Now more than ever, East Fife need full backing of their fans

East Fife’s loss to Elgin City brought the club’s Premier Sports Cup campaign to an end at Bayview on Saturday.
By Scott Inglis
Published 26th Jul 2021, 10:51 BST
Updated 26th Jul 2021, 11:13 BST
The Fifers are all smiles....but it wasn't to lastThe Fifers are all smiles....but it wasn't to last
The Fifers are all smiles....but it wasn't to last

It drew a line under what has been a turbulent pre-season nobody around Bayview will remember fondly.

East Fife kick off a new League One campaign at home on Saturday, with last year’s League Two winners, Queen’s Park, the visitors.

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But before a ball has been kicked, it’s tough to remember such a difficult period for the Methil club going into a new season.

Liam Newton puts pressure on the Elgin defenceLiam Newton puts pressure on the Elgin defence
Liam Newton puts pressure on the Elgin defence

Injuries to key players, signed players deciding to move on and transfer deal shenanigans have made life tougher than it should be for Darren Young.

It all started well enough, the signing of Mark McGuigan welcomed by the support, only for the striker to ask for his contract to be ripped up due to a change in work commitments. Young looked for a replacement and thought he had found it in Chris Wreh.

Wreh knew what East Fife could offer, but his wage demands changed and far exceeded what was available.

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East Fife, if anything, should be commended for their refusal to buckle.

Kevin Smith opened the scoring in stunning style. All pics by Kenny MackayKevin Smith opened the scoring in stunning style. All pics by Kenny Mackay
Kevin Smith opened the scoring in stunning style. All pics by Kenny Mackay

The loss of Scott Agnew presented Danny Swanson with his chance to become the club’s real creative force.

Everyone knows his quality, but a serious knee injury while the side were into double figures against Burntisland Shipyard has ruled him out for a couple of months.

He’s joined by Ross Davidson, Aaron Dunsmore, Stewart Murdoch and Scott Mercer – all expected starters - on the treatment table.

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And then, just as the Fifers were coming to terms with a 3-2 loss to Elgin City, full match report on fifetoday.co.uk, they learned that talisman striker Ryan Wallace had decided to take a break from the game to spend more time with his family.

Winger Danny Denholm finds his route to goal blockedWinger Danny Denholm finds his route to goal blocked
Winger Danny Denholm finds his route to goal blocked

East Fife need to be resilient, and proved in their narrow loss to Dundee United they still have the nucleus of a squad who can compete.

There’s been understandable concern amongst Fife fans on social media about the events of the past few weeks, and that’s fair enough.

But that has to be left at the turnstile on Saturday, the players needing, now more than ever, the full backing of their supporters.

Related topics:Darren YoungElgin City

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