East Fife F.C.
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| East Fife | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | East Fife Football Club | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | The Fifers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Founded | 1903 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ground | Bayview Stadium Methil, Scotland |
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| Capacity | 2,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chairman |  William Gray |
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| Manager | David Baikie |
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| League | Scottish Third Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005-06 | Third Division, 7th | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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East Fife Football Club (also known as East Fife or The Fifers) is a Scottish football club based in the town of Methil, Fife. They are members of the Scottish Football League and currently play in the Third Division.
The club, formed in 1903, boasts a distinguished and unique history, being the first club to win the Scottish League Cup three times and the only club to win the Scottish Cup while playing in the Second Division, which at that time was the second tier of the Scottish league structure (it is now the third tier).
Recently there have been fan protests demanding the removal of Board member Derrick Brown. Brown had previously been club Chairman, but was eventually forced to resign his post due to sustained fan pressure. Despite Brown's "demotion", his continued involvement in club affairs is a source of controversy amongst club officials and supporters alike. Most recently, this culminated in current Chairman William Gray tendering his resignation; however, he withdrew this a matter of hours later, partly due to fan support for his tenure.
As well as the well-publicised events of the last year or so involving Mr Brown, it is widely thought that the majority shareholder of Dumbarton also owns, by proxy, a majority stake in the Fifers.
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[edit] History
After spending its first season competing in the Fife League and the Scottish Qualifying Cup, as well as playing in a number of challenge matches, the club joined the Eastern League for season 1904-05.
The following season East Fife joined the Northern League, which included clubs such as Dunfermline Athletic and St Johnstone. The club remained in the Northern League until season 1908-09. In 1909, East Fife joined the Central League, which consisted of many of the teams who had played in the Northern League, with the addition of Alloa Athletic, Stenhousemuir and King's Park from Stirling.
East Fife remained in the Central League until 1921, apart from a period during the First World War when the Eastern League was reformed. In the period following the war, the clubs competing for the Central League were mainly from the coal and shale mining communities of Fife and West Lothian. As the mining towns thrived with the growth of the mining industry and its associated influx of miners and their families, so did the local football clubs. The result of this was that by the end of the decade, the Central League clubs could afford to pay their players higher wages than they would receive in the Scottish Football League. In an effort to stop the migration of its players to the Central League, the Scottish League decided to admit the Central League clubs, including East Fife, to its membership. The Central League therefore became the Scottish Second Division at the start of season 1921-22.
Only six years after becoming members of the Scottish League, East Fife appeared in the 1927 Scottish Cup final, which it lost 3-1 to Celtic at Hampden Park. This remarkable feat would surpassed just over a decade later when "The Fifers" won the 1938 Scottish Cup. The prestigious cup was secured with a 4-2 triumph over Kilmarnock in the final. The game was watched by a crowd of almost 92,000 spectators, who witnessed the club become the first (and so far only) Second Division side to win the Scottish Cup.
East Fife's best years were undoubtedly in the decade following the Second World War. During this "Golden Period", the club won the Scottish League Cup on no fewer than three separate occasions, as well as adding a third Scottish Cup final appearance to it’s achievements.
The club’s league record is also impressive. In the five seasons between 1948 and 1953, East Fife finished it's Scottish First Division (then the pinnacle of Scottish football) campaign in third place twice and in fourth place twice. In one of these seasons, 1952-53, East Fife were still in the running for the league title with only a few games remaining, eventually finishing only four points behind eventual champions Rangers.
In recent decades, the Methil outfit has struggled to match it‘s historic success. This is emphasised by the fact that aside from three seasons during the early 1970's, the club has played all of it's football outside the top league since the 1950's.
In November 1998, East Fife moved to a purpose built stadium at Methil Docks.
[edit] Stadium
- See also: Bayview Stadium
East Fife's home matches are played at the First 2 Finance Bayview Stadium, capacity 2,000 (all seated). The ground has one stand and is open at the three remaining sides. The far side is overshadowed by the derelict Methil power station.
[edit] Achievements
- Scottish Cup:
- Winners (1): 1938
- Runners-up (2): 1927, 1950
- Scottish League Cup:
- Winners (3): 1948, 1950, 1954
- Scottish Second Division:
- Winners (1): 1948
- Supplementary Cup:
- Winners (2): 1947, 1948
- Scottish Qualifying Cup:
- Winners (1): 1921
- Fife Cup:
- Winners (11): 1908, 1932, 1933, 1936, 1937, 1946, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1979, 1985
- Wemyss Cup:
- Winners (6): 1912, 1913, 1918, 1935, 1936, 1937
- Penman Cup:
- Winners (4): 1910, 1917, 1939, 1962
[edit] Management team
- Manager: David Baikie
- Assistant Manager: Graeme Irons
- Goalkeeping Coach: David Westwood
- Physiotherapists: Brian McNeil & Stuart Murphy
- Youth Team Coaches: Gary McAlpine & Alex Blyth
[edit] Board of directors
- William Gray (Chairman)
- Sidney Collumbine (Vice-Chairman)
- Andrew Hain
- David Hamilton
- John Sharp
- David Stevenson
[edit] Club records
- Largest win: 13-2 v Edinburgh City in 1937
- Worst defeat: 0-9 v Heart of Midlothian in 1957
- Record attendance: 22,515 v Raith Rovers in 1950
[edit] External links
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