East Fife manager Gary Naysmith may see a lot of similarities between his side and today’s opponents Clyde, but he would love to open up a five-point difference in the table.
The home team have fifth-placed Berwick in their sights and are looking to make it three wins from three this afternoon, although the Bully Wee will head to Bayview seeking to seize the chance to leapfrog the hosts in the League Two standings with a win of their own.
“Clyde are a very similar team to us and in many ways they are mirroring us,” Naysmith noted.
“They had a big turnaround of players in the summer, like we did, and things didn’t really go as planned in the first half of the season, which is how we felt here.
“And I think their home form is almost exactly the same as ours, so we have a lot in common with them.
“They probably think they’ve got the measure of us because they’ve beaten us twice already, but I don’t really understand how we haven’t managed at least a point against them on the balance of play.
“Fergie (Barry Ferguson) has recruited well and he’s brought in the likes of Hugh Murray and Steven McDougall, who have dropped down the leagues from Dumbarton, Scott McLaughlin, and obviously Keigan Parker, who has played at a higher level as well.
“So we know it will be a tough game but we’re a completely different team now and we’ll take a lot of confidence from the way we’ve started this year.”
Today’s game is the first of three consecutive league fixtures at Bayview, and Naysmith is understandably eyeing this period as a potentially lucrative one points-wise.
But he added: “It will only be a good chance to pick up some points if we perform at home.
“Our home form hasn’t been great so we’ve got to change that and show that we’re capable of winning at Bayview more often.”
The Fifers will have midfielder Allan Walker back from suspension, although Caolan McAleer looks set to remain out with a knee injury.
Striker Kevin Smith, who picked up a knock in last week’s 3-0 win at Montrose, will face a late fitness test, while Sean Dickson will similarly be assessed after his shoulder had to be put back into place on the pitch at Links Park seven days ago.