East Fife - New Bayview

17^th August 1999

East Fife 2-2 Airdrie (pens 5-4)

This was East Fife’s second season at New Bayview and, at the time of writing (May 2011), the ground still houses only one stand.  The main building of the old power station opposite has gone, with the glowering 300ft chimney stack due for demolition imminently.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-13695355

This particular match though was a CIS League Cup second round tie back in 1999, with East Fife, having squeaked past Stirling Albion in the first round, hosting Airdrieonians.  And although we witnessed the hosts twice come from behind to draw level before eventually prevailing on penalties, it was actually a rather drab affair.  I felt the visitors looked the more accomplished lot, and the evening’s outcome seemed particularly harsh on Airdrie’s Steve McCORMICK who twice (in the 20^th and 49^th minutes) had put his side ahead......then twice had to watch the Fifers draw level in slightly dodgy circumstances.

The first equaliser came seconds before the break when the hosts’ Graeme Love took a quick throw-in acres from where the ball went out.  Ramsay’s subsequent cross found its way to Raymond LOGAN who netted.  Just four minutes after McCORMICK had put Airdrie back in front, we saw an even more controversial second leveller, following one of those Twilight Zone penalty decisions which referees seem compelled to make from time to time.  

A cross into the Airdrie box was safely (and to my eyes, legitimately) cleared when the ref peeped and pointed.  Players and supporters of both persuasions looked baffled, but Graham ROBERTSON cheerfully did the needful.  There was no further scoring, with a penalty shoot-out required to separate the sides – Airdrie’s Jim Dick being the poor unfortunate whose miss proved decisive. 

 

The clinching penalty was scored by former Airdrie striker Paul McGrillen – indeed, I had seen him miss one for Airdrie against Raith just a few months earlier.  McGrillen had signed for Motherwell as a teenager, making over 80 appearances for the club before moving to Falkirk in 1995 - it was his goal which won the 1996/97 Scottish Cup semi-final tie with Celtic.  After leaving Brockville for Airdrie in 1998, he turned out for a number of league clubs before dropping into the juniors with Bellshill for season 2006/7.  

He signed for Bathgate Thistle the following year, and I was privileged to watch him play for two seasons at Creamery Park before his untimely death in July 2009. 

The New Bayview stand from the outside in 1999.

Same view in 2016



New Bayview stand (1999)



The disused Methil power station, lending an austere East
European feel to the ground.  Well, I thought so, anyway.

 

The power station was demolished in 2011



New Bayview - 1999

Come 2016, and the ground is now plain old Bayview

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19th November 2016

East Fife 1-2 Queens Park
Insall (45)     Cummins (22)
                          Millen (pen 54)

Bayview stand

Bayview Stadium  - November  2016

Bayview Stadium  - November  2016

Bayview Stadium  - November  2016

East Fif'e's Patrick Slattery looks to swop shirts with Dario Zanatta.

Paul Woods - Queens Park.

East Fife v Queens Park - November 2016

Queens' Adam Cummins (Blue No6) opens the scoring

Queens' Adam Cummins (Blue No6) opens the scoring

Queens' Adam Cummins (Blue No6) opens the scoring

Bayview stand

Queens' Dario Zanatta shadowed by Chris Kane

Panorama of Bayview Stadium, Methil.

Panorama of Bayview Stadium, Methil.

Ryan McGeever - Queens Park

East Fife V Queens Park - November 2016
Conor McVey (No 16)

Time up - East Fife's Ross Brown looks distraught.

Panorama of Bayview Stadium, Methil.