Match Report - By Grant Hood

East Fife 1 - 2 Brechin City

CITY SLIP QUIETLY INTO SECOND PLACE

Darren Dods’ Brechin City added significantly to a memorable weekend off the field for the Club, by securing a welcome 3 points with an assured performance against last season’s League Two Champions on their own patch. City secured the victory with goals early in each half in Methil, with East Fife enjoying a solitary strike during their best spell of the game.

Three wins and a draw in the opening 4 league games sees City in the lofty position of second in the fledgling league table – a sight that City fans have not enjoyed in any form of regularity since the 2010/11 season.

City made one change to the team who had started the previous week’s 0-0 draw at home to Queen’s Park, with Ross Caldwell enjoying a start in place of the injured Alan Trouten.

Indeed it was ROSS CALDWELL who fired The Glebe Park side in front only 4 minutes in, latching on to a lofted through ball from midfield dynamo James Dale, outmuscling a home defender before slotting the ball past the onrushing Fifers’ keeper Ryan Goodfellow.

City might well have found themselves 2 goals to the good as, 11 minutes in, defender Dougie Hill evaded a couple of challenges and found himself at the East Fife by-line. His measured cut-back was aimed towards Ally Love who was only denied by 2 separate lunges from the home rearguard before the danger dissipated.

This let-off seemed to galvanise the home side, who would go on to enjoy their best spell of the game. With the majority of menace seeming to emanate from Fifers’ No 7 Mark Lamont, at half an hour in, City were relieved to see an astutely re-directed header from Kyle Wilkie go narrowly over Graeme Smiths’ crossbar. Only 2 minutes later, City conceded the equaliser that play probably merited as, following a missed opportunity to make a comfortable clearance, the ball was slammed home from inside the penalty box by SCOTT ROBINSON.

The home side had their tails up at this point, and there were more anxious moments for the travelling Glebe Park fans as firstly a Mark Lamont drive was cleverly deflected goalwards by former City striker Paul McManus from 6 yards out – but thankfully straight into the grateful arms of ‘Buzz’. East Fife had the ball in the net again before half time, only to see the officials intervene with a timely offside decision.

Happily for the travelling fans, the first action of the second half saw City once again on the ascendancy and, 5 minutes in, Darren Dods’ men regained the lead. The mightily impressive Andy Jackson fought to retain possession in the home penalty box from a City throw-in on the left. His efforts saw the ball fall to FINN GRAHAM who struck a delightful 18-yard shot and watched it soar high into the top right corner – a goal clearly enjoyed to the full by the diminutive Fifer.

Whilst there was only a one-goal deficit, East Fife continued to push forward in search of an equaliser but didn’t possess the required guile to seriously trouble a City defence superbly marshalled by the dominant Dougie Hill.

This was anything but a defensive performance from City who displayed the attacking menace which proved so elusive last week with, in one instance, a flowing move allowing Ally Love to release Willie Dyer in splendid isolation on the left. Sadly, his low driven cross evaded the onrushing strikers.

The only real late scare for City fans was not in the form of home pressure, but more the result of a challenge on Andy Jackson which left the striker prone for few minutes earning the home side’s Jason Kerr the game’s only caution.

All in all this was a more than satisfactory win for the Glebe Park side, underpinned by a thoroughly competent display. Amassing 10 points from the first 12 available is hugely pleasing and the league placing, only bettered by the stunning current form of Alloa Athletic, fuels further optimism amongst the City faithful that an enjoyable season may just lie ahead.

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