Showing posts with label Cowdenbeath. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cowdenbeath. Show all posts
Thursday, 4 August 2011
Raith Defender Is Up For Cups
Click here to read my interview with Raith Rovers defender, Laurie Ellis. It was published in the Fife Free Press.
Friday, 22 July 2011
Scottish Football Predictions 2011/12
Below is my Scottish football predictions for the 2011/12 season as published here on The Away End.
SPL winner: Celtic
SPL runner up: Rangers
SPL third place: Hearts
SPL relegated: Inverness
First Division Winner: Ross County
First Division Relegated: Ayr United
Second Division Winner: East Fife
Second Division Relegated: Cowdenbeath
Third Division Winner: Peterhead
Will Scotland make Euro 2012: No
SPL winner: Celtic
SPL runner up: Rangers
SPL third place: Hearts
SPL relegated: Inverness
First Division Winner: Ross County
First Division Relegated: Ayr United
Second Division Winner: East Fife
Second Division Relegated: Cowdenbeath
Third Division Winner: Peterhead
Will Scotland make Euro 2012: No
Monday, 16 May 2011
The Terrace Scottish Football Podcast: Team of the Year
Click here to listen to the latest episode of The Terrace.
We talk about Rangers and how they are the Champions of Scotland for the 54th time, as Walter Smith bows out of the Ibrox hotseat a winner. We'll have the story of Helicopter Sunday, and chat about where the title was one and lost, what's next and chat about the extraordinary and laudable atmosphere's at both Rugby Park and Celtic Park.
The SFL playoff's promise excitement, and the semi-finals did not disappoint. Cowdenbeath and Alloa both went out at the semi stage, meaning both are relegated [to SFL2 and SFL3 resepectively]. We'll hand out praise where it's due and look ahead to Ayr vs Brechin [for a place in SFL1] and Albion vs Annan Athletic [for a place in SFL2].
And, as a special end of [SPL] season treat, we will be piecing together our SPL Team of the Year 10/11, with our usual proviso; that every team should be represented [11 players, 1 coach]. Feel free to get in touch if you agree/disagree with out selection.
Remember, also - we'll be back on Friday with a pre-Cup final special, so be sure to download that on Friday as your perfect prelude to the Hampden showpiece.
Email: theterrace@scotzine.com ¦ Twitter: @terracepodcast
We talk about Rangers and how they are the Champions of Scotland for the 54th time, as Walter Smith bows out of the Ibrox hotseat a winner. We'll have the story of Helicopter Sunday, and chat about where the title was one and lost, what's next and chat about the extraordinary and laudable atmosphere's at both Rugby Park and Celtic Park.The SFL playoff's promise excitement, and the semi-finals did not disappoint. Cowdenbeath and Alloa both went out at the semi stage, meaning both are relegated [to SFL2 and SFL3 resepectively]. We'll hand out praise where it's due and look ahead to Ayr vs Brechin [for a place in SFL1] and Albion vs Annan Athletic [for a place in SFL2].
And, as a special end of [SPL] season treat, we will be piecing together our SPL Team of the Year 10/11, with our usual proviso; that every team should be represented [11 players, 1 coach]. Feel free to get in touch if you agree/disagree with out selection.
Remember, also - we'll be back on Friday with a pre-Cup final special, so be sure to download that on Friday as your perfect prelude to the Hampden showpiece.
Email: theterrace@scotzine.com ¦ Twitter: @terracepodcast
Sunday, 15 May 2011
Terrace Travels #10: Cowdenbeath 0-2 Brechin City
Click here or read below for my experiences at the recent fixture between Cowdenbeath and Brechin City. It was published on The Terrace.
Brechin are Reekin'
The playoffs have been an absolute revelation to the SFL since their introduction. They attract bigger crowds, high tension and drama. With this in mind, The Terrace's Will Lyon headed along to Cowdenbeath for their second leg, semi final fixture against Brechin City, with the scores tied at 2-2 from the first leg.
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| The unique Central Park, Cowdenbeath |
The sun was shining and the fans were out in force. Central Park may not be the prettiest sight in the world, but as it loomed in the distance I could not help feeling a tinge of sadness that this could be my last visit, due to new plans to demolish the old lady. Or am I just a bit soppy?
As my dad and I walked towards the rickety ground, we were made to feel welcome by a group of teenagers who booed us, presumably because we were walking behind two middle-aged men proudly sporting Brechin City shirts.
We walked into the ground and took our seats with fifteen minutes to kickoff. Of course, Central Park hosts stock car racing and therefore fans have to sit well away from the pitch. To make matters worse, floodlights and wired fences also hinder the view from the stands. Despite this, (and I am probably in the minority) I still cannot help liking the unique ground.
After initially basking in the sunshine, my dad realised he had left his phone on top of the car (he's getting old) and hurried back to the car park to pick it up. With the greatest of respect to Cowdenbeath, if you have visited the town before, I am sure you can imagine how lucky he was that it was still there five minutes later.
As I was sitting on my own, Ross County manager Jimmy Calderwood came up into the stand, presumably to support his pal and Cowdenbeath manager, Jimmy Nicholl. The initially empty terracing was also beginning to fill and it was a pleasure to see both sets of fans freely mixing together, with few policemen in sight. The usual songs about Brechin fans liking sheep was sung by Cowdenbeath fans and by the sounds of things, City fans were only too happy to remind the home support that they were from Fife and therefore likely to be married to their sister…
My dad arrived back, just in time for the pre-match entertainment which featured a group of youngsters carrying out some daring dance moves. One unlucky girl was flung up into the air, only to be dropped after gravity had hauled her back to earth, but that aside, everything went to plan.
The match kicked off at a frantic pace that bestows the typical lower league football fixture. Unfortunately, the quality of football in the first half was hampered by a bumpy pitch and the strong wind hardly helped matters. However, the two sets of fans on the terracing appeared to be having a good time and the policemen were chuckling along with the banter. Conversely, Raith Rovers manager John McGlynn, sitting behind us, did not appear to be having a particularly good time. To improve the situation, he left his seat just before half time and staggered back with a supply of pies for assistant manager Paul Smith and office manager Bob Mullen.
During the interval, numerous signed Cowdenbeath shirts were given away by mascot “Bluebell the Coo” to delighted youngsters, before the club's under-14s attempted a one-on-one shootout against their poor goalkeepers, dwarfed by the full sized goals.
In the second half, Cowdenbeath began to take control of the game, but repeatedly saw their shots blocked by brave Brechin defenders or saved by veteran ‘keeper Craig Nelson. However, it was the away side who took the lead. The impressive Jamie Redman nipped in ahead of a static defence and struck home from six yards. With just ten minutes to play, Cowdenbeath flung men forward, only to concede the inevitable breakaway goal, with Craig Molloy tapping in to seal his side's place in the final against Ayr United. The result also condemned Cowdenbeath to relegation down to Division Two and questions will be asked if Nicholl will stay at the club, along with experienced pros Stevie Crawford and Colin Cameron.
The Cowdenbeath young team let out their anger by chanting “Brechin are reekin'” and although their fans smelt perfectly fine to me, their team were no great shakes and you would expect Ayr to topple them for the coveted place in the First Division.
written by Will Lyon
Saturday, 9 April 2011
Saturday 9th April 2011 - Raith Rovers 2 v 2 Cowdenbeath
Please click here or read below for my match report from this afternoon's fixture between Raith Rovers and Cowdenbeath. It was published on the official Raith Rovers website.
Raith Rovers failed to knock Dunfermline Athletic off the top of the table this afternoon after a 2-2 draw with relegation strugglers Cowdenbeath, but in truth, the situation could have been worse.
Greg Stewart opened the scoring for Cowdenbeath on the 55th minute, only for Rovers centre-half, Grant Murray to slam in an equaliser four minutes later.
However, on the 70th minute, a mistake by Raith keeper’ Andrew McNeil led to Stewart nipping in and scoring his second, into an empty net.
With the clock ticking down, it looked like all three points would be heading to Cowdenbeath, until Mark Campbell scrambled the ball over the line for a last minute leveller.
The game was frantic from the word go, with play thundering from end to end and it was remarkable that both teams were unable to score before the break.
Last week’s hero, Allan Walker, was first to strike at the Cowdenbeath goal and Stewart was quick to reply for the visitors, but neither could find a way past the opposing keepers’.
On the twelfth minute, Raith had a fantastic opportunity to open the scoring when Gregory Tade won a header and laid the ball off to John Baird who snatched at his shot, which failed to even find the target.
Four minutes later, Cowdenbeath had just as good a chance when a suspiciously offside-looking Stewart latched onto a long ball and cut inside, only to be thwarted by McNeil. The ball landed at the feet of Scott Linton who had the goal at his mercy, but Craig Wilson made the all-important block and the danger was cleared.
Any neutrals at Starks Park would have been delighted with the excitement on show, which incidentally, was showing no signs of ebbing.
Cowdenbeath’s next great opportunity came to fruition 29 minutes in, when a cross into the Raith box was unable to be cleared by Campbell and former Rover, Stevie Crawford, nipped in, but McNeil pulled off a wonderful save to deny the thirty-seven-year-old.
Three minutes later, Tade and Baird linked again, with the latter outpacing another former Rover, Craig Winter, and he looked set to score, but Cowdenbeath keeper’ Ludovic Roy had other ideas, making a quality stop with his legs.
Tade lobbed a shot wide of the goal, before Roy made a second crucial save in the dying embers of the first half. Former Blue Brazil winger, Scott McBride, crossed a flush ball into the box, Baird connected very well and Roy made just as good an effort to save the shot.
The teams went back into their respective dressing rooms for a half-time refreshment and reflected on what might have been. With better composure and a bit of luck, the scoreline could have been 3-3 at this stage.
Thankfully, the second half started no differently. Both sides were intent on gaining the three points and it was Cowdenbeath who took the initiative on the 55th minute.
Stewart had been causing problems all game and he had Murray twisting and turning once more, deep in the Rovers half. With Murray left in tangles, the striker ran in on goal and beat McNeil on his near post to send the small band of travelling fans ballistic.
Two minutes later, Cowdenbeath had a strong penalty appeal turned down and sixty seconds later, their lead had vanished. McBride curled a corner right onto the head of Murray whose effort was so powerful that Roy’s right hand was unable to stop the ball crossing the line.
The home fans were now roaring and believing their side could go on to clinch the three points, but they almost found themselves pegged back immediately when Stewart got himself on the end of a cross only to be denied by a fantastic fingertip save by McNeil.
On the 66th minute, Baird missed yet another brilliant opportunity when he connected first-time to a Walker cross and he watched in agony as his shot dribbled past the post, with Roy rooted to the spot.
Two minutes later, Murray was beaten again, this time by Crawford who rolled the years back and turned the defender cleverly. However, McNeil looked in the form of his life, rushing out and pulling off a phenomenal block with his chest.
Almost before the Rovers fans had finished sounding their appreciation of their keeper’, McNeil went from hero to zero. A long ball over the top was left by Campbell for McNeil to clear, but he hit the ball straight at Stewart and it looped towards the Raith goal and the striker, with the goal lying empty, made no mistake from six yards out.
Graham Weir replaced winger McBride as Rovers pushed everybody up front. However, the long balls were not working, the chances were drying up and Cowdenbeath looked dangerous on the break.
With Raith fans about to start their exodus out of Starks Park, they were soon halted when a long ball into the box was not dealt with by the Cowdenbeath defence and somehow Campbell managed to scrape the ball over the line from 8 yards.
Unbelievably, Raith could have secured all the points three minutes into injury time when a Baird cross was met by Tade but the Frenchman could only head the ball into the ground and just wide of the post.
With both sides contributing to such a fantastic open game it was only fair that both came away with a point, but Rovers, particularly John Baird, may regret their missed chances.
The result means Raith are now one point behind Dunfermline with four games to play. Next week Rovers face Stirling Albion at the Doubletree Dunblane Stadium, the same location where Stevie Hislop fired Rovers top of the Second Division two seasons ago. Will history repeat itself?
Rovers Bounce Back Twice To Claim Point
Raith Rovers failed to knock Dunfermline Athletic off the top of the table this afternoon after a 2-2 draw with relegation strugglers Cowdenbeath, but in truth, the situation could have been worse.
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| The teams |
Greg Stewart opened the scoring for Cowdenbeath on the 55th minute, only for Rovers centre-half, Grant Murray to slam in an equaliser four minutes later.
However, on the 70th minute, a mistake by Raith keeper’ Andrew McNeil led to Stewart nipping in and scoring his second, into an empty net.
With the clock ticking down, it looked like all three points would be heading to Cowdenbeath, until Mark Campbell scrambled the ball over the line for a last minute leveller.
The game was frantic from the word go, with play thundering from end to end and it was remarkable that both teams were unable to score before the break.
Last week’s hero, Allan Walker, was first to strike at the Cowdenbeath goal and Stewart was quick to reply for the visitors, but neither could find a way past the opposing keepers’.
On the twelfth minute, Raith had a fantastic opportunity to open the scoring when Gregory Tade won a header and laid the ball off to John Baird who snatched at his shot, which failed to even find the target.
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| The teams warm up |
Any neutrals at Starks Park would have been delighted with the excitement on show, which incidentally, was showing no signs of ebbing.
Cowdenbeath’s next great opportunity came to fruition 29 minutes in, when a cross into the Raith box was unable to be cleared by Campbell and former Rover, Stevie Crawford, nipped in, but McNeil pulled off a wonderful save to deny the thirty-seven-year-old.
Three minutes later, Tade and Baird linked again, with the latter outpacing another former Rover, Craig Winter, and he looked set to score, but Cowdenbeath keeper’ Ludovic Roy had other ideas, making a quality stop with his legs.
Tade lobbed a shot wide of the goal, before Roy made a second crucial save in the dying embers of the first half. Former Blue Brazil winger, Scott McBride, crossed a flush ball into the box, Baird connected very well and Roy made just as good an effort to save the shot.
The teams went back into their respective dressing rooms for a half-time refreshment and reflected on what might have been. With better composure and a bit of luck, the scoreline could have been 3-3 at this stage.
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| Some warm up music from Kirkcaldy High School |
Stewart had been causing problems all game and he had Murray twisting and turning once more, deep in the Rovers half. With Murray left in tangles, the striker ran in on goal and beat McNeil on his near post to send the small band of travelling fans ballistic.
Two minutes later, Cowdenbeath had a strong penalty appeal turned down and sixty seconds later, their lead had vanished. McBride curled a corner right onto the head of Murray whose effort was so powerful that Roy’s right hand was unable to stop the ball crossing the line.
The home fans were now roaring and believing their side could go on to clinch the three points, but they almost found themselves pegged back immediately when Stewart got himself on the end of a cross only to be denied by a fantastic fingertip save by McNeil.
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| Raith fans in the South Stand |
Two minutes later, Murray was beaten again, this time by Crawford who rolled the years back and turned the defender cleverly. However, McNeil looked in the form of his life, rushing out and pulling off a phenomenal block with his chest.
Almost before the Rovers fans had finished sounding their appreciation of their keeper’, McNeil went from hero to zero. A long ball over the top was left by Campbell for McNeil to clear, but he hit the ball straight at Stewart and it looped towards the Raith goal and the striker, with the goal lying empty, made no mistake from six yards out.
Graham Weir replaced winger McBride as Rovers pushed everybody up front. However, the long balls were not working, the chances were drying up and Cowdenbeath looked dangerous on the break.
With Raith fans about to start their exodus out of Starks Park, they were soon halted when a long ball into the box was not dealt with by the Cowdenbeath defence and somehow Campbell managed to scrape the ball over the line from 8 yards.
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| Cowdenbeath fans in the McDermid Stand |
With both sides contributing to such a fantastic open game it was only fair that both came away with a point, but Rovers, particularly John Baird, may regret their missed chances.
The result means Raith are now one point behind Dunfermline with four games to play. Next week Rovers face Stirling Albion at the Doubletree Dunblane Stadium, the same location where Stevie Hislop fired Rovers top of the Second Division two seasons ago. Will history repeat itself?
written by Will Lyon
Saturday, 12 February 2011
First Division Round-Up - Saturday 12th February 2011
Fairytale Dees, sacking Staggies and a ceremony at Central Park...just another day in the First Division!
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| Neil McCann celebrates after scoring against Raith Rovers |
After their CVA agreement on Tuesday, Dundee's financial problems appeared to heading towards an end. The question was, how would Dundee respond on the park to this welcome news? The answer would be provided in fairytale fashion with their match winner coming from a man who came out of retirement and played for no fee, just to help out his first ever senior side.
Dundee were facing top of the table Raith Rovers at Dens Park in a clash that would have been a top of the table one, if it were not for the Dees SFL imposed points deduction.
Both teams struggled to dictate play in the opening period but it would be Rovers who took the lead after a Grant Murray header beat former Scotland keeper' Rab Douglas.
However, few could have predicted the perfect comeback from the battling Dees. Gary Harkins stepped up 25 yards from goal and curled a stupendous freekick into the back of the net to haul Dundee level with just 7 minutes to go.
The fairytale comeback was complete, unbelievably, in the 5th minute of stoppage time when 36-year-old Neil McCann, who came out of retirement to play for Dundee, controlled a cross and delicately looped the ball over the despairing Andrew McNeil to send the Dens Park crowd into raptures. Indeed, the joy on show from both Dundee's players and fans, would bring a tear to a glass eye after recent events.
Elsewhere in the First Division, Dunfermline Athletic romped to a 4-0 victory over struggling Cowdenbeath which means they are now just 2 points behind pace setters Raith, with a game in hand. Other landmarks in this game was an official ceremony for the unveiling of Cowdenbeath's brand new floodlights, but less pleasing for the Central Park side was watching former Blue Brazil striker, Liam Buchanan, scoring his first goal in Dunfermline colours.
At the other end of the table, Ross County laboured to a 0-0 draw against bottom side Stirling Albion and this would prove to be Willie McStay's last match in charge of the Staggies as he was relieved of his duties shortly after the match. Quite unbelievably, it was only McStay's 9th game in charge of the Highland outfit.
Meanwhile, Queen of the South managed to hold Partick Thistle to a thrilling 3-3 draw at Palmerston after two late goals and Falkirk kept up with the title challengers after a narrow 1-0 win over Greenock Morton.
What we have learnt
Today was another reminder that first of all, there are likely to be many twists and turns in the race for promotion. The contenders could not be any more different as Raith are a physical and workman-like side, but Dunfermline are a fairly free-flowing and attacking outfit. However, we cannot forget about Falkirk, who need to place together some sort of Caley-esq consistency if they are to challenge for the title. Narrow wins over Raith and Morton are certainly a step in the right direction for Steven Pressley's men.
At the other end of the table, Dundee, who are as Jim Spence would claim, “morally” top of the league, are already up to 7th place in the real world and bar a catastrophic collapse, are all but clear of relegation because they have a superior side to those around them. So that leaves Stirling rooted at the bottom, which looks like the position they will end up finishing in, unless new manager Jocky Scott can pull a few rabbits out of the hat. The more interesting battle down the bottom is likely to be between Ross County and Cowdenbeath as they battle it out to avoid slipping into the relegation play-off spot. Ross County have a huge decision to make with regards to a new manager and will arguably need to appoint an experienced head, while Cowdenbeath need to find their early season form again if they are to avoid nerve shredding play-off fixtures.
written by Will Lyon
Friday, 4 February 2011
First Division Still Keeping Up With The SPL
Click here for my latest article on how the Scottish First Division standards are still keeping up with the SPL despite the chronic lack of money in the league. It was published in the latest 52 page edition of Scotzine, which you can buy electronically for £1.00 or in print for £2.61. You can purchase the fanzine here.
Saturday, 15 January 2011
Something stirring in the Kingdom of Fife
Click here or read below for my article on the recent success of football in Fife. It was published on The Terrace.
Season 2006/07 seems a long time ago now and Fife clubs, Cowdenbeath, Dunfermline Athletic, East Fife and Raith Rovers have good reasons to push it to the back of their minds.
On 5 May 2007, Raith were humbled 3-1 in the second leg of the Second Division playoff final by Stirling Albion, meaning that the Kirkcaldy side would be stuck in the third tier of Scottish football for another long season. Seven days later Dunfermline fell to a 2-1 defeat at Inverness Caledonian Thistle to confirm their relegation to the First Division after seven brave years in the Scottish Premier League. On the same day East Fife fared no better as they were thrashed 3-0 by Queens Park in the Third Division playoff final, condemning them to the lowest tier of the Scottish Football League for another term. Meanwhile Cowdenbeath narrowly avoided relegation to Division 3 after finishing the season just six points off the relegation play-off position in Division 2.
Oh, how times have changed! Whilst there are still no Fife teams in the SPL, there is a great chance of one being there next season. If you take off the recently-confirmed 25 point deduction for Dundee then Dunfermline and Raith are actually sitting in the top two places of the First Division. There is currently only one point between the sides and Raith have a game in hand over their west Fife rivals.
Cowdenbeath, after two back-to-back promotions find themselves punching well above their weight in the First Division and are remarkably four (nine, if you take Dundee's point deduction into consideration) points clear of the automatic relegation. The Blue Brazil, tipped to go straight back down to Division 2, have defied the odds so far this season. East Fife are currently undergoing a bit of modification after Stevie Crawford stepped down as manager. Despite this, Hearts hero John Robertson has taken the reigns and has the Methil side sitting seventh in the Second Division and has already nabbed a Manager of the Month award.
Football in Fife hasn’t looked so rosy in many years. Cowdenbeath, East Fife and Raith are all in higher leagues compared to 2006/07 and Dunfermline fans will be currently enjoying watching their team fly to the top of the First Division rather than the horrible relegation suffered in 2007. So what has changed?
Dunfermline
The situation at East End Park worsened before it got better. In season 2007/08 the Pars finished their return to Division 1 in a disappointing 5th place and suffered humiliating home defeats to Hamilton Academical (0-5) and Livingston (0-4) in the space of three weeks. After finishing as runners-up in the Scottish Cup the season previous, Dunfermline actually competed in Europe in 2007, but were knocked out at the first hurdle by BK Hacken.
The Pars board soon realised that manager Stephen Kenny was not capable of producing the goods that they demanded and he was sacked on 4 December 2007. Striker Jim McIntyre was handed the job on a permanent basis a month later. Since McIntyre's appointment, the Pars have steadily progressed and finished in a respectable third position in the last two seasons. McIntyre has disposed of dead wood at the club and has brought in some fantastic younger players such as Willie Gibson and Steven Bell. McIntyre has done a fine job and his side look favourites for promotion back into the SPL this season.
Raith Rovers
Season 2006-2007 ended in disappointment for Raith, but it had actually been the start of a new era. Hearts coach John McGlynn was hired on 20 November 2006 and steered Rovers from 9th place in Division 2 to finish 3rd. Rovers finished third again the following season and bowed out in the playoffs to Airdrie United. However, 2008/09 was to be the season that Raith finally hauled themselves back into the First Division, winning automatic promotion by finishing two points ahead of second-placed Ayr United.
McGlynn performed further miracles in 2009-2010 by leading the Starks Park club to 7th place (after amazingly heading the division for a period) and also took the club to their first Scottish Cup semi-final in 47 years.
After keeping Raith up in their return to the First Division, McGlynn added Brechin full back Willie Dyer, Cowdenbeath winger Scott McBride, Montrose keeper Andy McNeil and Airdrie forward John Baird to his squad. Despite these relatively unremarkable signings, Raith somehow find themselves just one point behind Dunfermline and in a promotion battle that even their most ambitious fans could not have predicted at the start of the season.
Cowdenbeath
The recent story of Cowdenbeath is just as impressive as their Kirkcaldy neighbours. However, the story begins with a failure, as in 2007/08 they were relegated to the Third Division, finishing 9th and, via the playoffs, succumbing to a 3-2 aggregate defeat against Arbroath.
The Central Park side sacked manager Brian Welsh in June 2008 and Danny Lennon stepped up from the playing staff to take control in the dugout, much like Jim McIntyre. Yet, much like McIntyre, Lennon proved to be a natural. His managerial reign started well as Cowden finished second in the 2008/09 season and although they lost on penalties to Stenhousemuir in the playoff final they were promoted just days before the start of the new season due to Livingston being demoted to the Third Division.
Remarkably, with a squad that Lennon had assembled to compete in the Third Division, Cowdenbeath performed well above expectations and finished third in Division 2. They defeated Alloa Athletic in the play-off semi-final and then swept past Brechin City 3-0 to unbelievably seal promotion to the First Division.
Danny Lennon left Cowdenbeath for SPL club St. Mirren in the summer, but the experienced Jimmy Nicholl has taken over and produced good results such as narrow victories over Dundee and Raith while a 5-1 romp over Stirling was a particular high point.
East Fife
The Fifers have had the hardest time of the four clubs in recent years, but most of their fans will admit that Division 2 is around their natural level anyway. Season 2007/08 saw a lot of investment in East Fife from Willie Gray and his financial backing paid off as the Methil side ran away with the Third Division title, finishing with 88 points, 23 more than runners-up Stranraer. 2008/09 was expected to be another successful year for East Fife, but Dave Baikie's side failed to make the impact they hoped, finishing sixth in the Second Division.
Striker Stevie Crawford had now taken over the reins and despite the withdrawal of funds from Gray, he managed to keep the team in the division, edging the dreaded play-offs by one point. Recently, John Robertson has taken over as manager which has allowed Crawford to solely focus on scoring goals again. It's still early in Robertson's tenure, but after beating Stenhousemuir 6-0 in their last league fixture they will be looking to push up the league from their current seventh position.
So there you have it. Considering the size of Fife, its football clubs are prospering and progressing very well. There is a fantastic chance of one of them being in the SPL next season and Cowdenbeath will be keen to stay up and keep punching above their weight in Division 1.
As a side note, it is interesting that Cowdenbeath (Danny Lennon), Dunfermline (Jim McIntyre) and Raith Rovers (John McGlynn) have had their clubs transformed by managers that were in their first permanent managerial job. It certainly backs the theory that older and experienced managers are being forced out of the game by chairmen looking for candidates that are in touch with the modern tactics and theories, as these young guns aim to bring success to the Kingdom.
Something stirring in the Kingdom of Fife
Season 2006/07 seems a long time ago now and Fife clubs, Cowdenbeath, Dunfermline Athletic, East Fife and Raith Rovers have good reasons to push it to the back of their minds.
On 5 May 2007, Raith were humbled 3-1 in the second leg of the Second Division playoff final by Stirling Albion, meaning that the Kirkcaldy side would be stuck in the third tier of Scottish football for another long season. Seven days later Dunfermline fell to a 2-1 defeat at Inverness Caledonian Thistle to confirm their relegation to the First Division after seven brave years in the Scottish Premier League. On the same day East Fife fared no better as they were thrashed 3-0 by Queens Park in the Third Division playoff final, condemning them to the lowest tier of the Scottish Football League for another term. Meanwhile Cowdenbeath narrowly avoided relegation to Division 3 after finishing the season just six points off the relegation play-off position in Division 2.
Oh, how times have changed! Whilst there are still no Fife teams in the SPL, there is a great chance of one being there next season. If you take off the recently-confirmed 25 point deduction for Dundee then Dunfermline and Raith are actually sitting in the top two places of the First Division. There is currently only one point between the sides and Raith have a game in hand over their west Fife rivals.
Cowdenbeath, after two back-to-back promotions find themselves punching well above their weight in the First Division and are remarkably four (nine, if you take Dundee's point deduction into consideration) points clear of the automatic relegation. The Blue Brazil, tipped to go straight back down to Division 2, have defied the odds so far this season. East Fife are currently undergoing a bit of modification after Stevie Crawford stepped down as manager. Despite this, Hearts hero John Robertson has taken the reigns and has the Methil side sitting seventh in the Second Division and has already nabbed a Manager of the Month award.
Football in Fife hasn’t looked so rosy in many years. Cowdenbeath, East Fife and Raith are all in higher leagues compared to 2006/07 and Dunfermline fans will be currently enjoying watching their team fly to the top of the First Division rather than the horrible relegation suffered in 2007. So what has changed?
Dunfermline
The situation at East End Park worsened before it got better. In season 2007/08 the Pars finished their return to Division 1 in a disappointing 5th place and suffered humiliating home defeats to Hamilton Academical (0-5) and Livingston (0-4) in the space of three weeks. After finishing as runners-up in the Scottish Cup the season previous, Dunfermline actually competed in Europe in 2007, but were knocked out at the first hurdle by BK Hacken.
The Pars board soon realised that manager Stephen Kenny was not capable of producing the goods that they demanded and he was sacked on 4 December 2007. Striker Jim McIntyre was handed the job on a permanent basis a month later. Since McIntyre's appointment, the Pars have steadily progressed and finished in a respectable third position in the last two seasons. McIntyre has disposed of dead wood at the club and has brought in some fantastic younger players such as Willie Gibson and Steven Bell. McIntyre has done a fine job and his side look favourites for promotion back into the SPL this season.
Raith Rovers
Season 2006-2007 ended in disappointment for Raith, but it had actually been the start of a new era. Hearts coach John McGlynn was hired on 20 November 2006 and steered Rovers from 9th place in Division 2 to finish 3rd. Rovers finished third again the following season and bowed out in the playoffs to Airdrie United. However, 2008/09 was to be the season that Raith finally hauled themselves back into the First Division, winning automatic promotion by finishing two points ahead of second-placed Ayr United.
McGlynn performed further miracles in 2009-2010 by leading the Starks Park club to 7th place (after amazingly heading the division for a period) and also took the club to their first Scottish Cup semi-final in 47 years.
After keeping Raith up in their return to the First Division, McGlynn added Brechin full back Willie Dyer, Cowdenbeath winger Scott McBride, Montrose keeper Andy McNeil and Airdrie forward John Baird to his squad. Despite these relatively unremarkable signings, Raith somehow find themselves just one point behind Dunfermline and in a promotion battle that even their most ambitious fans could not have predicted at the start of the season.
Cowdenbeath
The recent story of Cowdenbeath is just as impressive as their Kirkcaldy neighbours. However, the story begins with a failure, as in 2007/08 they were relegated to the Third Division, finishing 9th and, via the playoffs, succumbing to a 3-2 aggregate defeat against Arbroath.
The Central Park side sacked manager Brian Welsh in June 2008 and Danny Lennon stepped up from the playing staff to take control in the dugout, much like Jim McIntyre. Yet, much like McIntyre, Lennon proved to be a natural. His managerial reign started well as Cowden finished second in the 2008/09 season and although they lost on penalties to Stenhousemuir in the playoff final they were promoted just days before the start of the new season due to Livingston being demoted to the Third Division.
Remarkably, with a squad that Lennon had assembled to compete in the Third Division, Cowdenbeath performed well above expectations and finished third in Division 2. They defeated Alloa Athletic in the play-off semi-final and then swept past Brechin City 3-0 to unbelievably seal promotion to the First Division.
Danny Lennon left Cowdenbeath for SPL club St. Mirren in the summer, but the experienced Jimmy Nicholl has taken over and produced good results such as narrow victories over Dundee and Raith while a 5-1 romp over Stirling was a particular high point.
East Fife
The Fifers have had the hardest time of the four clubs in recent years, but most of their fans will admit that Division 2 is around their natural level anyway. Season 2007/08 saw a lot of investment in East Fife from Willie Gray and his financial backing paid off as the Methil side ran away with the Third Division title, finishing with 88 points, 23 more than runners-up Stranraer. 2008/09 was expected to be another successful year for East Fife, but Dave Baikie's side failed to make the impact they hoped, finishing sixth in the Second Division.
Striker Stevie Crawford had now taken over the reins and despite the withdrawal of funds from Gray, he managed to keep the team in the division, edging the dreaded play-offs by one point. Recently, John Robertson has taken over as manager which has allowed Crawford to solely focus on scoring goals again. It's still early in Robertson's tenure, but after beating Stenhousemuir 6-0 in their last league fixture they will be looking to push up the league from their current seventh position.
So there you have it. Considering the size of Fife, its football clubs are prospering and progressing very well. There is a fantastic chance of one of them being in the SPL next season and Cowdenbeath will be keen to stay up and keep punching above their weight in Division 1.
As a side note, it is interesting that Cowdenbeath (Danny Lennon), Dunfermline (Jim McIntyre) and Raith Rovers (John McGlynn) have had their clubs transformed by managers that were in their first permanent managerial job. It certainly backs the theory that older and experienced managers are being forced out of the game by chairmen looking for candidates that are in touch with the modern tactics and theories, as these young guns aim to bring success to the Kingdom.
Saturday, 16 October 2010
Cowdenbeath 1 v 2 Raith Rovers [Match Report]
Click here for my match report of the fixture between Cowdenbeath and Raith Rovers that took place this afternoon.
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