The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Albion loss caused Young to have a squad rethink
Methil men face tough ask to knock out Gerrard’s Gers
East Fife manager Darren Young has admitted that the 2-0 defeat from Stirling Albion in midweek has prompted a rethink over his side to face Rangers in the Betfred Cup tomorrow afternoon.
The Methil boss used the Tunnock’s Caramel Wafer Cup tie against the Forthbank men as a chance for players to claim a jersey against the Light Blues and whilst it worked for some, it did not work for others.
“Our performance was not good enough,” said Young.
“We have a decent squad and I made sure that everyone was up to speed in terms of game time by playing them in midweek.
“I saw some good things and I saw some poor things.
“I had a starting XI in mind and gave some boys the chance to convince me they should play against Rangers, however I have had to look at things again.
“This is a huge game against a team that have had a very good week both in terms of beating Hibs and winning through in Europe.
“They have also added a couple of new faces who could come in against us, and if they do, it adds another level of excitement for the crowd.”
East Fife reached the last 16 after recovering from a defeat at Cowdenbeath to see off Stenhousemuir and Dundee United and securing a draw plus a penalty kick bonus point against Hearts.
Young wants to use the game against the Tynecastle men as a template for facing Steven Gerrard’s side.
He explained: “We were under a lot of pressure early on and despite a few close shaves we came through things in not too bad a shape.
“After 20 minutes we settled down and started doing what we are good at.
“Staying in this game for as long as possible will be crucial as well.
“We went a goal behind against Hearts.
“But were able to steady the ship and then create chances of our own.
“We carried a bit of luck and we will need the same amount of luck if not more to stay close to Rangers.
“We will create chances, I am sure of that.
“And hopefully we can take one and see what happens.”
Striker Chris Duggan is included after injury and on-loan Celtic defender Daniel Church returns after playing for his parent club in midweek.
Kevin Smith is struggling.