Fifers boss happy despite stalemate

EAST FIFE 0 CLYDE 0

East Fife passed up the chance to go top of League One after they were held by Clyde.

With Raith Rovers also drawing with Forfar, a win for Darren Young’s men would have seen them hit the summit.

But they couldn’t break down their seventh-placed visitors on a night which was short on clear-cut chances.

Home boss Young was still happy with his side’s performance.

He said: “It was great to get the clean sheet because there haven’t been enough of them throughout the season.

“At the same time we’re disappointed not to get the win.”

East Fife started well and almost grabbed an early lead when Liam Watt’s delightful flick into Ross Davidson’s path was gathered by the midfielder.

Davidson got his shot away but failed to get it on target.

With a strong wind and a whipping rain lashing across Bayview, the game descended into a midfield slug-fest, short on any real quality.

It took a good 20 minutes for the home side to fashion another attempt on goal but Craig Watson’s shot was beaten away by David Mitchell.

Clyde waited until a couple of minutes before the break to call Brett Long into action but he comfortably smothered Mark Lamont’s drive.

The second half started in the same fashion as the first had ended with both sides cancelling each other out.

There was a gasp of excitement when the ball broke for David Goodwillie inside the Fife box but the former Dundee United man couldn’t get his shot away.

With 10 minutes to go, Aaron Dunsmore pulled a decent save out of Mitchell from the edge of the box with the Clyde keeper doing well to tip the ball over the bar.

Clyde almost snatched the win with seconds left on the clock but Goodwillie’s header from point-blank range was stopped on the line by Long.

East Fife: Long, Watson, Murdoch, Higgins, Slattery, Davidson, Agnew, Dunsmore, Watt, Denholm (Boyd 86), Duggan (Dowds 75). Subs not used: McConville, Healy, Hunter, Church, Hart.

Clyde: Mitchell, Cuddihy, Rumsby, Howie, McNiff, Grant, McStay, Wallace (Petkov 63), McMullin (Allison 86), Lamont (Johnston 78), Goodwillie. Subs not used: McNiven, McGee. Booked: Wallace. Ref: Barry Cook.