The three others are Dunfermline Athletic, Kelty Hearts and the Kirkcaldy-based Raith Rovers (Cowdenbeath play in the Lowland Football League), all of whom have historically shared rivalries with East Fife.

The following season East Fife joined the Northern League, which included clubs such as Dunfermline Athletic and St Johnstone.

In the period following the war, the clubs competing for the Central League were mainly from the coal and shale mining communities of Fife and West Lothian.

[3] Among the players who were at the club for at least part of this era were Tommy Adams and Willie Laird – both had played in the Scottish Cup-winning side before the war.

Others joined and would go on to represent Scotland while at the club – George Aitken, Davie Duncan, Allan Brown, Henry Morris, Charlie Fleming and Andy Matthew.

Others such as Jimmy Philp and winger and later Scottish League cap Bobby Black were among those who picked up cup winners' medals at the club.

[3] Harold Davis was on the books for a number of seasons but rarely played due to fulfilling his national service in the Korean War in which he was seriously injured in combat.

Davis took two years to recover from his injuries, then played a couple of games for the first team before following Symon to Rangers where both had much success.

Since then, the Methil outfit has struggled to match previous success, emphasised by the fact that aside from three seasons during the early 1970s, the club has played all of its football outside the top league since the 1950s.

[5][6] The new acquisitions proved successful as the team thoroughly dominated the early stages, culminating in a twelve-point lead at the top of the division by Christmas.

East Fife also revived their historic tradition in the Scottish League Cup by reaching the third round, beating Queen of the South and SPL side St Mirren,[7] before losing out to Old Firm heavyweights Rangers.

Having lead the team to league success the previous campaign, manager David Baikie resigned from his position on 14 April 2009.

In the preceding season they won the playoff final 1–0 on aggregate with the only goal of the tie coming from David Muir at Peterhead's Balmoor Stadium.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply.

Since 1998, home matches have been played at the new all-seated Bayview Stadium situated at the old Lower Methil docks, capacity 1,980.