News

The team heads for Bayview this weekend, our first trip there in over three and a half years.

The last time we were at the stadium came a week after the team had clinched the 2021-22 League One title, and East Fife were two-nil up within twenty minutes. The boys hit back though, Mitch Megginson netting a double and Mark Reynolds the winner in a 3-2 success which saw us round off the campaign unbeaten in twenty-six league matches.

We make the return journey in an altogether different position, bottom of the table and still searching for a first win of the season. The team has played better in recent weeks, creating plenty chances, but failing to take them, and Paul Hartley knows that is going to have to change if we are to finally get off the mark:

“What I want is to see more of the good play we saw last week, but for us to be more clinical. We had some really good attacking moments, something like twenty crosses and eighteen attempts on goal. The players need to be more ruthless, and we also need a bit of luck, which you never seem to get when you’re struggling a bit.”

East Fife came up through the playoffs last season and have made adjusted well to life back up in League One, collecting eleven points so far. The manager knows this will be a stiff challenge:

“They’ve had a good start, it’s a tough venue to go to at any time, and with a storm coming and a stadium where you’re a bit exposed, we’re going to have to manage the conditions as well as East Fife. They’re a big strong team, a danger at set-plays, and we’re going to have to be solid defensively, which we’re more than capable of.”

When a team is on a losing streak, it can be easy for heads to go down, but Paul says he has seen no sign of that with his squad:

“We are all in this together, and hopefully we can end the first quarter on a positive note. I’m the leader, it’s up to me to come in every day and make sure spirits are high, and that has not been a problem.

“I’ve actually been listening to some episodes of The Managers podcast, it’s Mick McCarthy and Tony Pulis, and they’ve been talking about being in that kind of situation, how it’s important to be upbeat and have good energy.

“When I was a young manager, I would look to the likes of Gordon Strachan, Craig Brown or Archie Knox for some guidance, and now I get the younger ones calling me, but you never stop learning in this business, and it was really interesting listening to what Mick and Tony had to say.

“The message is clear, you’ve got to remain positive, and you’ve got to keep working hard, which is what we have all been doing.”

“We are ready to fight, ready to battle, and hopefully this will be the week when it changes, that we start to pick up points and give ourselves a chance to start climbing the league.”

Long-term absentees Fraser Fyvie and Mikey Doyle are out, Declan Glass will also be missing, and he has been joined on the sidelines by Mikey Milnes, our latest injury victim.

Full match day information for any supporters heading down to Fife can be found HERE

Article Copyright © 2025. Permission to use quotations from this article online is only granted subject to appropriate source credit and to www.coverangersfc.com

More Missed Chances As Fifers Claim Victory »