Stirling Albion Manager Greig McDonald is hoping that his side recover from 2-1 down and defeat East Fife in their Play-Off Final even though he knows that he is risking a lot of friendships.
McDonald had started his career at Dunfermline but failed to establish himself there and went through a similar time at his second club Brechin before enjoying a six year spell at Bayview where he was a favourite with the Fifers’ faithful.
The 32-year-old said: “I started off at East End Park under Dick Campbell and then followed him to Brechin City. It was Jimmy Calderwood that let me and a few others go when a round of budget cuts kicked in.”
“It was disappointing at the time as I had gone from being in the first team squad to being out of the club within the space of a couple of weeks.”
The move to Angus never brought the great breakthrough either as two Scottish football stalwarts kept McDonald cooling his heels on the side-lines.
McDonald explained: “Going to Brechin never really worked for me as I spent 3 months waiting for either Harry Cairney or Jim Smith to get injured or have a bad game. They basically did neither.”
“I wanted to play and 3 months of travelling up to Glebe Park and not featuring was very frustrating so I left there as well. It was a risk as I had nothing lined up.”
Thankfully East Fife stepped in as McDonald explained: “An old schoolteacher of mine knew the East Fife manager Jim Moffat and recommended him to have a look at me. I came in for a trial game and did well enough in it to get signed.”
“It was the season 2002 – 2003 season and Kenny Deuchar scored in the last minute in the game against Queen’s Park to secure promotion as runners up behind Morton. I was on the fringes of things after joining in the February but I started to establish myself the following season in Division Two.”
“I was getting a regular game in a central midfield role and I had an eye for goal then and showed that by netting a few goals that season. The East Fife fans took to me then, however we never made an impact on the league and we were relegated after the last game of the season.”
“We needed Berwick to do us a favour on the last day when they were at home to Arbroath and they didn’t. They lost 3-1 to Arbroath and even though we had won 1-0 at Stenhousemuir we went down by a point.”
After three seasons of not getting out of the Third Division Jim Moffat left and Dave Baikie took over as manager at Bayview and he helped take the side into the Play-Offs.
McDonald however was not able to help much that season as he explained: “That was to be a disappointing time for me and as I was out for 11 months after breaking my leg in what was only Dave’s second game in charge. I broke my leg in 2006 and I came back when we were actually in the Play-Offs.”
“We had reached the Final by defeating Stranraer only to be beaten by a Queen’s Park side that included a host of players that have moved on to the top flight like Paul Cairney, Stuart Kettlewell and Paul Paton.
“Some of the other players from that team David Crawford, Mark Ferry and David Weatherston now play for me so I am delighted to have their Play-Off experience in my team.”
Twelve months later McDonald and East Fife were Second Division bound, with the league clinched with a 3-0 win at East Stirling in the middle of March.
“The following season there was a big turnaround in the board at East Fife and there was a big turnaround in the playing staff,” said McDonald before adding: “We won the Third Division fairly easily and by that time I was playing alongside really experienced players like Steven Tweed and Jonathan Smart.”
McDonald added ruefully: “East Fife have stayed in the third level of Scottish football ever since and I am pleased to have played my part in getting them there. I now of course have the ironic aim of taking them out of that division.”
“I have taken Stirling in a couple of games against East Fife already. It was not long after Jocky Scott had left and we were still in Division Two as it was then. The games were home and away and to be honest we were pretty stranded by that time of the season and they did not have a great deal of intensity to them.”
It was different on Wednesday when substitutes Scott McBride and Nathan Austin headed in to bring East Fife to a leading position after they had fallen behind to a Ross Forsyth header in front of a noisy 1501 crowd.
McDonald said: “Wednesday night’s game was different to the two League matches against my old team. Sunday’s game will be different as well as there is a lot more pressure on getting a result now.”
Despite being behind McDonald is looking forward to going back as he explained: “The players have all changed since my time there but I know Gary Thom as he was with us lasts season. Their goalkeeper Greg Paterson did pre-season training with us so I know him as well.”
“I do know guys like Stevie Campbell, Pat Clarke, Marc McKenzie and Joe Mbu from playing against them over the years but unfortunately there are no former team-mates there for me now.”
“There will still be a lot of familiar faces in the backroom staff at East Fife like the kit-man, the groundsman and Leona on the front desk so I will see a lot of people I know and people I shared good and bad times with.”
McDonald finished by saying: “I really hope they don’t dislike me after the game if Stirling win promotion and East Fife are relegated. I have a job to do now and that has to come first.”
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