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Blair Yule’s first SPFL goal for the club was the highlight of what was a deserved cinch League One victory over The Fifers.

The excellent Leighton McIntosh, skipper Mitch Megginson and substitute Robbie Leitch also netted as we secured the three points required to go into the New Year five points clear of second-placed Montrose at the top of the table.

An unfortunate own goal from Harry Milne ended our run of league clean sheets at a commendable 618 minutes before Kieran Millar added a spectacular second for East Fife, but there was no doubt the better side on the day came out on top.

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We could have had things done and dusted by the interval if Lady Luck had been a bit kinder on us, despite the fact the strong wind sweeping through the stadium made it difficult for both sets of players at times.

Our first effort at goal came in the sixth minute, when Scott Ross broke forward to hit a 20-yard effort wide of East Fife keeper Liam Campbell’s left post.

Yule, who was deservedly voted man-of-the-match by sponsors Colin Lawson Transport – created the next opportunity with a fine cross from the right, which Rory McAllister nodded on to Jamie Masson.

The midfielder then laid it off to Megginson and he was unlucky to see his 16-yard shot blocked by a defender.

Shay Logan broke clear on the right, in the 15th minute, and when his cross broke back to Connor Scully he shot from the edge of the area sped wide.

East Fife got a shot on target in the 17th minute, although Stuart McKenzie had no problems gathering Danny Denholm’s effort.

Campbell made a top class save to keep us out a minute later.

Logan’s right-wing cross eventually fell into the path of Masson and his curling 16-yard shot was going in until Campbell dived full length to his left to push the ball wide.

Denholm had another chance soon afterwards, but his poor control 10-yards out left McKenzie with an easy save.

Masson began our next move with a pass down the left to Harry Milne and his cross was nodded wide of the front post by McAllister.

We kept up the pressure, with Masson seeing his 20-yard shot saved by Campbell.

We were unlucky not to take the lead in the 35th minute, when McAllister laid the ball off to Megginson and his shot rebounded to safety off the inside of Campbell’s right post with the keeper well beaten.

The woodwork rescued East Fife again in the 39th minute.

Yet another dangerous cross from Logan reached Ross and his header rebounded back off the crossbar.

The ball was quickly played back in from the right and McAllister somehow managed to lift it over the bar from inside the six-yard box.

Some of the Cove Rangers fans in the Alan McRae Stand thought Masson had scored with a 20-yard free-kick in the 40th minute, but his effort had rippled the outside of the side netting as it sped wide of Campbell’s left post.

The half ended with Ross and Megginson combining to get the ball to Masson and his shot from the edge of the area was held by Campbell.

There was no let up from our lads in the second period and we finally took the lead in the 53rd minute.

Logan fired a free-kick over from wide on the right and McINTOSH rose majestically to direct a brilliant header beyond the reach of Campbell from around 14-yards.

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It was 2-0 just before the hour, thanks to a dreadful blunder from East Fife keeper Campbell.

Ross pumped a long ball up into the opposing penalty area from inside his own half, which Campbell made a total mess of collecting 16-yards out.

MEGGINSON happily accepted the gift as he latched on to the loose ball and rolled it into the empty net to claim his 16th goal of the campaign.

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YULE’S long-awaited taste of goal scoring glory arrived in the 64th, thanks to some outstanding play by McIntosh.

The striker won the ball just outside his own area and then wriggled past at least three defensive challenges as he broke forward.

McIntosh followed that by playing a great pass across the park to Scully and when he fed it back across to YULE he lashed an unstoppable shot past Campbell from the edge of the penalty area.

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It was a cracking way to record his first strike at SPFL level for Cove Rangers, with his only goal coming in a League Cup tie against Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

We began the day looking to make it eight league clean sheets in a row, but that run ended on the 618-minute mark when East Fife pulled one back in the 64th minute.

Scott Mercer’s free-kick in from the right went into a melee of players and the ball appeared to take an unfortunate deflection off MILNE, with a final touch from Millar appearing to come after it had crossed the line.

We should have restored our three-goal lead in the 72nd minute, when Masson somehow managed to scoop a shot, from a cross by Ross, over the bar from a couple of yards out.

East Fife almost made it 3-2 in the 77th minute when Denholm’s loft, from a tight angle on the left, got caught by the wind and forced McKenzie to stretch and finger-tip the ball over his crossbar.

Yule went close to scoring what would have been the goal of the afternoon, in the 76th minute.

It came after a sweeping move, that included Logan playing the ball from one side of the park to other to send Megginson away on goal.

The captain spotted Yule had made a great run through the middle, so played the ball back to him, but Campbell denied Yule a second goal of the day by saving the midfielder’s shot with his legs.

Any fears of East Fife taking something were wiped out when substitute LEITCH made it 4-1 in the 83rd minute, with McIntosh again heavily involved.

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The striker picked out Scully with yet another top class pass and he immediately played it on for Leitch to score with a perfectly placed curling shot, from the edge of the area, that went in off Campbell’s left post.

Ola Adeyemo, who replaced McAllister late on, saw a 16-yard shot go inches wide before MILLAR grabbed a consolation goal for East Fife in the last seconds, with a Marco van Basten-style volley that gave McKenzie no chance.

It didn’t stop the Cove Rangers fans in the 499 crowd giving their favourites a standing ovation as they came off at the end having made sure it will be a happy Hogmanay for all of them this year.

COVE RANGERS: McKenzie, Neill, Milne, Scully, Ross, Yule, Megginson, Masson (Leitch 79), McIntosh, McAllister (Adeyemo 84), Logan.

Subs: Strachan, Anderson, Gourlay.

EAST FIFE: Campbell, Dunsmore, C Higgins, Denholm (Anderson 84), Slattery, Millar, Mercer, Watt (Mansouri 60), Davidson, Steele, Newton (D Higgins 84).

Referee: Duncan Williams.

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