He has graced far higher stages with bigger prizes at stake, but Brian Easton’s desire for success with East Fife burns as brightly as ever.
Now 37, St Johnstone’s 2014 Scottish Cup winner is a key figure in the experienced side put together by Dick Campbell at Bayview.
Never mind his past 11 campaigns in the Scottish top-flight or a healthy six-figure move to Burnley in the English Premier League or silverware with Hamilton Accies, this is about the here and now.
The Methil men travel for the second-leg of their League One play-off final against Annan Athletic with the advantage of a 3-2 victory on Tuesday night.
And Easton is relishing the chance to finish the season on a high after the bitter disappointment of missing out to Peterhead in the League Two championship race.
“It’s something I’ve really enjoyed this year, to be in that title challenge,” he told Courier Sport. “I wanted that.
“I’d have loved to have won it. It meant so much to me to win it, and to the boys.
“But I’ve never been in a play-off final before. It’s a chance to get promotion and that’s something you want to keep doing.
“You want to be successful for as long as you can be. I’m really looking forward to it.
“If you’d said at the start of the season that this is where we’d be at this stage, I’m sure our boys would have been really happy with that. It’s a great opportunity.
Easton: East Fife are ‘ready for it’
“We’ve worked so hard all season. We want it to be for something and we want the fans to enjoy a wee promotion.
“Hopefully, we can manage to get over the line. We’re not under any illusion that it’ll be a difficult game, but we’re ready for it.”
East Fife proved their credentials with their first-leg success against opponents from a higher division.
Whilst the Bayview outfit won 20 of their 36 league games this term, Annan were beaten in as many matches.
And, as the Fifers go for promotion, the Galabankies will fear relegation.
“It’s only halfway there,” added Easton. “We were 1-0 down against Edinburgh City after the first-leg of the semi-final and we didn’t think the tie was over at all.
“They’ll be fighting for their lives on Friday night and it’s the exact same for us, really.
“But it’s different pressures, isn’t it? Obviously, we were a bit disappointed towards the end of the season when we didn’t manage to win the league.
“So, I’m grateful for this opportunity to still try and get promotion.
“It’s a different story when you’re trying to avoid relegation. It’s not a nice place to be, I’ve been there myself.
“It comes down to 90 minutes on Friday night and I’m sure both teams are going to be fighting hard.”
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