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Relegation Derby….Sons V Fifers


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34 minutes ago, Bring Back Paddy Flannery said:

A fairly even game so far. Both teams look absolute jobby at the back and fairly threatening going forward. 

I have absolutely no idea why we are playing Wylde wide left, we have far superior options on the bench. He looks terrified to put a cross into the box, he just keeps passing it back the way. Him and Boyle are totally shite pairing on that side. All of our success is coming from our right hand side with Carlo, Duthie and MacLean all linking up really well. Big Josh looks like he’ll be a good addition but that booking has really nullified what he can do, clearly the physical side of things is his main strength but he looks to be holding back a bit after the booking. 

If Farrell has signed Wylde to play as a winger and not a left back it seems like a seriously daft, pointless signing when we have better options there and an absolute dugmeat left back.

Any idea who the trialist is? 

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I thought Wylde was really poor in the first half and had hoped a sub would be called quickly in the second but his ball in for big Josh was perfect and you will not see a better strike than the second goal. After that he was looking for the ball every time we got it and trying things only a confident man does. If he can play like he did in the second half then he'll cause problems. 

Josh was good up front, clearly not the most technically gifted but physical and knows where to be on the pitch. If we're persisting with a creative midfield duo of Carswell and Paton then going long is our only option, and you need someone like him to go long. He'll do well for us if we get folk in support.

On support of the striker, Ross McLean was superb today. He had the East Fife defence on toast every time he ran at them and caused a lot of problems, hopefully he can strike a partnership with Josh and we can look a bit more threatening. 

Unsure about the trialist, East Fife didn't offer much but we were very ragged at the back, not helped by Wright getting injured in the warm up (please, please be nothing serious). All in a good day at the office and I'm sure Faz will be having a beer along with his sigh of relief tonight. 

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East Fife really did look every bit a League 2 side. They had a few chances today almost any other team in the league would score, but balooned most of them over the bar. Hard to see a way back for them without serious improvements over the next two weeks, squad wise. 

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Fairly pleased with that, encouraging signs - it’s a start at least.

Big Josh could prove to be a handy signing for us. He’s definitely more physical than technical as you’d expect from a big man - I though he put himself about well (until the booking) but maybe could’ve been a bit sharper when the ball landed at his feet in the penalty box a couple times. Hopefully that sharpness and instinct will come with game time and confidence.

Wylde was frustrating in the first half - he found himself in good areas at times and failed to deliver. He was a different player second half. He ran himself into ground, his final ball was excellent, particularly for the first goal and his goal was an absolute screamer - more of that please.

Ross MacLean was superb today and easily our best player - he was maybe guilty of trying a little bit too much at times but you don’t mind that from a player like him. 
The big Trialist looked ok. If he’s the best we can find at the moment then he’ll do. He’s no nonsense and very physical, seemed to win almost everything that came his way and his natural reaction is to get the ball to f**k. I think he’s the type of guy we need next to Bucky.

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That was much improved. It wasn't obvious but I thought Paton was tremendous today. He broke up play and linked up defence to attack well. Strong in the tackle and East Fife looked a bit fearful when going into challenges with him. 

I thought Wylde was good. He backed up the team defensively and we looked far more solid as a unit because of this. An assist and a cracking goal. Love a post and in strike.

McLean and Big Josh were promising. Josh wasn't as great in the air as I expected but could fairly draw a foul and was a constant nuisance. East Fife were awful panicky round him. 

Chuffed leaving that game

 

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That was a big, big win for us today, and whilst the three points were invaluable, certain aspects of the play were also very heartening.  Each of the three signings made a valuable contribution, although big Josh was spent and should have been subbed earlier.  Wylde grew into the game and both his goal and his cross for the first goal were absolute peaches; Josh will give us a long overdue physical presence up front, and I thought the trialist centre-back had a very decent performance.  We also need to consider how difficult it is to come into a struggling team on a heavy pitch in a relegation dogfight.

There were though some familiar frailties, mostly in the midfield - the lack of both pace and at times a composed presence, and the failure to track the opposition runners - but fortunately East Fife had the afternoon teams at the bottom regularly experience in front of goal.  The likes of Cove and Montrose have recently punished us for this.  The Fifers also lacked a real physical presence across the park.  Special mention goes to Connor Duthie and Ross McLean for their outstanding industry. 

So, we now have something to build on and a decent showing next week in what is effectively a free hit would be most welcome. 

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Really enjoyed watching that today.Great commentary too as well and some amazing stats ( the bertie auld one was a screamer!!!)

Thought we huffed and puffed a lot in the first half and were lucky not to be pllaying a more clinical side as we are still scattery at the back.Second half was much better .Wylde was M.O.M for me given the assist , chalked off goal and an amazing strike that will live long in the memory.Mclean was brilliant and looked back to his old self.Thought pignatello was also great with some tricky play on a pretty dire pitch.

Joshua could be good for us but needs game time as he looked slow on occasion and I think struggled with the pace of the game.Having said that the guy looks a unit and he did well for his goal.His positional sense also seemed decent.

At the back we need a brian mclean to settle things down.We really miss Mcgeever and Im not sure about the guy today.Also looked lackingmatch fitness but his first half clearnce was worth a goal in itself..so maybe given time and more training he could do a job..

Pleased overall and roll on the cogies next week...

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I was really pleased with that today. The support was as vocal as it's been all season, I thought Stevie Farrell got his team selection and tactics bang on, and I thought a few players really stood out. There wasn't one player out there who didn't leave everything on the park either. They put in a real shift and, if nothing else, it shows they are behind the management team.

Until the second goal the game was played at a crazy intensity. It was like a cup tie, and both sides knew they couldn't concede. It might not have been pretty, but it was certainly an exciting watch.

Our lineup was fairly different to what it had been for the majority of the season, but the switch to a conventional 4-4-2 looked to work well. Ross MacLean was absolutely superb alongside Joshua Oyinsan. It was Chucky's best game since being sent-off in that game against Airdrie and he deserved a goal. 

Big Josh gave us a focal point in attack. Someone to play off; and that suited MacLean, Conner Duthie and Gregg Wylde down to the ground. Kalvin Orsi is sometimes his own worst enemy,  his desire to cover every blade of grass often leaves us without a centre-forward. Today Josh was that guy, and we reaped the rewards for it. He's clearly not fully sharp, and hasn't played a lot of football this season, but I was really encouraged by him. He looks a natural striker, and he didn't give the - admittedly very shaky - East Fife defence much peace.

Whilst Josh, MacLean and Duthie all caused issues, it isn't really going forward that's been our main problem this season. It's been the defence and the lack of a steady midfield.

For me Paul Paton was one of the best players on the park. I know he gets a fair bit of stick, but I thought he was excellent today. He was everything I wanted him to be when we signed him. It's often said that if you win the midfield battle, you win the game. And today Paul Paton played a massive role in winning that midfield battle. He looked to relish the frantic nature, the difficult pitch and the pressure. Flying into challenges, winning a hell of a lot of second balls and then using the ball well after he'd won it back. Stuart Carswell, by contrast, was maybe a bit quieter - but barely misplaced a pass all game. 

Will those two have the right balance as a midfield duo in more difficult games? I've no idea. But both can be pleased with themselves tonight.

At the back I thought Carlo Pignatiello made a world of difference being chosen at full-back ahead of Andy Geggan. He really is a superb player and, if I could, I'd probably just clone him and play him in every position. He was disciplined defensively, got forward at the right times, produced some excellent deliveries into the area and even showed some very wingery footwork at times. The goalscorers will grab the headlines, but Carlo really didn't put a foot wrong.

Alongside him big Stephen Bronsky looked like the centre-half partner Gregor Buchanan has needed since Ryan McGeever's injury. He was very meat and potatoes. Good in the air, solid in the challenge and didn't take many risks. But that is what we've lacked without McGeever. Buchanan is more of a modern, stylish, ball-playing centre-half. He needs a rugged old-fashioned guy alongside him to batter folk, drop when Buchanan charges to win a header and take no risks. Last season Duffy spoke about players enjoying defending. Bronsky looks like someone who does exactly that.

Which leaves us with the left side. At first I thought Faz would be going 5-3-2, with Wylde as a wing-back and Boyle as a LCB. But when it became clear it was a 4-4-2 I was a bit disappointed. I thought Gregg Wylde was a wing-back/full-back. And I thought he'd be our first choice LB.

In the first-half we got little joy down that side. Although I did think Wylde was postionally good and kept possession well. He just didn't look very threatening.

In the second-half though both players came onto a game. Boyle looked to benefit from having someone ahead of him who seemed on the save wavelength. When he went forward and ran out of ideas, Wylde took the ball in a good position and drove on a wee bit.

His cross for the first goal is absolutely gorgeous. It's a terrific bit of technique and deserved a goal on its own. Josh was in the right place and got his header on target, which is the main thing to ask, but big Scott Gallacher will definitely feel as if he should've saved it.

Then Wylde lets rip from what? 35 yards maybe. It was an absolutely incredible strike. One of the best I've seen at home in a very long time. I'm looking forward to seeing it on the East Fife highlights, and not on the Pixellot camera.

From then on we could've added a few more, whilst East Fife missed a real sitter through Ryan Blair. The Fifers actually looked half decent going forward; they just lacked a clinical touch. At the back they looked all over the place. Now there are a few sentences I've typed a lot this season...

Surviving now looks a really big ask for them, even at this stage. Stevie Crawford has his work cut out to make a few shrewd additions this month.

As for us? Well I won't get carried away. Or anything close to it. Although we won comfortably, East Fife had a fair few decent openings, and if they'd scored first it could've been very different. But there are positives signs. Stevie Farrell said he's hoping to add a loanee on Monday, whilst Stephen Bronsky should ink a deal tomorrow.

He's identified the areas where we need additions, and brought in his targets. Today all three new faces played their part. Long may that continue.

Edited by Jan Vojáček
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