A marvellous article in yesterday's Scotsman linking East Fife and Gretna's Scottish Cup achievments.
Sport.scotsman.com

And here it is.....

Gretna have chance to make history - but it has happened once before
LET me take you back 68 years to the very beginning of football's constant presence in my life.

Only once has the Scottish Cup been won by a team from a lower league, a feat Gretna could match today. In 1938, East Fife were in fifth place in the old Second Division, and there were 20 teams above them in the old First Division.

Scene: Mount Florida in Glasgow. Action: small boy aged seven asks if he can go to the Scottish Cup final replay between Kilmarnock and East Fife. Mother says no, no-one to take you. Small boys persists, and eventually I am allowed to go on my own.

A gang of men in black and yellow scarves took pity on a seven-year-old who couldn't see, and hoisted me on to a crush barrier. More, they filled me up with American cream soda. They came from a place called Coaltown of Wemyss they said, and East Fife was their team.

One American cream soda later they were my team too. I liked the black and gold vertical stripes and I had learned that East Fife were not expected to win. All my life watching two sides I have quickly identified the underdog and even more quickly supported it.

There were 90,000 people at Hampden and the match is still vivid in my mind. East Fife scored early on and we nodded sagely, it wouldn't last. It didn't. Five minutes later Kilmarnock equalised with a penalty from Benny Thomson. Kilmarnock scored again and the East Fife defence was under pressure

, particularly from a player who rejoiced in the up-market first name of Felix. East Fife were not much in it but grabbed an early second-half goal and we went to extra time.

We still thought Kilmarnock would do it and a loud murmur ran round the ground as a man in a long-tailored coat and a bowler hat came on to the field and talked earnestly to the Killie players before extra time. "That's the Kilmarnock manager, Jimmy McGrory," we told each other. Whatever he said had little effect. Larry Miller scored for East Fife with ten minutes to go and Danny McKerrell got his second four minutes later.

The teams left the field in the deep dusk, and in those days the cup was presented indoors.

After the game my new-found friends had set off for their triumph back in Methil, for there was little of peace time left. Before several players lay almost six years of military service and when peace came they were mature, indeed almost veteran, professional players. One such player was Willie Laird, who left behind his cup triumph to serve abroad.

He buckled down and added a second Scottish Cup final appearance in 1950 but was on the end of a drubbing from Rangers. Nevertheless he had formed a formidable partnership at full-back with Sammy Stewart. His was a reassuring presence, and during his spell at Bayview small boys became young men while watching him.

By an odd trick of fate, Stewart once got me out of a serious broadcasting jam. In 1961 when Scotland lost 9-3 at Wembley, I was working for ITV in London and on the whistle I had to introduce Arthur Montford from the ground. When I made the introduction, no Arthur came up on the screen but a cardboard lid came through the producer's window on which was written: "Bob, the film has broke (sic). Talk."

About what? I had no details of the game. I looked at what had happened in Scotland that day: nothing, except that Stewart had played his last game. For four minutes I filibustered on Stewart's career and if viewers didn't know much about him, I soon put that right.

The moral of this tale is that players then stayed a long while with their clubs and put down roots of affection with supporters. It was possible for small clubs to succeed.

Today, no-one of that East Fife team remains, the last to go being Davie Russell who died six years ago.

The names of the cup winning team trip off the tongue, yet if my life depended on it I could not give the East Fife team of two years ago. Today, Gretna have a chance that comes once in a lifetime.

Bob Crampsey

Excellent article and makes you proud to be Black & Gold!

The cup winning team are all legends and shows how low we have fallen due to Brown!

QUALITY.........

Protester your surely not blaming Mr Brown for the decline since 1938. After all he has appointed Dave Baike a first choice of many mound loonies.

Of course we do.

After all, according to his own claims he's been supporting East Fife forever so it must be his fault - he is the common denominator throughout the years

Two Fife Cups on the bounce under Browns guidance not many more can better that.

Is that last comment serious ?