East Fife v Forfar Athletic - Match Preview

The ‘Loons’ will make the short journey over the Tay to Methil on Saturday hoping to erase the memory of last season’s two visits to the New Bayview Stadium where on both occasions they shipped four goals and with it six points into the bargain.   

Certainly on the first trip  in October of last year we netted an equaliser on three occasions before losing the fourth goal after goalkeeper Adam McHugh had been red carded.  However on the return visit in February of this year the home side romped to a 4-0 victory.   Later that month Forfar triumphed by the odd goal in five at Station Park, before the Fifers again came up trumps to the tune of 4-1 in our final meeting of the season in early April at the same venue.
The Methil outfit have not had their troubles to seek this term with Manager Gordon Durie still sidelined by illness and we join the footballing family in wishing the ex Rangers striker a full recovery.  His assistant Gordon Chisholm has now departed due to business commitments and first team coach Bob Malcolm will be in charge of affairs for the visit of Dick Campbell’s charges.

Forfar will go into the game with at least fiveplayers sidelined with injury, long term victims Jamie Bishop and Keith Gibson being joined by Barry Sellars, Gavin Swankie and Odmar Faeroe, the latter two ruled out with groin strains.     Gavin pulled up in the dying minutes of the ‘Loons’ last league joust at home to Alloa, while Odmar limped off in the second half of the Faroes match with the Republic of Ireland on Tuesday past.

James Craigen signed from Partick Thistle on loan this week will make his debut while Michael Dunlop, his loan spell at East Stirling over is also in the pool.

The home side have not won a home league game to date, but showed that they have talent in their ranks with their 6-2 demolition of Stranraer at Stair Park a few weeks back.

Despite the 3-2 defeat to the ‘Wasps’ the ‘Loons’ still occupy second spot in the table and they will be all out to get back on the winning way on Saturday.    Hopefully quite a few fans will tackle the less than one hundred mile round trip to the Fife coast  to give the visitors their backing. 

The man in the middle will be  Grampian based school teacher Mat Northcroft who was in charge of Monday night’s friendly with Aberdeen.