The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Young hails defensive work as side progress
EAST FIFE: Queen of the South latest cup victims of League One outfit
EAST FIFE 2 QUEEN OF THE SOUTH 0
Darren Young watched his East Fife side toss another Championship club out of the Irn-Bru Cup and said every player gained pass marks.
The Fifers beat Partick Thistle in the previous round and at the weekend saw off Gary Naysmith’s Queen of the South in a third-round tie.
Queens are a steady Championship club, and to beat them Young’s League One side would need to be at their best.
They were, with goals either side of the break from Kevin Smith and Anton Dowds ensuring a deserved passage through to the next round.
Young said: “It was a great win and a great performance.
“Conditions were tricky but I thought we knocked the ball about well and scored a great goal from Kevin and then a brilliant second from Anton just chasing, getting in between and having the composure to finish.
“Defensively every single player played their part, from the front to the back.
“They’re working the system well, and every week the performances are getting better and better. “There were no failures.”
East Fife went into the game looking to win their seventh match in a row, while Naysmith’s side boasts one of Europe’s most prolific strikers in Stephen Dobbie.
It was set up to be an exciting 90 minutes and the game started at a decent pace with Liam Watt making a terrific run into the Queen’s box and Andy Stirling’s cross at the other end only lacking a finish.
After a good start to the game things began to get a bit bogged down with neither goalkeeper really having much to do.
Out of the blue the hosts took the lead in stunning fashion.
Queen’s were unable to clear their lines and the ball broke to Smith on the edge of the box.
He quickly got the ball out from under his feet and sent an excellent effort high into the top corner.
The Championship side then began to dominate possession as they tried to salvage their cup ambitions.
Dobbie had an effort ruled out after a foul and Lyndon Dykes also went close.
But they couldn’t break down a welldrilled Fife resistance and Smith almost made it 2-0 from long distance.
The chance should have served as a warning to Queen’s that the Fifers could still pose a threat of their own.
Just a few minutes later the hosts managed to get the crucial second goal of the game.
Again the visitors couldn’t clear their lines properly and Dowds took full advantage, showing great composure to net from close range.
Conditions were tricky but I thought we knocked the ball about well. DARREN YOUNG