Fee Fife Fo Fum, I Smell the Blood...

[Faramir]

3.1.09

East Fife (4) Forres Mechanics (0) Scottish Cup 3rd Round

East Fife- Nicky Smith 2 Mark McAlpine 10,78 Adam Strachan 33

Forres- None

MOM- Mark McAlpine, East Fife

"After a performance like that- I can hardly ignore Mark McAlpine. He is back on the Senior side and will help provide cover at forward," commented a pleased Grayling. "Christopher Gilligan also showed me a lot today and though we have a wealth of center mids- he is back on Seniors too."

"Mark was good- so was almost everyone playing out there today. We really played a controlled match, something that allowed us to take full advantage of Forres' mistakes," replied Hickey.

"The next round opponent is bound to be much more difficult."

[Faramir]

10.1.09

East Fife (1) Dundee (0)

East Fife- Mark McAlpine 90

Dundee- None

MOM- Sean Webb, Dundee

"Now *that* was the definition of a 'stolen' win," grinned Grayling. "Down to 10 men because of the 2nd yellow card to John Sutton, we get a terrific through ball from his replacement Sami El-Abd and Mark McAlpine motors up the middle to slip his shot past Stephen Henderson."

"We may have stolen it, but we did play hard for it. I really thought John Sutton was in line for MOM honours- up until that 2nd yellow card," answered Hickey.

"There weren't that many chances for us on offense today, so I think you might have been right about the honours, if he hadn't been sent off."

"Did you realize the win moved us up 6th. That is the highest we have been since the very beginning of the season."

[Faramir]

10.1.09

"The fans are happy too, Lew- I heard there were a flurry of emails to the PR department about the signing," said Eddie Hickey.

"Well, Matt Birley is an exciting 22 year old winger. It was nice that he selected our offer over those of our divisional rivals that were bidding on him," replied Lewis Grayling.

"Airdrie really didn't want to sell him to us."

"He was unhappy and they needed the money. Matt will start at rightwing for us."

"What do you do with Ashley Vincent?"

"Nothing for now, maybe something over the summer. Graham Gibson can now swing back and forth between covering at rightwing and forward."

***

17.1.09

Livingston (3) East Fife (0)

Livingston- Robert Snodgrass 7,28 Paul Shields 67

East Fife- None

MOM- Robert Snodgrass, Livingston

"Snodgrass didn't move soon enough," groused Hickey.

"The sale is all but final, but yes- I wish he hadn't been there today. Our backline did a rotten job again though, we basically handed Snodgrass his brace with poor clearances," answered Grayling.

"Paul Shields goal stunk too- Kenny Haswell and Paul Martin both failed to try to make the tackle."

[Faramir]

21.1.09

"I felt that we could use the additional depth that he brings us. 24 year old Michael Bolochoweckyj only cost us 10K and really could help us," stated Grayling.

"He is a big player- something we could use in the middle of our defense," replied Hickey.

***

24.1.09

East Fife (0) Airdrie Utd (0)

East Fife- None

Airdrie- None

MOM- Shaun Fagan, Airdrie United

"What have the Referees got against us?" asked Grayling rhetoricially. "It is not like we complain about them to the press. They just seem to not give us any of the benefit of doubt."

"A bit obvious when we have two yellow cards and 21 fouls called to only 9 fouls by Airdrie- and that was with them tackling hard through the entire first half," muttered Hickey.

"I guess we should be happy we battled to a draw. It wasn't a very good match by either side."

[Faramir]

31.1.09

Hibernian (0) East Fife (0) Scottish Cup 4th Round

Hibernian- None

East Fife- None

MOM- Craig Farr, East Fife

"That was a brilliant match by Craig Farr," commented Grayling.

"Now we at least get more revenue from the replay coming to New Bayview," replied Hickey.

"I have a feeling we will need to play even better than we did today. They took us for granted."

[Faramir]

4.2.09

East Fife (0) Morton (2)

East Fife- None

Morton- Bobby Linn 29,90

MOM- Bobby Linn, Morton

Grayling sat slumped in his chair, "We just can't buy a break right now Eddie. Two more injuries- a good effort wasted due to goals being waved off and hitting the post and crossbar- bad bounces accounting for both of Linn's goals..."

"We certainly didn't play badly in the match, but you're right in that we had absolutely no luck."

"With Matt Birley and Gary Wild joining the injured list- we are now up to 8 injuries of our regular starting players- it is really hurting us to have lost both Craig O'Reilly and Brian Graham- since we have had no scoring from any of our other forwards."

[Faramir]

7.2.09

East Fife (2) Falkirk (0)

East Fife- Ashley Vincent 2 Brian Prunty 25

Falkirk- None

MOM- Nicky Smith, East Fife

"That was the best way to rebound from the loss to last place Morton- by beating 1st place Falkirk," chuckled Hickey.

"We did a lot of things right today. Though Nicky Smith deserved MOM honours, I also thought Michael Hilton did too for his excellent work in keeping the clean sheet today," stated Grayling.

"Hilton played well. Both our goals were nice ones today- starting with Ashley Vincent deflecting Stevie Nicholas' free kick past David Grof."

[Faramir]

11.2.09

East Fife (0) Hibernian (3) Scottish Cup 4th Round Replay

East Fife- None

Hibernian- Scott Brown 5-P Guillaume Beuzelin 15 Magnus Troest 34

MOM- Magnus Troest, Hibernian

"Well, we were out of magic today," sighed Grayling.

"It didn't help that the Referee gave them a disputed penalty to score early on- it took a lot of the wind out of our sails," replied Hickey.

"Our poor tackling didn't help- that is why both Beuzelin and Troest scored."

[Faramir]

14.2.09

Clyde (1) East Fife (0)

Clyde- Rob Elvins 85

East Fife- None

MOM- Kevin James, Clyde

"Typical!" spat out Grayling. "We dominate the match and give them only one good chance to score- and they do- and we are left with nothing in a match that we played well in."

"Josh Lillis came up with the big saves for them," answered Hickey.

"Our backline has got to show more composure with the match on the line. Paul Martin continues to shy from challenges he needs to make."

[Faramir]

21.2.09

East Fife (1) Ross County (2)

East Fife- Brian Prunty 42

Ross County- Chris Templeman 10 Stewart Grainger 13-P

MOM- Chris Templeman, Ross County

"That one hurt," sighed Grayling. "Losing to last place Ross County when a win would have done a lot to ensure we don't fall into the relegation muddle."

"It was the same old problems for us too. Gary Wild can't mark or tackle Templeman on the first goal and then John Sutton is called for a disputed trip on Templeman to give them a penalty," groused Hickey.

"We have got to find better work from our forwards. Though Prunty scored today, we are getting virtually no production from them."

[Faramir]

28.2.09

St.Johnstone (2) East Fife (2)

St.Johnstone- Jamie Harris 17 Michael Halliday 70

East Fife- Brian Graham 41 Mark McAlpine 75

MOM- Kenny Haswell, East Fife

"It was a superb fightback to gain the 2-2 draw and a great goal by Mark McAlpine to salvage it for us- but our backline play continues to kill us," murmured Grayling.

"If we don't give away those two goals- and our backline gave away both of them with bad choices and poor execution- we get a much needed win here today," agreed Hickey.

[Faramir]

7.3.09

East Fife (2) Queen of the South (0)

East Fife- Brian Graham 29 Craig O'Reilly 48

Queen Sth- None

MOM- Brian Graham, East Fife

"It is somehow very appropriate that Brian Graham and Craig O'Reilly both got their 10th goals of the season today," grinned Hickey.

"Appropriate- true. Still, I was much happier that we won this match. We didn't play a lot better than them, but enough to leave them on the wrong side of the scoreline," replied Grayling.

"And we left them further behind in their efforts to escape relegation."

[Faramir]

14.3.09

Dundee (1) East Fife (0)

Dundee- Kenny Haswell 31-OG

East Fife- None

MOM- Paul McHale, Dundee

"I hate that. We play one of our best defensive matches of the season and shut down the powerful Dundee triad of forwards- and lose thanks to an own-goal," grumbled Grayling.

"Well, we didn't manage much offense against them," observed Hickey.

Grayling sighed, "Yes, they are much quicker than us in every sense of play. That is the kind of club we have to develop and we aren't close to being there yet."

[Faramir]

28.3.09

East Fife (0) Livingston (1)

East Fife- None

Livingston- Sean Kerr 83

MOM- Stephen Cooney, Livingston

"So help me," muttered Grayling. "If we survive relegation for another season in Division 1- we will have some new players. Paul Martin has been a good player for us- but his inability to make challenges when he needs to has cost us several matches this season and today was another one."

"I would rather see him challenge and lose on the penalty kick than to let Kerr waltz in and score the match winner," fumed Hickey.

"Still, we aren't finding ways to score either and that is killing us down the stretch."

[Faramir]

4.4.09

East Fife (0) Clyde (1)

East Fife- None

Clyde- Rob Elvins 44

MOM- John Sutton, East Fife

"I have no idea why they awarded John Sutton MOM. It was his being out of position- combined with a missed tackle- that allowed Rob Elvins to score the goal," groused Grayling.

"We needed a win there. The rest of our schedule is a bit grim," quietly stated Hickey.

"The offense is still missing- we can't expect better results without it."

"All three of our matches left on the road- one against 1st place Falkirk and another against surging Morton which is now only a point behind us- this is going to be a difficult stretch to avoid relegation."

Scottish First Division- 3 matches remaining- bottom 4 clubs

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">

7- East Fife 39 pts (-7)

8- Ross County 39 pts (-11)

9- Morton 38 pts (-6)

10- Queen of the South 37 pts (-19)

</pre>

[Faramir]

7.4.09

"Another free transfer signing today Eddie," said Grayling.

"Let me guess- Northern Irishman DRC,MC Bryan Gilfillan," replied Hickey.

"You peeked!" teasingly commented Grayling.

"I knew Bryan before- he came and visited with me when he arrived at camp today."

***

11.4.09

Airdrie United (2) East Fife (0)

Airdrie Utd- John McGoldrick 16 Gary Twigg 33

East Fife- None

MOM- Stephen Robertson, Airdrie United

"I have to give Robertson credit. We had our chances to score- good chances- but he came up with some amazing saves," offered a dejected Grayling.

"The frustration level is extremely high. We played well enough offensively to deserve a better result- but not defensively again," muttered Hickey.

"It was the same old, same old as far as our defensive mistakes went. The only reason we aren't in 9th place now is because of our goal differential on Ross County- we have got to play better in our last two matches."

[Faramir]

18.4.09

Falkirk (0) East Fife (2)

Falkirk- None

East Fife- Stevie Nicholas 34 Brian Graham 74

MOM- Andrew Duffy, East Fife

"Wow! That was a stunning change of fortune for us," said an unbelieving Hickey.

Grayling shook his head in amazement, "We hadn't scored a goal in a month and a half of play- lost every match- and then we come through with 2 excellent goals to beat #1 Falkirk. It is rather amusing- and amazing."

"Not only that, but we could easily have had another three goals- if David Grof hadn't been playing so well in their goal."

"Do you realize that this win probably saved us from relegation. We jumped over Queen of the South back into 7th place and now Morton can't catch us- even if they beat us in our final match as they are still in last place and four points back. Ross County is three points back but 12 goals down on goal differential with us."

[Faramir]

25.4.09

Morton (3) East Fife (0)

Morton- Bobby Linn 36,70 Tim Mouncey 86

East Fife- None

MOM- Bobby Linn, Morton

"Well that was a rotten way to end the season," grumbled Grayling. "We absolutely must find more speed for our side- we got killed by Bobby Linn again."

"Look on the bright side, we still finished 7th with the loss- edging Ross County on goal differential," stated Hickey. "Morton needed the win and played like it- with the win they are in the playoff and Queen of the South ended up relegated."

"That's true, but I would have loved nothing better than ensuring Morton went down. Still, we survived and stayed up and that was the goal for this season- mission accomplished, so to speak."

Talk about a struggle to the finish. This is the closest I have come to being relegated in a good long time and until the Falkirk win- I really thought we might be doomed as Morton has killed us most anytime we have played.- MD

[Faramir]

12.5.09

In a stunning ending to the Relegation Playoffs, Hamilton beat Morton 3-0 in the 2nd Leg of the Finals to oust Morton from Division 1. Morton had thumped Hamilton 4-1 in the 1st Leg, but the lone goal by the visitors allowed them to win on away goals.

***

14.5.09

We had three players selected to the 3rd Division Players Team of the Year- surprising given our barely avoiding relegation. The three- all selected as starters- were John Sutton, Andrew Duffy and Matt Birley (partly because of his good play at Airdrie before arriving with us).

We also recevied word that 170K was our reward for the 7th place finish.

[Faramir]

24.5.09

Grayling said to Hickey, "Plenty of good news for the club today. The stadium expansion of New Bayview will add 5463 seats to our capacity. While the construction- expected to last 8 months- is going on, we will be relocating to Dens Park. The Board also will be upgrading our training facilities at the same time."

Hickey smiled, "It's what we had been hoping for..."

"The best news is the new transfer budget of 1 Million and the increase of our weekly wage budget to 33K a week- we currently have a total of 12.5K a week. That type of increase will give me a lot better chance to tailor the club more to what we need."

***

31.5.09

Grayling leaned into Hickey's small office, "The opening of the transfer window brought us a couple bargain additions- one of which really excited our fans. We paid 1K to Gretna for 23 year old MC Steven Hogg, whose addition really caused a stir among our fans. Our other addition was 22 year old MC Ross Forbes who cost us 2K to purchase from Motherwell. Their addition reflects my dissatisfaction with our center mids play last season."

"We will certainly have more competition for the center mids spot. Are you considering any transfer listings?" asked Hickey.

"Not yet, but possibly after we get back into training following the summer there might be some."

[Faramir]

2.6.09

Grayling commmented with a pleased tone to Hickey, "We have our new #1 keeper, as I paid Forfar 50K for 19 year old Northern Irish keeper Chris Snow. Snow is already earning regular appearances on the NI Under-21 side and I really believe he will eventually take over as their National Keeper. I am not sure how the rest of our keepers will shake out after the purchase, but Snow is a player I felt that we had to have."

Hickey nodded while thinking, "It will be a bit of a jumble in training then, but I wasn't totally sold on Michael Hilton or Brian Mackay being a consistent #1 keeper for us."

***

5.6.09

"Another new addition Eddie," offered Grayling.

"Who?" asked Hickey.

"23 year old D/WBL Ryan McCay. I just completed a 1K purchase from St.Mirren for him. I think he has a bit more talent than either Kenny Haswell or Iain Vigurs."

[Faramir]

23.6.09

"Two new forwards for you Eddie," chirped a pleased Grayling.

"Hmm?"

"19 year old Jonathan Brown was released by Hearts youth program and signed with us. We were also able to negotiate a 45K transfer purchase of 19 year old Steve Davis from Berwick."

"Both are solid youngsters, they should help us."

***

4.7.09

"We played fine for a half, but our backline play in the second half was brutal again," sighed Grayling.

"It was the first friendly Lewis. Still, we have plenty to work on after losing 3-1 to Gretna," replied Hickey.

***

8.7.09

"That should have been a draw," sighed Grayling.

"I thought the equalizer should have counted too," agreed Hickey.

"Still a 2-1 loss to Aberdeen isn't too bad and we played a bit better than our previous friendlies."

[Faramir]

9.7.09

"This is a big signing for us," said a pleased Grayling.

"I thought you said he wasn't interested," replied Hickey.

"He wasn't- initially. I was surprised when his agent asked me to make a better offer and suddenly we found common ground."

"Well, Craig Connell is an excellent 19 year old midfielder."

"I really believe he is the player we need to improve this club. He was highly regarded in the Celtic youth program and I was surprised when they released him."

***

9.7.09

"I am not sure he is really better than who we have here," commented Hickey at the news.

"Paul (Hopkins) might not be better," admitted Grayling. "I do think he can contribute at forward for us though and his price was right at 6K to purchase him from Waterford."

***

11.7.09

"It was nice to finally get a win in a friendly," said a pleased Grayling.

"We played well in defeating Blackpool 4-1 at Bloomfield Road," agreed Hickey.

"I saw a lot to be happy with today- finally."

[Faramir]

13.7.09

"I was a bit sad that Michael Bolochoweckyj didn't work out better," offered Grayling.

"10K is a fair price for him from Brechin. I won't miss writing his name in the starting lineup," grinned Hickey.

"Truthfully, I won't either."

***

15.7.09

"I like him. I saw David Ross on the Under-19 side and really was impressed with him," commented Hickey.

"He is a good forward- that is why I was eager to add him, even though it will take us awhile to sort out the situation up front," replied Grayling. "Besides he was free after Aberdeen released him."

***

15.7.09

"He was another released player too good to ignore," stated Grayling.

"I liked what I saw of him on Celtic youth squad. I really believe Michael Hall will eventually help us at leftwing, but he still has some development time ahead of him," answered Hickey.

"I agree with that, it will take time..."

[Faramir]

16.7.09

"Well, a 2-2 draw hosting ICT wasn't bad, but we still made some costly mistakes," said Grayling.

"We weren't quite as sharp as the Blackpool match," offered Hickey.

***

17.7.09

"There is a new starting leftback on the roster," offered a pleased Grayling.

"I just heard- Clark Kay is an excellent young leftback- I was surprised he was released by Dunfermline," replied Hickey.

"Me too, but I was all too happy to sign him."

[Faramir]

18.7.09

"We probably would not have lost to Falkirk 1-0 if it hadn't been for Nicky Smith being sent off in the opening moments of the second half," muttered Grayling.

"I thought the boys played well-even after that- as we managed to put them under pressure despite having only 10 men," answered Hickey.

***

19.7.09

Scottish First Division Odds by totalbet.com

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">

Dundee United 4-6

Livingston 6-4

Dundee 6-4

St.Johnstone 7-4

Airdrie 6-1

Clyde 12-1

East Fife 50-1

</pre>

***

19.7.09

"He won't be ready for Senior play for awhile, but I really think 16 year old rightwinger Sean Wilmott will help us down the road," commented Grayling.

"I think he might, he is a good looking youngster. How much did you pay?" asked Hickey.

"It only cost 2K to Ayr to purchase him."

[Faramir]

19.7.09

"Another?" asked Hickey.

"Yes, 18 year old Kevin Hay is a forward our scouts really liked. It cost us 35K to get him from Albion Rovers, but I believe he will help us in the future," replied Grayling.

***

22.7.09

"John Clark has a new home," stated Grayling.

"Who took him off our hands?" asked Hickey.

"Torquay. We didn't get anything for him- but I was sure we weren't going to, so it was no surprise."

***

22.7.09

"Well that was a nicer way to wind up our friendlies," observed Hickey.

"It was a nice 5-1 win over Queen's Park, but then we should beat them," replied Grayling.

"That is true, but our execution was what I was pleased with."

"I have to agree, it was much better than previous matches."

[Faramir]

23.7.09

East Fife Senior Roster Start of 2009-10 Season

GK

Chris Snow (19)

Brian Mackay (19)

Craig Farr (25)

DR

Jason Thomson (21)

Alex Rawcliffe (20)

DL

Clark Kay (20)

Ryan McCay (23)

Iain Vigurs (21)

DC

John Sutton (21)

Paul Martin (23)

Sami El-Abd (21)

Brian Gilfillan (24)

MR

Mathew Birley (22)

Graham Gibson (29)

Mark McAlpine (21)

ML

Andrew Duffy (24)

Adam Strachan (22)

Michael Hall (18)

MC

Craig Connell (19)

Steven Hogg (23)

Nicky Smith (22)

Ross Forbes (20)

Christopher Gilligan (21)

SC

Craig O'Reilly (21)

Brian Graham (22)

Jonathan Brown (19)

Steve Davis (19)

David Ross (19)

Paul Hopkins (22)

Kevin Hay (18)

***

24.7.09

"I am happy with the roster changes we have made so far- I really think we have improved the club, but there remains a worrisome area," stated Manager Lewis Grayling to Assistant Manager Eddie Hickey.

"Center defense," immediately commented Hickey.

"Yes. I am happy with the addition of Clark Kay, but I could not find a center back to replace Paul Martin in pairing with John Sutton. So, for now, we will just have to stick with those two."

"I know there were some released by the BSP clubs..."

"None of them would sign with us. I tried Eddie, but our situation isn't appealing. I will keep the scouts looking- but we will have to hope that Paul improves his play this season in the meantime."

"We may also still have problems scoring. Our forwards are very young."

"That could be a problem, but I feel confident that we will get some production from the youngsters- especially if our improvements in the center mids pay off with a more consistent passing attack."

[Faramir]

25.7.09

"Here is the starting lineup for our trip to Livingston to begin the season," said Grayling.

GK- Chris Snow

DR- Jason Thomson

DL- Clark Kay

DC- John Sutton

DC- Paul Martin

MR- Mathew Birley

ML- Andrew Duffy

MC- Craig Connell

MC- Steven Hogg

SC- Jonathan Brown (Craig O'Reilly hurt)

SC- Brian Graham

Sub- Steve Davis

Sub- Graham Gibson

Sub- Ross Forbes

Sub- Craig Farr

Sub- Brian Gilfillan

***

25.7.09

"Another excess player is off for greener pastures," offered Grayling.

"I saw Brian Prunty as he was leaving. Where is he off to?" asked Hickey.

"Blyth paid us 3K for the transfer purchase of Brian."

***

25.7.09

"You don't have to tell me Lewis, I just spoke with Kenny Haswell," stated Hickey.

"Kenny settled on Berwick as his new club- out of the three with accepted bids. They paid us 10K to purchase Kenny," replied Grayling.

"I thought he might turn out a bit better than he did for us. His stamina and strength seemed to hold him back from becoming a very good leftback for us."

***

27.7.09

"Ashley Vincent is moving to Clyde," commented Grayling.

"Oh? He chose them out of all the clubs that bid on him?" asked Hickey.

"Apparently so. Clyde are the ones paying the 10K purchase price on him."

"I had been meaning to ask you- how does our bottom line look?"

"Great right now. We are over 7 Million in the black, though some of that will be lost to the reconstruction of New Bayview. The Board set the weekly wage budget at 33K a week and we are currently still only at 19K a week. I was hoping the Board would make us fully professional this season, but they dithered on that and we will remain a Semi-Professional club this season. That is what is keeping us from signing any of the exceptional freely available players..."

[Dixie Flatline]

Ah, the minimalist approach, yet strangely compelling.

Good work, Faramir. Please keep it up.

BTW, any word on Elgin?

[Faramir]

Dixie- True, this one using minimalist (don't want every story to look the same )

Thanks much

Elgin still in 3rd Division, midtable at this point...

***

1.8.09

Livingston (0) East Fife (2)

Livingston- None

East Fife- Brian Graham 69 Steve Davis 75

MOM- Brian Graham, East Fife

"Now, I have to say that was a very good opening to the season- all the way around," commented a pleased Grayling.

"We did a lot of things right today. I think the most impressive aspect was that we were patient. We absorbed their attacks and then finally broke through with two goals," replied Hickey.

"There were times our backline play was still unsteady- especially in the first half- but Chris Snow showed me a lot today by coming up with the big saves when we needed them."

[Faramir]

4.8.09

East Fife (2) Cowdenbeath (2) League Cup 1st Round (Cowdenbeath advances on Penalties)

East Fife- Kevin Hay 14 David Ross 20

Cowdenbeath- Colm Kearney 54,67

MOM- Bradley Middleton, Cowdenbeath

"That was an infuriating loss," muttered Grayling darkly.

"We played a good first half..." began Hickey.

"I don't want to hear that Eddie," snapped Grayling. "This club may have had excuses built in last season, but no longer. I don't want to hear excuses about being young either- we have trained this club to play a full match and they should be doing so by now."

Hickey's face reddened, "Well, in that case, the blame goes to Brian Mackay and our backline."

"That, I can agree with. Mackay should have stopped at least one of those goals and our backline let down on both of them. Also, don't forget the offense. Ryan Brown had a fine match in goal for them- but when you put 30 shots up at the goal- 12 of them on target- you need to get more in return than just two goals."

"It still came down to the penalties, and we failed badly there."

[Faramir]

8.8.09

East Fife (0) Hamilton (0)

East Fife- None

Hamilton- None

MOM- Clark Kay, East Fife

"I find it hard to believe that we could only put 2 out of 14 shots on target," sarcastically stated Grayling.

Hickey nodded, "If we do any kind of finishing at all- this is a win and not a scoreless draw."

"On the good side, we played well in the midfield and on our backline, but we can't afford to throw chances away to win like we did today. This one should have been in the books as a win- if we could have hit the goal with our shots- especially Brian Graham."

[Faramir]

12.8.09

East Fife (1) Dundee United (0) Challenge Cup 1st Round- Extra-Time

East Fife- Jonathan Brown 118

Dundee United- None

MOM- Ryan McCay, East Fife

"That was a nice win," commented a cheery Hickey.

"We worked hard for that one. If we could have finished better earlier in the match, we would not have needed extra time," offered Grayling.

"True, but at least Jonathan Brown made his first goal a memorable one."

"Jonathan did a nice job to be close when Chris Smith mishandled that horrible backpass from Jim O'Brien. If he isn't right there- the match goes to penalties."

[Faramir]

15.8.09

St.Johnstone (1) East Fife (3)

St.Johnstone- Michael Bearder 21

East Fife- Mathew Birley 64,90-P Andrew Duffy 83

MOM- Chris Snow, East Fife

"A year ago, we would not have won this match," said a pleased Grayling.

"Too right. We wouldn't have had the spirit to fight back in the second half," agreed Hickey.

"I wish we could get Brian Graham going. If he even puts some of his shots on goal- then he is going to score. But when he leaves everything high and over the goal..."

"Steve Davis impressed me again. We may have to think about giving him some starts."

"If his stamina were better, I might. For now, I like his ability to come in to the match and wreak havoc. Chris Snow justified our belief in him today- he is going to be a terrific keeper."

[Faramir]

22.8.09

East Fife (0) Airdrie United (1)

East Fife- None

Airdrie- Stephen Turnbull 49

MOM- Stephen Turnbull, Airdrie United

"It would help if we could get more than one shot on target in the match," said Grayling in a nasty, sarcastic tone.

"We didn't finish well- again," agreed Hickey.

"That was also another goal that we should not have given up. To let Turnbull loose with no one near him on a throw-in is inexcusable."

"Clearly, we have more work to do on the set pieces."

[Faramir]

26.8.09

East Fife (0) Ross County (1) Challenge Cup 2nd Round

East Fife- None

Ross County- AleX Williams 90

MOM- Scott Wilson, Ross County

"Argh. Losing on a deflected shot in second half injury time..." muttered Grayling.

"We missed too many chances again. We could easily have won this one if we had finished *any* of our good chances around their goal," replied Hickey.

"True. We played well enough to deserve to win, but didn't execute well enough to deserve to win."

[Faramir]

5.9.09

Dundee (2) East Fife (0)

Dundee- Marc Twaddle 1-P Sean Ward 31

East Fife- None

MOM- Marc Twaddle, Dundee

"It is frustrating to see them handed a penalty in the first minute," fumed Grayling. "It changed the whole complexion of the match."

"I have to say I think Ludovic Roy deserved consideration for MOM honours," offered Hickey. "We had better chances than they did- but he made the big saves tonight."

"Chris Snow played well too though. That goal by Ward came directly from Clark Kay's mistake."

[Faramir]

12.9.09

East Fife (1) Partick Thistle (1)

East Fife- John Sutton 52

Partick- Graham Weir 73

MOM- Barry Cole, Partick Thistle

Grayling slammed his open hand on the desk, "Same old mistakes, again and again! What in blue blazes was Paul Martin doing? Standing there with no care and no one marked."

Hickey nodded in agreement, "It was frustrating to see the play develop. Still, the luck wasn't with us at all tonight. Take Barry Cole- he was MOM because twice he kept balls from going into open goals."

"True. Still, this was the kind of match I was hoping we had improved ourselves to win- but instead we looked just like last season."

[Faramir]

19.9.09

Dundee United (0) East Fife (0)

Dundee Utd- None

East Fife- None

MOM- John Sutton, East Fife

"Well, that was a match we should have lost," commented a tired looking Hickey.

"Too true on that. They had all the good chances today," replied Grayling.

"Great work from Chris Snow in goal today. Sutton got MOM honours, but we would not have had a point in the match if not for Snow."

"Chris is looking like the answer we have been seeking in goal. I am really pleased with him so far this season."

[Faramir]

26.9.09

East Fife (3) Clyde (2)

East Fife- Adam Strachan 18,68 Craig O'Reilly 40

Clyde- Rob Elvins 45,58

MOM- Rob Elvins, Clyde

"Could you have scripted this one?" asked Grayling shaking his head.

"No," said Hickey with a chuckle. "Let's see- 1st place club on a roll, stun them to take a 2-0 lead, see backline play horribly and hand MOM his brace to equalize, and *then* score a match winner and survive until the final whistle."

"You forgot the part where I pulled both center defenders and went to a 3-man backline for the first time ever at East Fife."

"Ah, yes- forgot that. Also forgot the part where Craig O'Reilly scores his 50th goal at East Fife."

"I believe Mr. Martin and Mr. Sutton realize that I am more than a little upset at their idiotic play today. Both of them made seriously stupid choices that directly turned into goals."

[Faramir]

9.10.09

"I think signing Adam Tann on free transfer will help drive the point home to Sutton and Martin that they need to start thinking with their heads, instead of their..." flatly stated Grayling.

"Adding 27 year old Tann also give us a veteran defender- everyone else is 24 or under on our backline," replied Hickey.

***

10.10.09

Ross County (0) East Fife (3)

Ross County- None

East Fife- Paul Martin 37-P Craig O'Reilly 53 Brian Graham 89

MOM- Brian Graham, East Fife

"Now *that* was a well played match on our part. We did everything in the gameplan and we did it well," smiled Grayling.

"The backline did a great job of keeping Chris Templeman- who has killed us in the past- under wraps for the entire match," agreed Hickey.

"It was also nice to finally see Brian Graham play a good match. He had been scuffling."

"Brian and Craig O'Reilly looked much more like the dangerous tandem from last season today."

"The win will cost us Nicky Smith for a month or so with his strained thigh, but Craig Connell is back in training and should be ready to go again next match."

[mytton]

"An enjoyable read, this" enthused Mytton.

"Yes. Faramir's showing great stamina in keeping this standard up for so long."

"You're not wrong" agreed Mytton with a smile.

[Faramir]

mytton- ROFL! Good one, Thanks

***

17.10.09

East Fife (0) Livingston (0)

East Fife- None

Livingston- None

MOM- Michael Morrison, Livingston

"I thought their keeper- Alan Martin- should have gotten MOM honours. If not for him, this would have been an easy win for us," observed Hickey.

"Martin deserved it. He came up with those three saves late in the second half. Morrison played well in center defense for them, but Martin was the impact player today."

"It would have been nice to get three points, but one point is better than none today."

[Faramir]

24.10.09

Hamilton (1) East Fife (3)

Hamilton- James McArthur 37

East Fife- Brian Graham 28 Steven Hogg 45 Craig O'Reilly 75

MOM- John Sutton, East Fife

"I am sure we would have lost this match, had this been last season," stated Grayling as he relaxed in his chair in the corner of the dressing room.

"Probably right on that," agreed Hickey. "Today, we did an excellent job of staying home and playing our positions."

"Yes, absolutely. They outshot us 14-8, but our backline and midfield covered their areas and gave them no easy opportunities. Eric Snow made the saves we needed him too as well."

"Don't forget that we proved very opportunistic on offense too."

"I think the biggest moment in the match was when Steven Hogg made his move with the ball at the edge of the area and then just blasted his shot past Dave McEwan. That goal really gave us a good feeling about the half and momentum going into the second half."

"It was his first goal here too- nice memorable one."

[Faramir]

28.10.09

East Fife (1) St.Johnstone (2)

East Fife- David Ross 30

St.Johnstone- Danny Grainger 23-P Ross Harris 69

MOM- Steven Douglas, St.Johnstone

"I can't use the Refereeing as an excuse, since we didn't deserve to win this match, but seeing them awarded a penalty and seeing us with two goals waved off for 'supposed' fouls in the area leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth," grumbled Grayling.

"We wasted too many good scoring chances," offered Hickey succinctly.

"Brian Mackay has to make that save that Harris scored the match winner on. It was a hard shot, but he got both hands on it and more or less put it into his own goal."

[Faramir]

31.10.09

Airdrie United (1) East Fife (2)

Airdrie Utd- Gary Twigg 83

East Fife- Craig O'Reilly 4,88

MOM- Craig O'Reilly, East Fife

"Craig O'Reilly saved us with his brace- his 5th of the season- I thought we were left with a frustrating draw," said an admiring Grayling.

"That goal by Twigg was just another example of us giving away a goal that we never should have," stated Hickey.

"It was a brutally bad decision by Adam Strachan to try the pass, but I still thought Twigg and their other forward were offside on the play."

[Tommyt_bcfc]

Lets have a screenshot of your league. great story btw

[Faramir]

14.10.09

East Fife (1) Dundee (0)

East Fife- Steven Hogg 87

Dundee- None

MOM- Steven Hogg, East Fife

"What a great free kick! A 30 yard rocket match winner," said an enthused Hickey.

"Clutch kick by a clutch player. Steven Hogg has been the best of our new additions this season," replied Grayling.

"David Ross deserved to score in the first half. He did a nice job creating space and getting open to let loose, but then just missed over and wide several times."

[Faramir]

21.10.09

East Fife (0) Dundee United (2)

East Fife- None

Dundee Utd- Wisbell Isea 40 Dayne Robertson 47

MOM- Chris Smith, Dundee United

"Pretty telling when their keeper received MOM honours- while we played the majority of the match with only 10 men," said Grayling bitterly.

"I thought the immediate redcard to David Ross was extreme- especially early in a match between the 2nd and 3rd place clubs," replied Hickey.

"Despite having only 10 men, I was proud of how hard the boys worked. If Smith isn't MOM we might actually have earned a draw in the match."

"Isea's shot was a good one and Robertson drilled the free kick in off the post- so I am not sure that Chris Snow could really have done anything more than he did today."