Albion Rovers 3 v 0 East Fife 
Division 3
13th October 2001
Albion Rovers 3 v 0 East Fife
Division 3
13th October 2001
Attendance : 303
Scorers ~ Albion Rovers : Booth (16, 42 pen), Smith (65).
If this match had finished 6-0 for Rovers - as it possibly should have done - it would have been absolutely no surprise, so far ahead were the Cliftonhill lads in every department of the game. Even losing goalkeeper Chris Fahey and the influential Tom Tait to first-half injuries didn’t seem to faze the others as replacements Scott Shearer and Gerry McKenna slotted in to the respective positions with ease.
The pre-match loss of Todd Lumsden was a blow to manager John McVeigh, but Jamie McKenzie came into a midfield position and had a great game. Having said that, there was not a single failure for Rovers as they used aggression, tenacity and skill to overcome their opponents, with Mark Booth the undoubted hero of the day.
Only four minutes had been played when a Martin Harty shot skidded across the face of the Fife goal with the onrushing Paul Bonar just failing to connect at the back post. Rovers were well on top however, and made the breakthrough in 16 minutes when a slide-rule pass by Jamie McKenzie found Iain Diack on the right. The striker showed some neat footwork to make enough space to send a cut-back on to the boot of Booth who wasted no time in blasting the ball into the roof of the net. A few minutes later, Booth was again in the thick of things as he chased a through ball which visiting ‘keeper Ross Godfrey grabbed off his toe in the nick of time. Harty then found the net, but from a clear offside position, before Fahey - with a pulled muscle - was forced into retirement.
The interval whistle was only three minutes away when there was period of hectic activity ensued. Firstly, Tait was replaced by McKenna, then defender Willie Wilson brought down Booth in the box and was booked. Booth easily scored from the spot before the yellow card was flashed in his direction, the reason being unclear but possibly for ungentlemanly conduct. Two-nil for Rovers at the break was most satisfactory.
Within minutes of the restart, it was evident that Booth was after his hat-trick when a thirty-five yard drive screamed no more than a couple of feet over the crossbar. Then McKenzie’s good footwork gave him an opportunity which Godfrey was happy to touch over for a corner, and from Colin Waldie’s excellent pass, Chris Silvestro saw his low shot saved by the ‘keeper. With 65 minutes on the clock, the victory was sealed when Jordan Smith - up with his attackers - got on the end of a Waldie pass to flick an exquisite goal into the top corner. There was no way back for the Fifers after that and the game became a bit flat. Nevertheless, Rovers passed up at least three more good scoring chances, and Silvestro was desperately unlucky when his final minute shot crashed off the crossbar.
After the match, boss John McVeigh’s only criticism was that the goal tally was not significantly higher. And he was right - it should have been, for this was a fine performance by Rovers which might have reaped greater scoring rewards.
Albion Rovers : Fahey (Shearer 31), Smith, Tait (McKenna 41), Hamilton, McKenzie, Booth, Waldie, Silvestro, Harty, Diack (McMullan 70), Bonar. Unused Subs : McLean, Easton.
East Fife : Godfrey, Wilson, Gallagher, Gibson, Oliver, Mortimer, Munro, Bailey (Graham 72), McManus, Nairn (Herkes 46), Allan (Cunningham 46). Unused Subs : Courts, McGovern.
Referee : Ian Brines.
Man of the Match : Mark Booth
