Bayview Stadium (East Fife v Stenhousemuir)

Today I took the X26 Stagecoach bus from Glasgow Buchanan Bus Station to Leven Bus Station to see the Second Division clash between relegation candidates East Fife and Stenhousemuir. East Fife's ground is Bayview Stadium in Methil. The stadium is only a ten-minute walk from the bus station in neighbouring Leven. I took the bus (£11 for a return ticket) as the nearest train station is eight miles away in Kirkcaldy.

The ground opened in 1998 and has a capacity of 2,000. There is only one stand and it all looks very similar to Dumbarton's Strathclyde Homes Stadium with a similar capacity. Bayview is situated next to the now decommissioned Methil power station, which is awaiting demolition. There is a comfortable social club inside the ground where I enjoyed a pre-match pint.

The game was entertaining even though it was not until the 54th minute that Andrew Cook opened the score for East Fife. The Fifers had plenty of chances to make sure the three points stayed in the Kingdom however they were very wasteful. Unfortunately my last bus back to Glasgow was scheduled to depart the bus station at 4:50pm so I left after 83 minutes. On my way to Leven I heard cheers and assumed East Fife had increased their lead to 2-0 but it was Paul Quinn who equalised for Stennie. This meant the Fifers are still not safe and losing to Arbroath (who surprisingly won 2-0 at Dumbarton today...) next week could result in relegation play-offs. The Warriors must beat Peterhead at home next week to ensure they will be playing in the third tier next season. Luckily I did not leave early for nothing, my bus left Leven on time and I arrived back in Glasgow at around 7pm.

Approaching Bayview Stadium.


The single stand seen from outside the ground.


The stand before kick-off.


The scenic view from the stand: Methil power station.


Not as close to the North Sea as Gayfield Park but still very close to the water.


This boy watched the entire game from a tree.

Celebrations after Andrew Cook opened the score for East Fife.

Saturday 24th April 2010
Scottish Football League Second Division
East Fife 1 Stenhousemuir 1
East Fife: Cook 54.
Stenhousemuir: Quinn 87.
Att: 678

Bayview Stadium (East Fife v Stenhousemuir)

Today I took the X26 Stagecoach bus from Glasgow Buchanan Bus Station to Leven Bus Station to see the Second Division clash between relegation candidates East Fife and Stenhousemuir. East Fife's ground is Bayview Stadium in Methil. The stadium is only a ten-minute walk from the bus station in neighbouring Leven. I took the bus (£11 for a return ticket) as the nearest train station is eight miles away in Kirkcaldy.

The ground opened in 1998 and has a capacity of 2,000. There is only one stand and it all looks very similar to Dumbarton's Strathclyde Homes Stadium with a similar capacity. Bayview is situated next to the now decommissioned Methil power station, which is awaiting demolition. There is a comfortable social club inside the ground where I enjoyed a pre-match pint.

The game was entertaining even though it was not until the 54th minute that Andrew Cook opened the score for East Fife. The Fifers had plenty of chances to make sure the three points stayed in the Kingdom however they were very wasteful. Unfortunately my last bus back to Glasgow was scheduled to depart the bus station at 4:50pm so I left after 83 minutes. On my way to Leven I heard cheers and assumed East Fife had increased their lead to 2-0 but it was Paul Quinn who equalised for Stennie. This meant the Fifers are still not safe and losing to Arbroath (who surprisingly won 2-0 at Dumbarton today...) next week could result in relegation play-offs. The Warriors must beat Peterhead at home next week to ensure they will be playing in the third tier next season. Luckily I did not leave early for nothing, my bus left Leven on time and I arrived back in Glasgow at around 7pm.

Approaching Bayview Stadium.


The single stand seen from outside the ground.


The stand before kick-off.


The scenic view from the stand: Methil power station.


Not as close to the North Sea as Gayfield Park but still very close to the water.


This boy watched the entire game from a tree.

Celebrations after Andrew Cook opened the score for East Fife.

Saturday 24th April 2010
Scottish Football League Second Division
East Fife 1 Stenhousemuir 1
East Fife: Cook 54.
Stenhousemuir: Quinn 87.
Att: 678

Central Park (Cowdenbeath v East Fife)

Panorama view of Central Park.

Today I went to Cowdenbeath in Fife to see the derby match against East Fife. I took the train to Haymarket (a 45-minute journey from Glasgow Queen Street) where I had to change for the train to Cowdenbeath, which took another 40 minutes. It had turned out a nice and sunny day after the previous night's pelting rain. Central Park, Cowdenbeath's ground, is very close to the station, I would say less than five minutes on foot. I walked to the ground first to take a few pictures and with about 45 minutes to spare I then strolled up the town's High Street looking for a pub.

The only entrance to the ground. There was no segregation in place.

I had a quick pint in the Old Cross Guns Inn which is at the top of High Street, around five minutes from the ground. It was quite a friendly place. At about 11:45 I started walking to the ground. This may sound early but the kick-off was scheduled for noon for unknown reasons. This suited me fine as it meant I would be back home nice and early.

The ground itself is quite unusual. There is a tarmac circuit around the pitch and stock car races are staged here every Saturday night according to one ad near the ground (for more information click here). Also there are two main stands. Apparently the old stand burned down partially and a new one was erected next to what remained of the old stand. I got the feeling most Cowdenbeath fans were in the stand. I watched most of the game from the South Terrace which is quite a large terrace but most fans on it seemed to be East Fife fans. There was no segregation in place today and there was not a hint of trouble. Because of the race track you are quite far from the pitch but especially annoying is the high fence erected around the track to protect spectators at the motor sports events.

The game itself was quite entertaining but all three goals where scored in the opening 15 minutes when I was too busy taking pictures at this unusual ground. A fellow groundhopper saw me taking pictures and it turned out he was a postman from Manchester who was on strike today which gave him an opportunity to visit two grounds in one day. Dunfermline were playing Dundee at 3pm today. Dunfermline is about five minutes on the train from Cowdenbeath and I was annoyed I had not thought of this myself. I decided to go to Dunfermline after the game anyway to take a few pictures of East End Park on a match day however I had not budgeted for the £16 to get in so I decided against visiting the game and took the train back to Glasgow at 3:30pm.

Before the game I had a quick pint in the charming Old Cross Guns Inn.

First class facilities at Central Park.

The South Terrace.

The East Terrace.

John Robertson scores what turned out to be the winning goal for Cowdenbeath.

The Main Stands. Note the German flag hanging upside down.

Again the South Terrace.

The fence around the pitch obstructed views.

The Main Stands seen from the West Terrace.

Saturday 31st October 2009
Scottish Football League Second Division
Cowdenbeath 2 East Fife 1
Cowdenbeath: Fairbairn 2, Robertson 14.
East Fife: Crawford 12.
Att: 733

Central Park (Cowdenbeath v East Fife)

Panorama view of Central Park.

Today I went to Cowdenbeath in Fife to see the derby match against East Fife. I took the train to Haymarket (a 45-minute journey from Glasgow Queen Street) where I had to change for the train to Cowdenbeath, which took another 40 minutes. It had turned out a nice and sunny day after the previous night's pelting rain. Central Park, Cowdenbeath's ground, is very close to the station, I would say less than five minutes on foot. I walked to the ground first to take a few pictures and with about 45 minutes to spare I then strolled up the town's High Street looking for a pub.

The only entrance to the ground. There was no segregation in place.

I had a quick pint in the Old Cross Guns Inn which is at the top of High Street, around five minutes from the ground. It was quite a friendly place. At about 11:45 I started walking to the ground. This may sound early but the kick-off was scheduled for noon for unknown reasons. This suited me fine as it meant I would be back home nice and early.

The ground itself is quite unusual. There is a tarmac circuit around the pitch and stock car races are staged here every Saturday night according to one ad near the ground (for more information click here). Also there are two main stands. Apparently the old stand burned down partially and a new one was erected next to what remained of the old stand. I got the feeling most Cowdenbeath fans were in the stand. I watched most of the game from the South Terrace which is quite a large terrace but most fans on it seemed to be East Fife fans. There was no segregation in place today and there was not a hint of trouble. Because of the race track you are quite far from the pitch but especially annoying is the high fence erected around the track to protect spectators at the motor sports events.

The game itself was quite entertaining but all three goals where scored in the opening 15 minutes when I was too busy taking pictures at this unusual ground. A fellow groundhopper saw me taking pictures and it turned out he was a postman from Manchester who was on strike today which gave him an opportunity to visit two grounds in one day. Dunfermline were playing Dundee at 3pm today. Dunfermline is about five minutes on the train from Cowdenbeath and I was annoyed I had not thought of this myself. I decided to go to Dunfermline after the game anyway to take a few pictures of East End Park on a match day however I had not budgeted for the £16 to get in so I decided against visiting the game and took the train back to Glasgow at 3:30pm.

Before the game I had a quick pint in the charming Old Cross Guns Inn.

First class facilities at Central Park.

The South Terrace.

The East Terrace.

John Robertson scores what turned out to be the winning goal for Cowdenbeath.

The Main Stands. Note the German flag hanging upside down.

Again the South Terrace.

The fence around the pitch obstructed views.

The Main Stands seen from the West Terrace.

Saturday 31st October 2009
Scottish Football League Second Division
Cowdenbeath 2 East Fife 1
Cowdenbeath: Fairbairn 2, Robertson 14.
East Fife: Crawford 12.
Att: 733