Scottish League Cup Round 1
Saturday 3rd August 2013
With huge thanks
for the assistance of 100FgC Squad#155 James Little, it was possible to add
another Scottish League ground to the list. I’m now starting to run short of
grounds in this category that I can do on a solo day-trip, East Fife being a
prime example as the nearest rail station to Bayview is eight miles away in Kirkcaldy.
East Fife play
in the eastern coastal town of Methil in Fife, which was formerly part of the
Burgh of Buckhaven & Methil, within the urban area of Levenmouth. James
arranged to pick me up outside Waverley Station at 1.30pm, the car journey from
Edinburgh takes about an hour to ninety minutes, so we arrived in good time to
have a quick look around and take a few photographs before kick-off.
Methil lies
between the bays of Largo and Wemyss. Methil Docks was the second largest coal
port in the UK, such was its importance in transferring coal during the Second
World War, that it became a target for German bombers. In 1942 there was a
failed attempt to attack the port from Norway, with a bomb falling out of the
target area at the Wellsley Coal Pit. This the only time Fife was attacked
during the conflict.
East Fife
founded in January 1903 and played in various leagues in their formative years,
namely the Fife League, Eastern League, Northern League, before joining the
Central League in 1909. The Fifers remained in the Central League until its
league members reformed to become part of the Scottish Second Division at the
start of the 1921-22 season.
The club’s only
season in the top flight before World War II was in the 1930-31, however the
club appeared in two Scottish Cup finals either side of this, losing the 1927
final to Celtic and lifting the trophy in 1938 with a 4-2 replay win over
Kilmarnock in front of a crowd of nearly 92,000. The first time a club from the
Second Division had won this prestigious trophy.
The club won
promotion in 1948 and during this period consistently finished in the upper
echelons of the table, but their major success was in the Scottish League Cup
becoming the first club the win this honour three times in 1947–48, 1949–50,
and 1953–54. The club made a third Scottish Cup final appearance, losing out to
Rangers in the 1950, but ended the decade out of the top division only
reappearing in the top tier for three seasons in the early 1970s. The only
honour added in recent times was winning the Third Division in the 2006-07,
their first piece of silverware in over half a century.
The Fifers played at the original Bayview
from their formation, moving after 95 years to a new stadium in November 1998.
The stadium still had a view of the bay so it was naturally named New Bayview,
built in the shadow of the Methil Power Station, which has since been
demolished in 2011.
The ground has
just one open stand, which runs pitch length with a capacity of 2,000 yellow
seats with boxes for stadium control, press and hospitality found centrally at
the back of the stand. The other three sides are made up of a perimeter wall
with views across to Leven, where once stood the old power station and to the
right of the stand there’s Largo Bay and the choppy waters of the Firth o’
Forth. The new ground was officially renamed Bayview Stadium in 2007 with the
record attendance being 1,980 against Raith Rovers in November 2008.
The Scottish League Cup tie with Greenock Morton was my
first competitive game of the season. The opening half remained goalless, but
both keepers were tested with Buchanan looking lively for the hosts and
Campbell should have done better to give Morton the lead with the best effort
of the first period.
The deadlock was broken on 53 minutes when a right wing
corner was bundled home by McLaughlin from close range, then when a free kick
from the left was nodded into the path of Habai to rifle home with twenty
minutes remaining, the match looked done and dusted and as I said to
James.. “There’s nee chance of extra
time” as Morton looked to have booked their place in round two.
The match turned on its head as Fifers manager made some
astute tactical changes and substitutions which produced a brace from danger
man Buchanan, notching with a right foot drive from the edge of the box and
with seconds remaining nodding home past the despairing ‘keeper which drove the
Bayview crowd into raptures.
As I had a train to catch in Edinburgh, I didn’t want the
game to go all the way to penalties, so after informing Morton boss of this via
a telepathic message, he passed this info onto his players who responded in
spades. After only two minutes of the additional thirty, McNeil ran on to a
through ball to calmly pass the ball into the ‘keeper’s left hand post. The
long ball worked a treat again, as Campbell stood on the half way line and
latched onto the ball over the top before running in on goal to score five
minutes later.
The tie was over as a contest just before the end of the
first quarter after a handball from Craig Johnstone saw the defender shown a
straight red. The resulted spot kick from Campbell was well saved by Andrews
but Dougie Imrie was on hand to score number five from the rebound. I imagine
East Fife wouldn't wanted to play the second period of extra time, but
they battled on and the goal tally was rounded off to a half dozen in the last
minute, with Campbell grabbing his second goal in what was an entertaining 2
hours of football.
This trip was a matchday rarity, with no bevvy, pubs or
‘Spoon visits just a brief encounter into the Kingdom of Fife. I left Newcastle
just before noon and travelled back on the 1830, raiding the fridge for a
bottle of ale on my return home at 8.20. This was a great start to my summer
annual leave, no work for a fortnight and hopefully a couple of Spanish venues
to visit over the next fortnight.
EFFC 2(Buchanan 84 90)
GMFC 6(McLaughlin 53 Habai 70 McNeil 92 Campbell 97,119 Imrie 102)
Att.tbc
Admission:£13
Programme £2
Ground no.355 Bayview Park - Matchday Web album (20 pictures)
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