Smith looks for icing on cake of ‘good season’

East Fife boss Barry Smith admits today’s League 1 game at Stranraer is a huge one for the club.

The Methil men need to win this afternoon and hope that either Brechin City lose at Stenhousemuir or Airdrie are defeated by Queen’s Park.

If that scenario pans out, then East Fife will have secured a promotion play-off place.

That would put the icing on what the manager admits has already been a good campaign for the club after winning promotion to the third tier last season.

His side’s chances of beating Stranraer have been bolstered by the fact that, despite Chris Kane being sent off last week in the 4-0 defeat at Airdrie, he will be available to play at Stair Park today.

Smith said: “We have appealed Chris’s sending off and it will be held next week so he is available for the Stranraer game which is a bonus.

“Chris’s red card and the penalty they scored was the big turning point last week.

“We hadn’t been playing well but that put the game to bed.

“We now just have to look after ourselves against Stranraer. “The lads know what’s at stake. “This is our biggest game for a while and an opportunity to get into the play-offs.

“We were sitting second bottom when I came in so to be one game away from the play-offs means it has been a good season.

“We certainly don’t want it to end this weekend.”

East Fife will once again be without the injured Scott Robinson, Kyle Wilkie and Tony Wallace.