East Fife retain hopes of promotion after losing narrowly to Clyde in the League One playoff.
Martin Rennie scored the only goal of the game during a sunny spring evening at the MGM Timber Bayview Stadium.
East Fife boss Greig McDonald will take encouragement from the performance as they go into Friday night’s second leg at the ZLX Stadium.
Regardless of Tuesday night’s defeat, it has been some turnaround at East Fife since the turn of the year.
A run of seven wins and three draws for 13 matches saw them qualify for the playoffs in fourth place in League Two..
Clyde went into this one with a slight uptick in form, ending the League One season in ninth after one defeat in their last six.
⚽East Fife v Clyde
🏆Scottish League One semi-final
📍Bayview Stadium pic.twitter.com/p8l311eigF— Craig Cairns (@craigcairns001) May 9, 2023
Both sides took part in a Show Racism The Red Card display ahead of kick-off after two supporters admitted to ‘making racial comments’ at a recent match at Bayview.
East Fife take time to settle
McDonald reverted to a more familiar lineup after nine changes for the defeat to 10-man Forfar at the weekend.
St Johnstone loanee Alex Ferguson started on the right, with Brogan Walls in the No 10 role.
Clyde had the better of the opening exchanges and East Fife goalie Allan Fleming had to be lively early on to smother Liam Scullion’s cross.
The home side soon settled and started neatly knocking the ball around, though without testing Ryan Mullen in the Clyde goal.
It was still Clyde who looked more likely to open the scoring, with Kurtis Roberts and Erik Sula both going close.
Clyde keeper forced into action
In between those chances, the Fifers had their first opportunity when Aaron Steele headed a deep Liam Newton free-kick across goal, but Alan Touten seemed to hesitate and the ball bounced wide.
Walls then went close for East Fife before two dangerous crosses at the other end were frustratingly passed up by the away side.
East Fife countered the second of those and culminated in Mullen saving from Scott Shepherd after cutting he cut in from the right.
Mullen had to be alert again when he saved well from Newton and Steele headed just over as half-time drew close.
Clyde were ahead within 10 minutes of the restart when Cameron Salkeld robbed Stewart Murdoch and cut back for Rennie to bundle in from a few years out.
McDonald’s men huffed and puffed but could only force a save from Mullen from outside the box.
McDonald turns to the bench
Salkeld nearly took advantage of the increased space behind the Fifers’ defence as they pushed for an equaliser, but the forward dragged his shot wide.
Trouten and Jack Healy were both well off target with speculative attempts before McDonald made his first substitution, bringing on Taylor Steven – also on loan from St Johnstone – for Trouten.
But still, too much of their play lacked the final ball – other than a late Healy chance – and Clyde held on for their first away win over 90 minutes since July.
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