East Fife take on Rangers in the quarter-finals of the Petrofac Training Cup at Bayview tonight, with the winners away to Alloa in the last four.
The Methil club have never reached the final of this competition but have a proud cup tradition, having won the Scottish Cup once and the League Cup three times.
Here are some facts about East Fife you may not know:
1 East Fife’s Henry Morris must be one of the unluckiest Scotland players ever. He made his debut on October 1, 1949 against Northern Ireland and hit a hat-trick as the Scots won 8-2 but was never picked again!
2 East Fife’s Scottish Cup win in 1938, when they defeated Kilmarnock 4-2 after a 1-1 draw, remains the last time a team from outwith the top flight won the competition. The games were watched by crowds of 80,091 and 92,716!
3 East Fife are one of just two sides to have a 100% record in finals of the Scottish League Cup, having tasted success in 1947/48 with a 4-0 win over Falkirk after a replay, a 3-0 win over Dunfermline two years later and a 3-2 victory over Partick Thistle in 1953-54. Livingston also have a 100% record but have only featured in one final.
4 Dave Clarke was a great servant of the club, making over 600 appearances in a 19-year spell from 1968 to 1987. Clarke also had two spells as a manager.
5 East Fife reached the quarter-finals of the first Challenge Cup back in season 1990/91 after wins over Stranraer and Clydebank. Kilmarnock ended their interest with a 2-1 success, with quarter-final berths secured again in 1991, 1996, 2010 and 2011.
6 The club’s Bayview Stadium home was known as New Bayview when it opened in 1998. That helped to distinguish it from their original Bayview Park home, which was the club’s base from its formation in 1903.
7 Current player/manager Gary Naysmith spent nearly seven years of his career playing at Everton where he was a team-mate of a youthful Wayne Rooney. The two players played for the Toffees on a disappointing day when they were knocked out the FA Cup by Shrewsbury in January 2003.
8 In the past 20 years, six Scotland internationalists have been among the 14 managers that have held office - Steve Archibald, Jimmy Bone, Stevie Crawford, John Robertson, Gordon Durie and Gary Naysmith.
9 The teams at Bayview run out ahead of a game to music named after a satellite. Before kick-off ‘Telstar’ by the Tornadoes is played, with the song written in honour of the Telstar communications satellite, which was launched into orbit on 10 July 1962.
10 East Fife secured promotion in their Centenary Year of 2003 thanks to a late, late goal from Dr Goals Kenny Deuchar. Albion Rovers were set to go up with Morton until Deuchar headed a last-gasp winner against Queen’s Park.
Craig Stewart
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