy affair with both sides too cagey to make the first move perhaps due to their recent disappointments in either league or cup. However with 25 minutes gone it was East Fife that managed to make the breakthrough and take the lead. From Miller's crossfield ball Bobby Duncan picked up the ball just inside Partick's half and darted down the left wing before attempting to put a cross in from just by the edge of the penalty box. Partick's defender Jamie Buchan managed to block the effort but only as far as Baldacchino who cut inside from the byline and beat his man before slotting home past Mikkelsen for his first ever goal for the club. From this point on the nerves seemed to be lifted and any ideas that East Fife were still suffering from the effects of their cup woes were firmly put to bed as they played some magnificent stuff, with Baldacchino at the heart of most of it. Shots were peppered at Mikkelson's goal, with Miller seeing his long range effort hit the post and it was only a matter of time before a second goal came, which it did in the 40th minute as Baldacchino doubled his tally, slotting home to the keepers left after Brian Blair had sent him clear down the left hand side.

Cruising to a half-time lead, East Fife then fell asleep and failed to deal with a Kenny Milne corner which was powered home on the volley just inside the penalty area by David Rowson. In the second half Baldacchino continued to be the catalyst for the Fife and he narrowly missed out on a hat-trick when sent clear by Ross Currie. His first shot was tipped away by the keeper but Baldacchino recovered with the keeper stranded only to slot wide from the narrowest of angles. Kenny Deuchar was brought on in place of the quiet Brian Fairbairn, but this did not stop Partick Thistle from steaming forward for an equaliser, which they eventually got on the hour mark when Andy Morrell headed home from Gerry Britton's cross from the right. For the second time in five days East Fife had given away a two-goal lead and the resiliency that seemed to epitomise their game in the 2nd Division looked to have completely gone from their game.

Until the 74th minute that is, when Ryan Baldacchino compounded his man of the match performance by providing what would prove to be the winner, skinning two players down the left wing before whipping in a wicked cross which Brian Blair headed against the crossbar. To the delight of everyone but the away fans in the ground however, the rebound fell to Kenny Deuchar who tapped into an empty net to give East Fife a 3-2 lead, which they managed to hold onto to collect the three points.


Scottish 1st Division - 3/11/2004
East Fife 3-2 Partick Thistle
Goals: R Baldacchino '27 '40, K Deuchar '74 D Rowson '45, A Morrell '60

MoM: R Baldacchino
Attendance: 1880 - New Bayview


GK: S Colgan
DR: I Chalmers
DC: G McDonald (c)
DC: R Currie (>>C Hendry '67)
DL: B Duncan
MR: W Stewart
MC: C Miller
MC: B Blair
ML: R Baldacchino
FC: D Walker
FC: B Fairbairn (>>K Deuchar '58)

(Subs- J Brain (GK), C Hendry, R O'Donoghue, C Hargreaves, K Deuchar)

retired_ivonta

For our third game in a busy week we made the trip down to Station Park to take on Forfar Athletic, who we knew all about from our encounters in the 2nd Division last season. Having been promoted along with ourselves they had began well in the league and it had only been a couple of weeks ago that we were both sitting in the top 3, but they had fallen away after a poor run of form including most recently a 3-1 defeat away to Clyde, and now found themselves in a still respectable 5th place. Of our previous 5 games against each other we had won one each and drawn the other three so I was expecting another tough game against Ray Stewart and his boys, which proved the case as we went in at half time all square at 0-0. We had had the better of the possession in the first half but had not taken the chances we had created, mainly thanks to good goalkeeping from Michael Brown in the Forfar goal.

I had given Kenny Deuchar his first league start of the season following his winning goal in the Partick game but aside from a header straight at the keeper he hadn't really been involved and was looking quite frustrated at half time. I pulled him aside and told him to just relax and wait for his chances as I felt he was perhaps trying too hard to impress. I let him know he'd get the full 90 minutes and he should concentrate on the overall game rather than worrying about whether or not I was going to replace him with the in-form Brian Fairbairn, and my words seemed to have some kind of effect on him because half an hour later he had a hat-trick. In fairness it was more down to the excellent build up play and penetration down the flanks that he got his three goals, but like all the best strikers he was there to tuck them away which I was delighted with.

Our wingers Ryan Baldacchino and Willie Stewart had simply too much for the Forfar defenders to take in the second half, and the first two goals both came from crosses pinged in for Kenny to tap in, the first from the right hand side after Stewart was released by a delightful ball from Chris Miller, and the second from the left, Ryan flying down the left wing and beating his men before laying it off for Kenny to make it two. His hat-trick was completed in the 77th minute when he headed home a Brian Blair corner for the 'perfect' hat-trick, right foot left foot and a header. The final whistle brought with it 3 points, 3 goals and the satisfaction of finally winning at Station Park at the third time of asking.


Scottish 1st Division - 6/11/2004
Forfar 0-3 East Fife
Goals: K Deuchar '51 '71 '77

MoM: K Deuchar
Attendance: 4198 - Station Park

GK: C Bell
DR: I Chalmers
DC: G McDonald (c)
DC: R Currie
DL: B Duncan
MR: W Stewart
MC: C Miller (>>R O'Donoghue '73)
MC: B Blair
ML: R Baldacchino
FC: D Walker
FC: K Deuchar

(Subs- S Colgan (GK), C Hendry, R O'Donoghue, J Rae, B Fairbairn)

retired_jgirl87

Tough luck on the Challenge Cup result.

The league is where it's at though, and the team looks to be going good near the top. KUTGW :thup:

retired_ivonta

Cheers Spav, nice to see you pop in with some words of encouragement

With the team picking up two wins on the trot, morale was high and it seemed as though the disappointments of the Challenge cup were finally getting out of the players' systems. New Bayview was a good place to be at the moment and the sense of contentedness with the overall level of performance this season was prevalent from the chairman right down to Willy, the club janitor. Training was going well in preparation for the trip to Cumbernauld to face Clyde, and so in midweek I afforded myself a chance to take my attention off the hardships of the Scottish 1st Division and switch my attention to the Champions League fixtures. Rangers were entertaining Valencia on the Tuesday and I went to Glasgow with my coach Luis Alegria to see the game.

Having been thrashed 4-0 in Prague by Sparta in their first game and following that up with a 2-2 draw at La Mestalla, it was important for Rangers to pick up points from their home games if they were to progress, which they managed to do in some style with a 4-2 victory. Shota Arveladze was in good form for the Gers, and summer signing Marcus Bent also performed well up front, getting his name on the scoresheet. Young Lee Miller, signed from Bristol City also played well, scoring a penalty to make it 3-1 in the 71st minute and effectively put the game beyond Valencia. Manchester United's 4-1 win against Levski Sofia also caught my attention listening to the radio on the way back from the game, Freddie Kanoute's late double setting United off on the road to victory after they were 1-0 down at half time. It seemed he was doing well and defying critics who had questioned the £9 million pound price tag.

Having a chance to see the Rangers game made me realise just how good the standard of football is at the highest level, and although we are doing well and riding high in the 1st Division it will take a massive leap for us to adapt to the Scottish Prem, should we manage to sustain our good form and one day achieve promotion that is. With two tricky games, Clyde away and the visit of our old foes Queen of the South the week after, just how much we are improving will soon be put sternly to the test.

retired_ivonta

It was a mild, dry November day for the game against Clyde, and before the game I had a long chat with my sister whose birthday fell on the same day. It was good catching up with her and I enjoyed being regaled with tales of her new job before she wished me well for the match. I told her to say hello to Mum and Dad for me and to remember to ask for three points for the Fife when blowing out the candles, which she said she would. I think she must have stuck to her word because her wish (well, more my wish really) was answered in emphatic style as we cruised to an emphatic 5-1 victory at the Broadwood Stadium. We seem to like playing Clyde because in the three games against them so far we have taken nine points and scored an amazing 14 goals, and the five that came today were just rewards for what was a magnificent performance from everyone involved.

Before kickoff I kept faith with the same side that had seen off Forfar and within seven minutes the lads managed to get the ball in the back of the net, Kenny Deuchar firing home after Ross Currie was brought down in the box. Our relentless onslaught on the Clyde goal continued for much of the game and in the 26th minute we made it 2-0 when Greig MacDonald, thriving in his new role as team captain, headed home from Brian Blair's corner. Chris Iwelumo narrowed the deficit for the hosts before half-time, volleying home after John Fraser's effort was palmed into his path by Cameron Bell, but this was the only real blotch on our copybook in what was a very satisfying performance.

After half time we went on to add the other three goals to make the scoreline look as convincing as the performance with Ross Currie getting his first goal of the season, Deuchar bagging his second of the game and Jimmy Rae coming off the bench to cap a fine all round performance by adding a 5th. My overall feeling after the game was real enthusiasm and happiness, as we thoroughly deserved everything we got from the game. This was no fluke, make no mistake about that. Certain performances since I became manager have been excellent, and our attacking abilities show no signs of dwindling, but the confidence with which we approached the game and the clinical way in which we saw Clyde off gave me great encouragement. It felt to me like the team was starting to believe in itself again, almost reminding me of this time last season when we were on our record unbeaten run. We had tested the water in Division 1 now and it felt to me like the lads were ready to swim, not afraid of anyone but excited about the challenges they faced. It was a healthy attitude to have and one which I intended to keep going. I must admit that privately I was fairly sceptical about how the lads would perform this season and before the season began I did doubt the ability and application of some players at this level, but in fairness to every player here their attitudes have been exemplary and it only encourages me to set higher targets than the original one of merely avoiding relegation. Thus far, the Five-year plan which I so boldly set out when I first got here is certainly running nicely.