It has been a few years since we had a game of any real meaning.
What would be your first or best memory of the local rivalry, on the park that is!!!!

I remember seeing 2 Kirkcaldy casuals being put through a bus stop windae in Wellesley Road!

Aye I remember that it was well funny, think it was Shaun Dennis that done it

If it's league matches, I've only ever been to three, all in season 1987/88

First match was at Bayview and I think we lost 1-2? I remember being gutted and took a bit of a slagging back home. Memory of that was of the fighting after the match and how I ws terrified of walking down the brae to Shorehead to get my bus home. Took my scarf off for that! Crowd wise it was one of the most mental I have been in and I am sure that this was just before Bayview had permanent segregation. Just a line of police and metal gates.

Second game was the 7-1 massacre. Amazing. Seem to remember Stevie Simpson being great that day. Man sent off for the Fife. Only memories of that are losing a goal right at the end and before the match seeing an E*st F*fe red Fife Scottish double decker bus going up the brae and it was absolutely bouncing. Remember being disappointed at the crowd. Didn't seem to be so many away fans?

The last one was the greatest league match I have ever been to with the Rovers. Really big crowd. 1-1 and then in the last minute I am sure Davie Lloyd headed it through a crowd of players and Gordon Dalziel scored the winner. Up there with winning the League Cup and Munich away.

Luckily wasn't at the 0-1 at Stark's? was told that the F*fe were given a penalty from a foul committed on the half way line!!!

I'd love to have the derby again one day.

getting all emotional now...

And a warm welcome to the new Raith Rovers fan site. There are now warnings that the original is going in to serious decline as we have their elite posters developing this site for themselves.

Shit and I was going to ignore them. Ahh weel.

First one was New Years Day 1977. A crowd of just under 5,000 and a 2-1 win, both goals from Billy Gillies. Don't know how I managed to miss the corresponding fixture two years earlier as I went to all the home games back then.
I was just too young to see the 1970 massacres in the Scottish Cup and League (3-0 and 5-1 respectively). Went to my first Fife game in February 1971).
Best derby game has to be the 1983 Scottish Cup tie, Robin Thomson's 35 yarder winning it for us. The crowd was 5,760 that afternoon and we sang ourselves hoarse for 90 minutes...

If we ever get a league derby at Bayview it is going to be rubbish if you don't get some terracing in.

2000 sell out all ticket match.

JONATHAN
If it is a cup game, they can move it to a large ground not that far away.I think EF have previous for that.

I'd been to a load of Fife derbies before this, but for some reason the New Year's day game in 1975 stands out from the rest. East Fife were top of the league at the time, having just been relegated from the old first division, and looked like winning the second division. The official crowd was 5,292, but anyone who was there will tell you that there was at least 10,000, and only a couple of hundred of them were sober!
For the record, East Fife won 2-1 thanks to goals from the late great Drew Rutherford and young Sammy Frickleton. Not sure who scored for Raith but I have the feeling it was either wee Ronnie Duncan or Gordon Wallace (GG Wallace, not the better known Gordon Wallace who played for Dundee).
Yes, I'd have those days back in a minute.

I remember both the 75 and 77 New Years Day games. Great atmosphere and the right results of course. We also rolled them over 2 zip at Pratt Street earlier in the 74/75 season too. In the the 1977 game the linos thought they had equalised very late in the game through a penalty, but it was chalked off cos the penalty taker knocked in the rebound from the post without anyone else touching it first. Might have been Brian Cooper who later played for us, but can't remember such fine detail from 30 years ago (fuck was it that long!).

Some other Kirkcaldy games I remember were the 70/71 New Year game when Rovers somehow won 2-1 after us totally dominating (didn't stop us going up tho). The earlier 76/77 game was a torrid affair when 3 were sent off (Clarkie for us) and loads of others booked. More a punch up than a football match!

I'm pretty sure it was Ronnie Duncan who missed the penalty. Judging by the cheer, some of the Raith supporters thought it was a goal too, but it was clear even from the opposite end of the ground that the ball struck the 'keepers left hand post and not another player (no other player, not even EF goalie, was anywhere near the ball) before Duncan struck home the rebound. It was clearly a case of the Raith man not knowing the rules!

No surprise there then Jim!

Thank you for that retelling of the New Years Day Game Jim as it was my first East Fife Game. I remembered the score and the date but not alot else other than the brilliant atmosphere and what seemed to me the bigggest crowd ever. ( I was only 8!)

I was sitting in the main stand so most of the folk at leasted seemed sober on account of not having to stand up.

A footnote to the lino lickers. I would say games v's the Jambos were alway that wee bit extra special as we got bored of stuffin you'se in that era and I seem to recall a few electic atmospheres (and quite a lot of gratutious violence) in evening games in the late 70's early eighties. Think it was the same for the players as many of those who landed up at East Fife has been on Hearts books at one time or another.

Would I be right in thinking it would be between Hearts and Dunfermline for the clubs that have supplied us with most players?

My time goes back to the late 70`s. I did go to alot of EF games & i can think of games with Rangers,Hibs Celtic all cup games. Players such as Durie,Burgess,Marshall,Gorman,Hunter,Mcafferty
My first game v EF was the cup at Bayview i think the crowd was near 8000 (7500 Rovers) The one Mr Robin Thomson scored with his right foot from about 25 yards i think. Robin lives close to me now and i keep telling him about it and trying to get him to say sorry for what he done. Robins right leg is for standing only, he was all left. That was my first game .
The next was at starks and EF did not turn up in a 7-1 win.
Happy and not so happy days.

Remember the cup game well Angus.Great free kick fi Robin.Wiz at the 7-1 game anaw.NEVER 6 goals in it mind you.Thought we were unlucky in the first half with Paul Hunter hitting the woodwork.Then big Grant Reid got sent aff ,un that wiz that.Remember reading in the courier about Hamish Mcalphine.He said that he'd been in loads ov Dundee derbys BUT did not realise just what a Fife/rovers match meant to the fans.Hope these days come quiker rather than later.

Enfifer - you are quite right that there was never 6 goals between the teams - in actual fact East Fife were by far the better team in the first half.

Things just went crazy in the second with "Bingo" Simpson having his greatest day in a Rovers jersey.

That said the result itself was very sweet - something I remind my East Fife friends of every time we meet up.

It would be so good to be in the same league again soon - pity you cannnot be promoted two leagues in one go.

Looks like "Least" End rather than "Least" Fife next New Years Day.

Did 'Psycho' Reid not get sent off in two derbies that season and both for tackles on Stevie Simpson?