Solid Fifers pick up point at Excelsior

AIRDRIEONIANS 0 EAST FIFE 0

It may not have been a thriller, but Tony McMinn reckons East Fife picked up a decent point in Saturday’s League One game.

The Bayview No 2 took the side with boss Darren Young absent to be with his partner who was expecting to give birth.

The Methil men more than merited their point against an Airdrie side which has really picked up following a 6-1 thrashing at Bayview in November.

McMinn said: “I thought we looked solid without having the same amount of quality in the final third as we’ve had in other games.

“I was delighted with the clean sheet as well and that’s four points from two games we’ve taken against Airdrie at their own ground.

“The workrate and the effort in the last three games has been tremendous. We took a midfielder off and put a striker on and nearly sneaked it right at the end.

“Ross Mutch has done that in the past couple of weeks, coming on and having little half chances.

“His effort is brilliant and he is learning all the time.”

Luke Watt tried his luck for the hosts barely a minute into the match when his direct free-kick stung Ryan Goodfellow’s palms.

In a scrappy start Mark Lamont had a half chance for the visitors from the edge of the box but sent his drive high over the bar.

The Fifers kept up the pressure and another opportunity fell to Mark Docherty but he too sent his strike over.

Ayr put together a sweeping move after half-an-hour but Watt’s effort sailed inches wide.

The game threatened to spark into life a couple of minutes into the second half when Josh Edwards met a Willis Furtado cut back eight yards out but the Fifers scrambled it clear.

Furtado sent an effort high into the stand behind the goal before Mutch’s late raid on the Airdrie goal was snuffed out by the home defence.