Irn-Bru Scottish 3rd Division result
Elgin City 2	East Fife 3
Martin 39 Smith 73	Tweed 7 Walker 64 Gordon 90

Elgin City fought back twice from a goal down to find the share of the spoils were cruelly denied to them when Kevin Gordon scored in the dying seconds at a rain-soaked Borough Briggs.

Optimism isn’t a phrase often heard around Borough Briggs these days, and when your visitors are the high spending and high flying league leaders from East Fife, even the most positive thinking City fans would have been hard pressed to remain their sense of optimism. However football is 11 v 11 so hope always spring eternal.

After the first half hour or so, that hope might have been replaced by some serious prayer as City were threatened with being over run by the crisp passing and quick movement of the team from Methil. And it was no surprise when from a corner Stephen Tweed, rose, or at least leant up and knocked the ball past Stephen Dunn to give them a probably deserved 1 – 0 lead. The ex Hibee showing the qualities which he’d demonstrated over the course of a solid career. Any thought however that City would roll over diminished after 39 minutes when Willie Martin took a leaf out of the Fifers book, and rose in front of defence and keeper to knock the ball high into the net. Half time and 1 -1.

The second half looked as it would go the way of the first with the away side once again showing the qualities which have already labelled them as favourites for the title. City were still matching them tackle for tackle, and looking a lot more determined than in the first half. That resolve was tested with after 64 minutes Walker put the visitors 2 – 1 up, shortly after Willie Martin could have made it 2 – 1 to City. Not that we had to wait long for the equaliser. And what a goal it was too! Mark Smith, in his first full start for the club in the league, sent a low hard drive towards goal, and it was hard to tell who was more surprised to see it bounce off one post, roll across the line and end up in the back of the net – the East Fife players or the City fans!

Now the game followed the good old fashioned Scottish style with both sides pressing, and trying to grasp what would surely be the wining goal. 5 minutes into stoppage time and Elgin fans thought they were going to see their team grab their first well deserved point of the season but alas, football’s not as kind as that. In the atrocious and slippery conditions, Nicholson’s slip allowed East Fife a shot from the edge of the box, brilliantly parried by Dunn, but only to see it bounce up for Kevin Gordon to head the ball into the empty net. A very bitter bill for the City faithful to swallow, consigning them to their 3rd straight league defeat. The talk after the game however was of one word – optimism. And that has to be something for the whole team to be proud of.

Elgin City: Steven Dunn, Craig Campbell, Allan Dempsie, Paul Kaczan, Hugh Dickson, Kenny Gilbert, Mark Nicolson, Willie Martin (Martin Charlesworth 75), Mark Smith, Ross O'Donoghue, David Ross (Craig Frizzel 75). Subs Not Used: David Hind, Andy Lewis, Kevin Duguid.

Booked: Allan Dempsie, Craig Campbell.

East Fife: McCulloch, McDonald, Fotheringham, Smart, Tweed, Blackadder, Walker (Gordon 89), Stewart, Nicholas, O'Reilly (McManus 75), Cameron. Subs Not Used: Linton, Fortune, Fox.

Booked: Fotheringham, Nicholas.

Referee: Alan Muir.

All photos courtesy of The Lours