East Fife return and are raring to get going again

It's been a long wait, but East Fife will resume their league season shortly. Pic by Kenny Mackay

Darren Young’s men wasted little time after being given the green light to resume practice last week, gathering at Bayview to blow off the cobwebs.

The manager said he was delighted with the fitness levels of his players, who have been out of action since a Scottish Cup tie win over Tranent Juniors on January 9.

The nation’s lower leagues were suspended from play just a few days afterwards due to a rise in coronavirus levels,

League One, League Two and the Women’s Premier will all resume their respective league campaigns within weeks with the Fifers working towards March 20 as the first weekend back on the park.

East Fife boss Young said: “Training went really well, everybody was back and looking sharp and fit.

"We’re looking forward to it all now, it’s good to be back and it helps that the boys have obviously been keeping themselves right.

"We’ll be gradually easing them back in because we can’t just go gung ho.

"It’s about making sure they’re alright and we’ll get there slowly but surely.”

Had the season not been suspended, East Fife were scheduled for a trip to face Falkirk on March 20 but it’s still unclear if the fixture list will resume from that point or from the point it was stopped.

Although the leagues are now likely to start a week on Saturday, there is still some clarity needed on how the campaign will be completed.

All 20 clubs in the third and fourth tiers are again putting on a united front and concede the scheduled 27 game season is no longer a realistic possibility.

In a combined statement released last week, the clubs put forward a proposal to play 22 games, with a split in each league after 18 games, followed by the four further games.

But with the Scottish Cup, which is only at the second round stage, still to be completed as well, Young has doubts if a 22 game season is possible.

East Fife have played just nine league games so far.

He added: “I think it’ll be 18 games to be honest, I can’t see it being any more or any less.

"They’re not extending the league which only gives us five game weeks which for us will be two games a week.”