Contents
Match Reports for Season 1997/98:
Stenhousemuir 2 East Fife 3 (League Div 2) - 2 May 1998
Stenhousemuir had the better of the early play and went close through both Henderson and
McCutcheon. East Fife took the lead after quarter of an hour. Steve Kirk played the ball
forward to Matt Dyer, who fired the ball home from ten yards. A minute later Dyer almost
got a second but the home 'keeper gathered the ball at his feet. The 'keeper again denied
East Fife when he tipped a Robert Prytz free kick over the bar. Then East Fife 'keeper
Stewart pulled off a great save from a volley. Matt Dyer got his and East Fife's second
when he latched on to a Paul Ronald pass and fired the ball into the net. Half time 2-0
tothe Fife.
Stenhousemuir pulled a goal back on the hour mark through Little and then five minutes
later the same player got his second to tie the match at 2-2. With fifteen minutes
remaining East Fife were awarded a penalty and Robert Prytz made no mistake from the spot.
East Fife 0 Caledonian Thistle 1 (League Div 2) - 25 April 1998
East Fife attacked right from the start. Shooting towards the school end, they created
chance after chance, with the Thistle 'keeper pulling off some fine saves.
Then disaster struck in nine minutes.
An East Fife defender ( I'm not sure who as I was watching from the covered terracing and
a Caley forward was in the way ) passed back to his 'keeper from about eight yards with a
shot which any Inverness player would have been proud of. Andy Stewart managed to get down
and save, but only succeeded in playing the ball out to an incoming Thistle forward who
fired home. It was the same old story. The heads went down and the visitors came more into
the game. East Fife did create some more chances before the break, with the 'keeper
pulling off a great save at point blank range from a George Johnston header.
Matt Dyer went clean through ten minutes before half time, but his shot under the 'keeper
went just past.
Into the second half, and it was the visitors who were creating most of the chances.
About midway through the second half, East Fife stepped up a gear and came back into the
match, forcing some fine saves out of the visiting 'keeper. In what was probably the best
chance of the match, Gilbert Allan rounded the 'keeper on the right hand side of the
penalty box, but his shot hit the post. East Fife can consider themselves rather
unfortunate not to have taken something from this game.
East Fife 0 Clydebank 2 (League Div 2) - 18 April 1998
After a first half in which East Fife had the better of the chances - the most notable
being a George Johnston header from a Prytz cross which flew just wide - Clydebank took
the lead against the run of play in 52 minutes.
East Fife tried hard to get on level terms and created several chances. The home side did
have the ball in the net on the hour mark, but the goal was disallowed as a hand had been
used to force the ball home. Five minutes from the end, after the referee had disallowed
two penalty claims, Clydebank broke away down the left and scored a goal almost identical
to the first. The Fifers, to their credit, didn't give up and had another penalty claim
rejected after a Clydebank defender appeared to handle in the box.
East Fife 1 Akranes 3 (Friendly) - 13 April 1998
On a bitterly cold night at Bayview, East Fife had the better of the early exchanges and
deservedly went ahead after 12 minutes when John Cusick first timed a corner from the
right under the Icelandic 'keeper and into the net. A minute later it should have been
two. Roy Essindoh raced down the right wing and his well placed cross found Paul Roberts
on his own in front of goal. He fired the ball against the bar when it seemed easier to
score.
Akranes equalised in 25 minutes. East Fife 'keeper McCulloch got down well to block a
shot, but in doing so he palmed the ball to the tall Icelandic No.7, who headed home. A
minute before half time the visitors took the lead when the Akranes No.7 turned and fired
an unstoppable volley into the roof of the net. Just on the stroke of half time, Essindoh
beat the offside trap and raced in on goal with only the 'keeper to beat. He delayed his
shot too long and the Akranes 'keeper had no trouble smothering the attempt.
In the second half both sides created chances, the most notable for East Fife being a
Barrie Moffat attempt right in front of goal which he sent over the bar. With about
fifteen minutes left the visitors stretched their lead to 3-1 to put the game beyond the
reach of the Methil men.
Clyde 0 East Fife 0 (League Div 2) - 11 April 1998
With only 629 spectators in their 8,003 seat stadium, Clyde tried to create an atmosphere
by playing crowd noises through the loudspeaker system!
East Fife created the first chance when Paul Ronald set up Matt Dyer, but his shot was
saved by home 'keeper Balfour. Former East Fife man John McStay saved an almost certain
East Fife goal after 20 minutes when he succesfully broke down a move by George Johnston
and John Cusick. East Fife 'keeper Stewart made a great save in 35 minutes from Clyde's
Cameron.
East Fife almost scored four minutes into the second half but Cusick's shot was well saved
by the home 'keeper. John Cusick had another chance to score five minutes later but his
shot hit the bar. Then it was Kenny Munro's turn to hit the woodwork, with John McStay
clearing his effort which hit the post. Clyde 'keeper Balfour again saved his side when he
pushed a Steve Kirk free kick around the post.
Queen of the South 1 East Fife 4 (League Div 2) - 5 April 1998
Queens kicked off playing towards the uncovered end. After 4 minutes, Robert Prytz crossed
from the right. George Johnston caught the ball on his chest and fired an unstoppable shot
into the top right hand corner of the net. In twelve minutes East Fife won a corner on the
right. The ball was floated in to Matt Dyer on the penalty spot, who headed home just
inside the left hand post.
In 14 minutes it was three nil - and what a goal! The ball was sent spinning in from the
right and fell BEHIND Robert Prytz, who was on the edge of the penalty area WITH HIS BACK
TO THE GOAL. Everyone expected Prytz to turn and possibly shield the ball, with the QOS
defenders bearing down on him. The veteran Swede sent the 25 or so East Fife travelling
supporters into raptures, however, when he BACKHEELED an unstoppable VOLLEY past the
helpless Queen's goalie! It all happened so fast and Prytz was so unsighted that the first
he could have known that his shot was on target was when the cheer went up from the East
Fife support ! I have never seen a goal quite like it.
Queens then came more into the match, but neither side really threatened for the rest of
the first half. The second half was only four minutes old when East Fife went 4-0 up with
a
truly controversial goal. The Queen's 'keeper was about to punt the ball out, but hadn't
realised that Kenny Munro was standing right behind him at the time. At the precise moment
that the goalie dropped the ball on to his foot, Kenny nipped in from behind and tapped
the ball forwards and out of the penalty area. He then nipped past the 'keeper, turned and
stroked the ball into the empty net. The QOS players went wild and chased the referee
towards the centre spot, claiming that Munro had stolen the ball his hand. Queens pulled
one back on the hour, but by then the match was over as a contest.
East Fife 4 Brechin City 1 (League Div 2) - 28 March 1998
Anyone late in getting in to Bayview today would have missed most of the first half
action! Kicking towards the school end, the game was only 30 seconds old when Matt Dyer
came darting into the box from the right wing and placed the ball under the Brechin
'keeper.
Just one minute later, East Fife were two up. A perfectly flighted corner from the left
was met by the head of Steve Kirk, who powerfully found the back of the net. Time - 1
minute 32 seconds ! And that was just about it for the rest of the half. Brechin tried
hard and created quite a few good chances, with East Fife 'keeper Andy Stewart having to
look lively on several occasions. Then, a minute before the break, it was that man Dyer
again. He raced on to a through ball and calmly slotted the ball under the advancing
'keeper to make it 3-0.
Five minutes into the second half Brechin pulled a goal back with a perfectly placed
header from a corner kick. It was the away side who continued to create most of the
chances during the second half, with the East Fife defence looking a little shaky at
times. With five minutes to go, however, East Fife sealed victory when John Cusick
eventually managed to force the ball home after a goalmouth scramble.