EAST Fife have added two more players to their squad as they try to come to terms with throwing away two points on Saturday.
EAST Fife have added two more players to their squad as they try to come to terms with throwing away two points on Saturday.
Cowdenbeath left-back Kevin McBride has arrived at Bayview in a swap deal with striker Craig Smart heading the other way while winger Paul Walker signed from Ayr United on Monday night.
East Fife boss Dave Baikie also made an audacious bid to sign former Fifers hero Kenny Deuchar on loan but the bid was rejected by Gretna, who want to sell the forward outright.
Despite signing two players this week, more additions haven't been totally ruled out.
Baikie said: "We are happy with the players we have brought in. It's unlikely, but there is a remote possibility of getting more players in."
McBride played as a trialist on Saturday and Baikie will hope the new recruits can help halt the Fifers bad run.
After relinquishing the lead against rivals Berwick Rangers the week before, on Saturday the nightmare continued with East Fife throwing away a three-goal lead against struggling Montrose.
But Baikie is refusing to panic following the 3-3 draw and still feels his side are good enough to gain promotion.
He said: "We played well for an hour but when we lost one goal we seemed to heap pressure on ourselves and panicked.
"Losing those goals would suggest there is some weakness in our mentality at the moment although losing Jamie McGowan to injury, who was a rock, didn't help.
"But looking at the positives, we played really well for an hour.
"I have been in management for 17 years and I think that's the first time a result like that has happened to me.
"Now we just have to move on. We have a good squad of players here."
A visit to Hampden is a tough fixture in which to bounce back and Baikie admits Queen's Park will be a difficult game.
He said: "Queen's Park are the best footballing side in the division and they are own their own patch.
"But there is no better inspiration than a visit to Hampden.
"There is no team in the division we haven't beaten and we are capable of getting a result. We just have to iron out the problems we have right now."
Paul Ritchie, Gary Kelly, Jason Dair and John Dodds all remain long-term casualties and are joined by Jamie McGowan while Elliot Smith is also doubtful after limping off on Saturday.
But Sam Linton should be available after recovering from a virus.

FANS ASKED TO DESIGN NEW CLUB KITS
EAST Fife fans have been invited by the club to help come up with designs for next season's home and away kits.
EAST Fife fans have been invited by the club to help come up with designs for next season's home and away kits.
The competition is open to absolutely everyone, and although there's no guarantee the winning design will be the one Dave Baikie's team run out to next season, the prizes on offer are worth the effort alone.
If the winner is aged under 16, the prizes include season tickets for Bayview for themselves plus their parents, and for the over-16s, 'Gold' hospitality tickets are on offer.
The package includes a superb four-course lunch plus refreshments throughout the match.
There are also runners-up prizes of silver and bronze hospitality packages as well.
A spokesman for the club said: "The winning entry may not necessarily have their design used on the strip because there's only so much that we can print on to the fabric, but there's a good chance that it could be.
"East Fife have been playing in their famous black and gold striped tops for decades now and the designers should remember that when they are designing.
"But originally the team played in green and white hoops and then on to navy blue strips, so that could maybe be an idea for the away strip."
The spokesman added that group entries from sports clubs or schools would be welcomed.
All entries for the competition should be sent to Mr Sharp, Bayview Stadium, Harbour View, Methil, Fife KY8 3RW.
The closing date for the competition is February 28.

From the Courier

EAST FIFE have signed winger Paul Walker from Ayr United to help kick-start their stuttering promotion bid.

Having developed as a player through Dundee United’s youth scheme, Walker has had spells at St Mirren, Stranraer, Queen’s Park, Partick, Morton and Montrose before joining Ayr last August.

After putting pen to paper at Bayview, the 29-year-old was impressive in a 5-0 friendly win over Ballingry Rovers on Monday night, rounding off his unofficial debut with a goal late on.

The game also had many other positives for Dave Baikie’s men, with defender Greig McDonald playing a full 90 minutes on his return from long-term injury problems.

McDonald actually opened the scoring before Kevin Gordon put the Fifers 2-0 up at half-time, with a John Martin effort, a second goal for Gordon and Walker’s strike putting the game beyond doubt.

Young midfielder Stephen Fortune also returned to the line-up but had to be substituted in the second-half after picking up a knock.