​East Fife now four points clear at top of table after 5-0 win against Bonnyrigg Rose

​Those results, nine games into the season, leave the Methil men in pole position on 21 points, with Elgin now second and level with third-placed Peterhead on 17 points and Stirling Albion fourth on 15.

Manager Dick Campbell’s Fifers continue their league campaign away to third-from-bottom Forfar Athletic on Saturday, October 19, with kick-off at 3pm.

The weekend’s win at Bayview Stadium against Bonnyrigg, left outnumbered for five-sixths of the fixture by a 14th-minute red card for defender Greig Allen, was secured by Alan Trouten’s second hat-trick of the season – scored on 14 minutes, from the penalty spot, and 38 and 76 – and a 91st-minute contribution from Andrew Tod, sandwiching an own goal from opposition goalkeeper Tom Ritchie four minutes ahead of full-time.

Assistant manager Ian Campbell was delighted to see his side go into the current mid-season break with over a win’s worth of breathing space between them and the division’s chasing pack, telling East Fife TV after Saturday’s seventh win of the campaign: “It’s a good day at the office.

“Overall, it’s a good place to be the now. It’s superb.”

Looking back over Saturday’s win against their sixth-placed visitors from Midlothian, the 70-year-old deputy gaffer said: “I think we ran out good winners.

“After the first half, we were a bit fortunate to come in 2-0 up after they ran into trouble with their man getting sent off and giving away a penalty and then us scoring again.

“They’re quite a good team, a hard team to play against.

“We played the long ball all day because we were restricted to that and couldn’t do anything else.

“The big thing for Dick and me is that we will always score goals. We’re such a potent threat – we’re always going to score.

“Overall, we ran out good winners, although the number of goals flattered us a wee bit.”

Besides Rose’s red card, the two teams picked up two yellows each, with Gordon Walker and Nathan Austin carded for the hosts and Bradley Barrett and Callum Gardiner for their visitors.