East Fife seal promotion to Scottish League One via play-offs as Dick Campbell dedicates success to late brother

The Fifers’ 1-1 draw with Annan Athletic away from home at Galabank on Friday night was enough to secure a spot in the third tier next term after a 3-2 win in the opening leg at the MGM Timber Bayview.

And Campbell, 71, poignantly dedicated the club’s promotion to his late brother Duncan, who sadly died on Saturday, May 3 after a battle with illness. He was a regular at East Fife matches, backing his brothers Dick and assistant boss Ian.

Campbell dedicates ‘deserved’ promotion to late brother

“I dedicate this to my brother, Duncan,” Campbell said. “We lost him a fortnight ago and the funeral is this week. But he was on my shoulder right through the whole day and I dedicate the win to him. It’s been very difficult. He was my younger brother – the ‘bairn’ as he was called.

"He was a big, big presence in our lives. He’ll be sitting up there with my other brother saying, ‘look at those two daft buggers, me and ‘Pink’ (Ian), trying to win another promotion.

“But we did and I’m very happy for everyone connected with East Fife. I’ve got a few of them through the years. I’ve got 11 promotions and let’s see if we can make it 12.”

On the night, Tommy Goss’ opener after six minutes had the tie levelled up but in-form winger Adam Laaref crucially found an equaliser eight minutes before the break when he roofed the net. The 4-3 aggregate score remained until the final whistle, with a battling second-half showing – and a couple of cracking saves from Hearts loanee Liam McFarlane – seeing the Fifers over the line.

Having missed out on the Scottish League Two title by a single point to Peterhead, Campbell was delighted that his team prevailed in the play-offs and secured a deserved promotion.

Campbell: East Fife were unlucky not to win League Two title

He added: “We set our targets at the start of the season. We were a wee bit unlucky not to win the championship. But we’ve proven we’re a good side and we’re up, no matter what.

“These play-off games are difficult. I thought we deserved to win the game, I thought we edged it. But I’m not really bothered what anybody thinks! Liam McFarlane made two world-class saves late on for us.

“I’m more interested in winning that game for everybody connected to East Fife. There were hundreds of fans down here, it’s fantastic. Whether that’s the rebirth of East Fife, I don’t know. This is a step forward for the club.

“It is hard for Annan, I have to give them some praise. But I thought we deserved to win promotion.”

East Fife will now play Scottish League One football next term having spent three campaigns in the fourth tier after being relegated back in 2022.