Number 4 - Ochilview

Saturday 10th January Scottish Cup Fourth Round
Stenhousemuir	0:1	East Fife
		Linn 84
Ochilview Attendance: 784

It was Scottish Cup 4th Round weekend and unfortunately I could not acquire tickets for Ayr - Kilmarnock or even St Johnstone - Rangers on the Tuesday night. Anyhow, there was definitely a game going to be on at Ochilview between Stenhousemuir and East Fife, despite the horrendous weather.

I met Dave at Larbert station after getting the train from Haymarket. On the way to the ground we sampled the delights of the town, which seemed to consist of housing estates and one big shopping complex.  Outside the ground itself we asked a couple of fans where the nearest bar was, and they directed us towards the club bar under the only stand at the ground. These nice people turned out to be relatives of Kevin Motion, the Stenhousemuir striker. Upon entering the bar, Dave immediately noticed the fact that the Bristol City pennant was considerably larger than the Bristol Rovers one. They didn't even have a Vale one - the barman said that I'd better bring one down then. The bar was tiny and was full of both Stenny and East Fife fans. £2.20 for a pint of lager was outstanding, so we had a couple before the game started. As we headed towards the turnstiles, we saw that the Stenhousemuir would be sitting down in a stand alongside the pitch, whereas the Fifers would be in the terracing behind one of the goals, so we decided to go with the terracing. It's not often that you get to stand up at a league football ground in England, so we wanted to make the most of it in Scotland. 

The game itself was absolutely dire. Words cannot express how awful it was. The swirling wind did not help either side and it was midway through the first half before we saw a proper chance with that man Kevin Motion glancing the bar with a long-range strike. The weather got worse and worse and there was little to shout about for either side until, deep into the second half, Bobby Linn's corner looped in at the far post. There was time for one last chance for Stenhousemuir with an effort just wide of the far post from a dead ball (I didn't realise how close this was to an equaliser until I saw the highlights programme), but East Fife hung on for the victory.

After the game we went to a pub on the high street and got several strange looks for the shirts we were wearing, but this also proved to be a conversation starter as we got talking to a group of East Fife fans. It turns out they go home and away with East Fife, which I found amazing - true commitment. I asked them who they wanted in the next round and a few of them said Aberdeen away because it was the only stadium they've never visited with East Fife. They were duly drawn against them at Pittodrie the following day.

All in all, Ochilview was a thoroughly good day out and both sets of fans were very friendly. Most just thought we were idiots for being at the game. Queens Park next week, hopefully with pictures too!