East Fife continued their fine start to the season with a comfortable victory away to last season’s Challenge Cup runners-up Peterhead.
Gary Naismith’s side looked impressive from the kick-off as goals from Jason Kerr, Kevin Smith and Mark Lamont sealed an impressive win to leave them second – two points behind early joint leaders Alloa, Livingston and Brechin.
Fife took the lead after five minutes. A Lamont corner found the unmarked Kerr, who bulleted a header into the back of the net.
The hosts – who had lost their previous two games 5-0 and 4-0 – came close to equalising on the quarter-hour but Jamie Redman’s header was cleared off the line.
Three minutes later Smith went on a surging run down the left but his shot-cum-cross went beyond the far post.
A minute into first half added time the visitors doubled their lead with a replica of their opener. Another Lamont corner from the left was again badly defended and this time Smith found the net.
There was a glimmer of a chance for the Blue Toon early in the second half, Fifers keeper Willie Muir sprinting out of his area and distracting Leighton McIntosh enough for him to shoot wide.
On the hour Graeme Smith saved a Kyle Wilkie 20-yarder but just six minutes it was 3-0. A free-kick was driven low and hard through a ruck of players by Lamont and into the net for another shocker of a goal from a Peterhead point of view.
Fife boss Naismith “I thought we started well and grabbed the second goal just at the right time as I felt Peterhead were coming more into the game.
“We went a bit more attacking in the second half, going with two up front and that was as easy a half as you are going to get up here. We managed to nullify the Peterhead attack.”
