Methil may not exactly be the jewel in the crown of the Kingdom of Fife but its team's performances to date - with maximum points in the league and scoring for fun - are certainly creating a sparkle.

"To be honest with you, I'd be delighted with a one-nil win," joked East Fife manager David Baikie, after witnessing his side coast to victory against a Stranraer side totally bereft of self-belief.

In his programme notes, Baikie expressed concern about the damage to his nerves following his side's run of three 3-2 victories prior to the visit of Stranraer, and while they may have fluttered briefly when Iain Cashmore halved the deficit with 25 minutes to go, the result was never in doubt.

"As long as we keep winning we are obviously pleased and the longer we play together - because there are a lot of new players out there - the better," added Baikie, who gave debuts to two new recruits: on-loan Celtic goalkeeper Scott Fox and former Berwick midfielder Gary Greenhill.

It was Stranraer who looked like the team that had only just been introduced in the tunnel, succumbing to their second away loss in a disappointingly defeatist manner.

Their manager, Gerry Britton, said: "You've got to be hard to beat, especially if you are coming to places like this, you've got to defend well and when you don't you are going to be up against it."

Up against it they were, with the home side using their height advantage and the lethal dead-ball delivery of winger Douglas Cameron to great effect.

Stranraer keeper Alan Ferguson had already suffered several uncomfortable moments from set-pieces before his spill gifted Kevin Fotheringham the simplest of strikes into an empty net with 22 minutes played.

Formerly a forward, now a cultured wing-back, Fotheringham made it 2-0 from a corner in first-half injury time, heading home unmarked from four yards out.

"At the start of the season the manager was having me at the back for corners, but I spoke to him before the game and said it would be worth sticking me up for them," explained the former Raith Rovers man.

"It's paid off well and I probably should have had a few more to be honest."

He was right, but luckily for him, Cashmore's tidy half-volley was little more than a footnote and when Paul McManus sprung the offside trap for the Fifers' third, Methil's finest were glittering like the Koh-I-Noor.