By Gary McKenzie
October 24 2004

Scottish Football League Division Three, Saturday 23 October 2004, Links Park, Montrose. MONTROSE 2 (Doyle (11), Webster (82)) East Fife 1 (Duncan (89))

Montrose welcomed back talisman Craig Smart to the team after his suspension last week. Injury-doubt, Stevie Kerrigan was also passed fit to play and took his place in midfield.

East Fife, in their change strip of all red with thin white stripes on their shirts, took the initiative early on. They threatened first in 2 minutes when they won a free kick 30 yards out but Duncan's header went for a corner. Duncan hurt his shoulder in the attempt but was able to carry on after treatment.

Montrose rode the early storm and came into the game on 10 minutes with Kevin Webster coming across the Fife defence and forcing Morrison to make a save which he spilled, but the ball ended up behind for a corner.

Paul Doyle then opened the scoring for the Mo a minute later with a rocket of a volley from the edge of the box that gave Morrison no chance.

The Fifers won a corner at the other end but it gave Butter no trouble and it was the Mo who threatened again on 14 minutes, when Wood broke through as the referee played advantage when Smart took a sore one. However, Morrison managed to deflect the shot wide for another corner.

Webster was causing problems down the right side and won another corner after another good run.

On 22 minutes Saharp did well to get to the bye-line and cutback for Smart but he shot just wide.

Smart went close again after 27 minutes when he got a header from a Webstercross on target but saved by the keeper.

It was a tetchy encounter and Stephen and Colquhoun were spoken to for jostling in the Mo box, but neither were booked.

On the half-hour, Wood sent over a cross that Sharp was brave to challenge with the head but the ball went over eith the keeper flapping.

In 33 minutes, Wood sent over a zinging cross from the left that was too hard for Webster to connect with.

Herkes fouled Smarty after 35 minutes. The referee spoke to the Fifer but again took no further action.

East Fife had a couple of half-chances during this spell, but couldn't make them count as the Montrose defence coped well.

Montrose went in at half-time just about deserving their lead on the balance of play, but there was all to play for.

There was no let up with the tought challenges in the second half and Renwick received a booking and the wrath of the home support in the stand for stopping Sharpy's run up the left wing with a bit of a rugby tackle.

The Fifers went close on 48 minutes when they shot wide with Butter at full stretch. Both teams were pushing forward and forcing corners and Graeme Sharp was the Mo's danger man down the left.

On 58 minutes, Kegsy was downed illegally which earned Kelly the second booking of the afternoon as the tackes rained in thick and fast.

On the hour, Smarty went close with a header but it was put behind for a corner. Two minutes later, Webster should have done better when he blasted over from a good Sharp cross.

Tempers threatened to boil over when Webster became the first Montrose booking for dissent after both the referee and his nearside assistant missed Colquhoun clattering Fergie with a late challenge. Fergie was next in the book a couple of minutes later as he sought his own revenge.

Jim Mofdat sought to change his side's fortunes by bringing on ex-Gable Endie Jonny Mitchell for Fairbairn with 20 minutes to go.

Sharpy was next to fire over after Kegsy won the ball brilliantly in midfield.

Wisely, Henry Hall replaced Ferguson with Donachie and Kerr Dodds moved to left back to give Barry his usual position.

Duncan was next to enter the referee's book on 73 minutes.

Henry Hall then replaced Greenhill with Calum Watson. this substitution was to prove decisive as on 82 minutes, Watson went on a solo run, covering about half the pitch before cutting the ball back to Kevin Webster who made no mistake for the Mo's second goal.

East Fife replaced former Montrose defender Kris Brash with Tarditi in a last throw of the die with 5 minutes remaining, but it was subsitute Watson who went close for the Mo, shooting over after some great work by Smart and Wood.

With 2 minutes to go, Montrose gave away a free-kick in a dangerous position just outside the box. Colquhoun fired the freekick off the crossbar and Duncan followed up with a header which looked to have been cleared of the goalline but the linesman ran to the halfway line and the goal was given.

However, there was too little time left for East Fife and the Mo move up to 5th spot with the three points.

 

Teams

Montrose

Butter, Dodds, Ferguson, Doyle, Stephen, Kerrigan, Webster, Greenhill, Wood, Smart, Sharp
Subs: Donachie, Hall, Watson, O'Reilly, Hankinson

East Fife

Morrison, Renwick, Brash, Gaughan, Duncan, Kelly, Herkes, Byle, Nicholas, Colquhoun, Fairbairn
Subs: Lumsden, Crawford, Mitchell, Tarditi, Gardiner

 

Other match reports

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/scot_div_1/3764308.stm

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=153062&cc=5739