Albion Rovers 1 v 0 East Fife 
Bell's Cup Round 1
2nd August 2003
Albion Rovers 1 v 0 East Fife
Bell's Cup Round 1
2nd August 2003
Click to enlarge
The following photos are courtesy and © Dominic
Smith
Attendance : 219
Scorer ~ Albion Rovers : Diack (82)
"It’s goals that count". That well-known football truism was never more evident than at Cliftonhill last Saturday when although visitors East Fife clearly had the majority of the ball, they were unable to put it in the net due to dreadful finishing and good goalkeeping. Rovers, on the other hand, displayed very good football at times - and dogged determination.
It was sweet revenge for Rovers against the team which pipped them for promotion last season, and the Fifers’ manager Jim Moffat was somewhat peeved at having to accept the reverse.
On the other side of the coin, Peter Hetherston was naturally delighted at progressing to the second round of the Bell’s Cup although he conceded that his lads can, and will, play better.
The first chance came the Fifers’ way in five minutes when Les Byle - newly signed from Hibs - fired high over from 20 yards. Within seconds, however, play had swung to the other end where visiting ‘keeper Gary O’Connor raced from his charge to beat Paul McManus to a through ball. Then David Farrell’s shot slipped past a post before East Fife’s ace marksman Kenny Deuchar saw his header cleared off the line by Jordan Smith.
Fahey Does His Job
In the 28th minute, a typically clever pass from Kevin McAllister found McManus on the right but the new man blasted the ball wildly over the crossbar. Four minutes later, Deuchar had a golden opportunity to open the scoring when he beat the offside trap to burst clear of the defence. Advancing on Chris Fahey, success looked certain, but the ‘keeper dived at the striker’s feet to clutch the ball and save the day. Then, in the 36th minute, it looked as if Rovers were bound to score when McManus drove against the goalkeeper and the ball rebounded to wee McAllister lurking near the edge of the area. His shot was firm and true but the ball ricocheted off a defender and was cleared.
After Andy Paterson had made space to fire over a low cross which O’Connor gratefully flopped upon, he was withdrawn to allow Iain Diack to take the field - a move which turned out to be a match-winner. On the hour, East Fife’s Willie Stewart indulged in some nifty footwork inside the area, but his final shot did not match his leading-up skill and all his effort was wasted. The 68th minute saw a good Farrell cross just elude McManus at the back post, and there then followed something of a lull when there was little of note to excite the crowd.
Diack Pounces
Just as extra-time looked like detaining our departure for another half-hour, Rovers scored. A long ball from defence was knocked on by Farrell to the alert Diack and with the Fife defenders desperately trying to clear, the substitute put the ball into the net with what can only be described as a toe-poke. Elegant? No. Valuable? Yes.
In the remaining time, there were a couple of half chances at either end, but Rovers held out to take the scalp of their Second Division opponents and give them selves a good start to the season.
There were a number of contenders for Man of the Match, but Jordan Smith, Kevin McAllister and Graeme McCaul were just beaten to the accolade by the outstanding Chris Fahey.
Albion Rovers : Fahey, Paterson (Diack 55), Stirling, Smith, Cormack, McCaig, McAllister (Connolly 87), Farrell, McManus (Robertson 90), McCaul, Mercer. Unused Subs, Kerr, Swain.
East Fife : O’Connor, Kelly, Miller, Mortimer, Hall, McDonald, McMillan, Byle, Deuchar, Stewart (Fairbairn 75), Donaldson (Mitchell 87). Unused Subs : Russell, Blair, McKeown.
Referee : David Somers.
Man of the Match : Chris Fahey
