The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Fifers’ hard work pays off to keep hopes alive
LEAGUE ONE: Young’s side end long winless run to stay in contention for place in promotion play-offs
East Fife rekindled their promotion play-off ambitions by seeing off rivals Alloa at Bayview.
Jim Goodwin’s men arrived at Bayview third in League One and seven points above the Methil club.
Having not won a game since the end of November, it was crucial Darren Young’s side didn’t give up any more ground to their play-off rivals.
And they didn’t, grinding out a deserved 2-1 home win thanks to goals from Mark Lamont and Chris Duggan. Substitute Adam Martin replied for Alloa in-between.
Young said: “Every player worked hard and we got our rewards.
“We had a couple of chances at 1-0 to kill off the game and that is probably the only complaint I have from the game, that we created chances but didn’t take them.
“We got punished with Alloa’s goal but then again we came back into it again.”
It was the visitors who started the game brightest and should have raced into an early lead.
The home side had goalkeeper Ryan Goodfellow to thank after his point-blank stop denied Kevin Cawley.
It was a wake up call for the home side and they certainly took heed of it.
Chris Duggan had a snapshot which Wasps keeper Neil Parry smothered easily but the opening goal wasn’t long in coming.
There was certainly an element of good fortune about it as Lamont’s cross sailed in beyond Parry at his back post.
Lamont claimed after the game that he meant it, but regardless, it was the kind of good luck the Fifers have been missing recently.
There were further chances to put the game beyond Alloa with Aaron Dunsmore and Lamont again going close.
In the end they were punished when the Wasps drew level.
It was a scrappy goal with Martin bundling home a Ross Stewart delivery.
Having put so much into the game, East Fife weren’t prepared to settle for a point and went off in search of the game’s crucial third goal.
After a decent spell of pressure it arrived when Docherty expertly curled his finish out of Parry’s reach.
Young, whose side host Brora Rangers in the Scottish Cup this weekend, added: “Hopefully we can go on a wee run now.
“We got a good clean sheet last week at Airdrie and that’s helped us kick on and get the three points against Alloa.
“If we continue the way we’ve been playing lately and being hard to beat we’ll get at teams.
“It’s the Scottish Cup next for us now which will be a big game for the club.”
Goodwin’s side await Championship promotion-chasers Dundee United.