East Fife 0 v 4 Albion Rovers 
Division 3
2nd November 2002
East Fife 0 v 4 Albion Rovers
Division 3
2nd November 2002
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Attendance : 575
Scorers ~ Albion Rovers : Mercer (21), Stirling (26 pen), McCaig (69), McLean (85).
With bonfire night on the horizon, Rovers lit the blue touch-paper and provided their own brand of soccer fireworks to light up the Fife sky with this superb display which had the league leaders back on their heels for almost the whole ninety minutes. The only blot on an otherwise splendid day came when we watched Jered Stirling being carried off on a stretcher near the end.
Rovers - in their two-tone change strip - had John McCaig at centre-back for the injured Peter Cormack and Lee Duncan up front as a partner for Charles McLean, with John Bradford finding a place on the bench.
Within the first five minutes, Rovers, aided by a stiff breeze, had a few early excursions towards the home goal, but Stirling’s cross was just too strong and from the second of successive corner kicks, the initial shot was blocked and Jordan Smith headed the rebound narrowly past. In the eighth minute, an excellent three-man move involving McLean, Kevin McAllister and the energetic Chris Silvestro culminated in a fierce shot from the latter which home ‘keeper Jim Butter diverted for a corner.
Following some severe pressure, and just after a scorching Stirling free-kick had been touched over by Butter, Rovers eventually made the deserved breakthrough in 21 minutes. A McAllister corner was headed back by Todd Lumsden and in the middle of something of a free-for-all, Jim Mercer was able to connect with the ball and send it over the line. In 25 minutes, a Fife corner from ex-Rover Euan Donaldson caused problems on Rovers’ goal-line and within seconds, at the other end, McLean was cleanly and clearly tripped as he sped into the box. No question, it was a penalty and Stirling fairly thumped the ball into the net to double the lead.
For the remainder of the first half, Rover continued to dominate, but had a little trouble in gauging the flight of the ball as it was hurled forward on the wind. Almost on the break, the mercurial McAllister worked his magic on the left and slung over a good cross which Silvestro met but could not direct into the net.
Although it was generally expected that with the assistance of the wind, East Fife would be in charge during the second half, it didn’t work out that way, for Rovers kept the ball low and created enough problems to ensure that the home midfield couldn’t give their forwards the supply necessary to unduly trouble the visitors’ defence. In 51 minutes, Mercer and McLean combined to send Silvestro clear, but his diagonal run into the box was halted by a good late tackle. In the 65th minute, Scott Shearer - generally speaking, seriously unemployed throughout - displayed superb reflexes to divert a close-range header over the top, and four minutes later Rovers scored the goal which virtually sealed the win. A Stirling corner was met by the leaping John McCaig whose header somehow evaded all the bodies crowding the goal-line and ended up behind Butter.
With a quarter of an hour to go, Rovers lost Stirling to an obviously painful injury, but by that time the game was won in any case. With only five minutes remaining, the icing on the cake was supplied by the forceful McLean who slid in to meet a low cross from substitute Bradford and tuck away the fourth goal.
This was a sparkling show by Peter Hetherston’s men. Now, all the manager has to do is persuade them that they can do it every week.
East Fife : Butter, McMillan (Walker 67), Donaldson, Mortimer, Hall, Russell, Love, Farnan (Cunningham 61), Herkes, Allison, Ovenstone. Unused Subs : Rollo, Nairn, Martin.
Albion Rovers : Shearer, Paterson, Stirling (Bradford 75), Smith, McCaig, Lumsden, McAllister (Diack 63), Silvestro (Coulter 90), Duncan, McLean, Mercer. Unused Subs : Stevenson, Fahey.
Referee : Garry Mitchell.
Men of the Match : Jim Mercer & Charles McLean
