24 October 1953 - Not Who You Thought They Would Be, Were They?

On 24 October 1953, East Fife defeated Partick Thistle 3-2 in the Scottish League Cup Final, becoming the first-ever team to lift the Cup three times.

Founded in 1903, East Fife won their first major trophy in 1938 by beating Kilmarnock in the Scottish Cup Final. In the process, the Fifers became the only Second Division team to win that Cup. They went on to win their first Scottish League Cup in 1947, then again in 1949.

In 1953, East Fife--by then in the top flight--advanced through the League Cup with wins over Aberdeen, Airdrieonians, and Celtic in the preliminary round, then beating Dunfermline Athletic 9-4 on aggregate in the quarterfinal. They edged Hibernian 3-2 in the semifinal to set up the meeting with Partick Thistle.

Playing before a crowd of 38,529 at Glasgow's Hampden Park, Partick Thistle got goals from right winger Johnny McKenzie and left winger Jimmy Walker, but the Fifers won with scores from right half Frank Christie and inside forwards Charlie Fleming and Ian Gardiner.

Unfortunately, their third Cup win was their last. East Fife were relegated in 1958 after 10 seasons in the top flight and currently play in the Scottish Second Divison, which is the third tier in the Scottish football pyramid.