Blues win but league status now in jeopardy
The first half was largely uneventful for roughly the first 43 minutes, before it quickly went from zero to 100.
East Fife had the ball in the back of the net after 43 minutes, though the referee adjudged that Jack Healy had used his hand to get the ball over the line, and thus it was disallowed.
Just seconds later, Scott Shepherd had an open goal to tap home into. He let his shot fly, but not before Sam Newman could recover and produce a world-class piece of defending, sending the sides in all-square at half-time.
The tempo was maintained into the second half, though not all in East Fife’s favour. It was the visitors who took the lead at the start of the second period through James Craigen’s tidy finish.
East Fife answered back relatively quickly, though, as Scotty Shepherd got his goal at the second time of asking.
It would be difficult to argue that East Fife were not the better team, though performances do not win games and, in the 90th minute, the visitors secured their win – and third place in the league – through Robbie Thomson. Archie Wylie capitalised on some poor East Fife defending, and laid up Thomson with ease, who slotted home into an empty net.
PETERHEAD 2 DUMBARTON 1
A deserved Peterhead win saw them cement a home tie in the second leg of the first play-off round against Spartans, the Blue Toon hitting form at the right time.
The Blue Toon looked the brighter team and took the lead in the seventh minute when, after a great bit of play by Ward on the left flank, the winger crossed and Shanks header sailed past O’neil in the Dumbarton goal.
The hosts nearly made it two when Shanks put Ward away. The winger cut inside and drove an effort goalwards, only for O’neil to deny him and Stewart wasted the follow-up when he blasted over.
It was proving hard for Sons to get into the game, but Ruth made Mckenzie work when he shot from 30 yards.
Peterhead then went two up when Jordan Brown managed to deflect a Joe Mckee goalbound effort past the helpless O’neil in the Dumbarton goal.
Dumbarton made three changes at the break and the reward was instant, David Wilson reacting quickest to drive home past Mckenzie after the ball broke to him in the box.
The visitors kept pushing and Hilton was unlucky to see his lovely curling effort come back off the post. Peterhead had to see out the final 20 minutes with 10 men when co-manager Jordan Brown was sent off for a quickfire double booking.
Dumbarton pushed on, but the home defence stood firm.
ELGIN CITY 0 CLYDE 3
Clyde secured their SPFL safety on the final day of the season with a crucial victory at Elgin.
The visitors played like a team fighting for their lives from the first whistle, and playmaker Liam Scullion curled an early effort just over.
The visitors got a warning when Elgin striker Dajon Golding pushed forward and whistled a drive inches past on 14 minutes.
Within a minute, Clyde took the lead, Scullion turning to bury a left-foot shot into the corner after Cammy Ballantyne’s effort was deflected into his path.
Cheered on by a big travelling support, the away side weathered a spell of City pressure to double their lead on 38 minutes. Scullion was again the man that mattered, racing into the danger zone to meet Martin Rennie’s cross with a diving header past keeper Tom Mchale.
Rennie was denied by a defender’s block seconds after half-time, while Ballantyne skimmed the woodwork with a powerful blast as Clyde chased a third.
Bully Wee keeper Brian Kinnear had to deal with shots from Elgin’s Mark Gallagher and Matty Jamieson as the hosts refused to make it easy for Clyde.
But it was all over bar the shouting on 84 minutes when Jordan Allan slipped a pass to Rennie and he made space for a shot past sub keeper Oliver Kelly to send the visiting supporters into raptures, knowing their club was safe.