In the televised match on Friday night, Dunfermline’s Owen Moffat delivered a memorable performance by scoring his first and second senior goals, helping his team secure a 2-1 victory over Morton. The young talent’s spectacular double in the opening seven minutes set his team up for a historic victory in Greenock.
After the match, he shared his feelings about his milestones, saying, “I was buzzing. Obviously the first one, I think it was about 20 seconds into the game – it couldn’t really have been a better start for us – then I think it was the next time I got the ball, I put it away. I’m really happy.”
For the promising player who joined Dunfermline on loan from Blackpool in September, this moment has been a long time coming. When asked if he was unfortunate not to score before now, Owen admitted, “Yeah, definitely. I think every game we’ve played up until now I’ve had loads of chances, and I’ve been struggling to put them away. Last week there were quite a few! I’m happy they went in the goal on Friday night.”
These goals not only sealed a win for Dunfermline but also put the team in a strong position. Moffat recognised the team’s performance, saying, “I think we did well first half. Their threats were coming from crosses into the box and trying to put in as much as they could because they had an aerial advantage on us. Second half we had to dig deep, but it shows we’re a team that can do both sides of the game; we can keep the ball, or we can defend.”
Scoring goals at the senior level meant the world to Moffat. He enjoyed celebrating in front of the travelling Pars fans and the significant difference in atmosphere compared to the Lowland League where he had scored before. He said, “It’s amazing. It’s a great feeling, obviously celebrating in front of the fans as well. In the Lowland League, there’s not as many fans as there is in the Scottish Championship, and the Dunfermline fans travelled in numbers. We really appreciate it.”
Moffat’s aspirations are clear; he wants to kick on personally and continue to make his mark. He confirmed first team football and game time was his aim in returning to Scotland to play for Dunfermline, “that’s the plan. I came here to play games and show everyone what I can do, so that’s exactly what I want to do.”
Although the 21 year old didn’t go on to secure a hat-trick at Morton, Owen admitted that he had entertained the possibility, especially in the first half when a penalty appeal emerged. Reflecting on the chance, he said, “In the first half, I think there was a penalty appeal at the back post with Chris Hamilton, and I was thinking if he did give it, would I have taken it? It wasn’t to be.”
Blackpool keep a close eye on Owen and he hopes his performance has not gone unnoticed. “I’ve not spoken to Dobs (Stephen Dobbie) who is my coach at Blackpool, but I’m sure he would’ve been watching.” Elaborating on his loan move, Moffat explained, “I think it was apparent that I wasn’t going to break into the first team this season, so the solution was to go on loan, and that’s what I wanted to do. I had the opportunity to come here last year, but I decided to go to Blackpool, to experience that down south, but it’s a great club and I really wanted to come here. I just want to kick on from this, keep playing games, and keep catching the eye.”
Owen’s style of play aligns well with Dunfermline’s approach, and he is excited about his development at the club. He added, “One hundred per cent. We want to play as much as we can. Sometimes we need to mix it up, but I want to get on the ball, and the way we play really suits that.”
Owen’s brace ended his team’s three game goalless run and he continued saying, “Obviously, the last few weeks, we’ve struggled in front of goal, and the gaffer doesn’t really need to say anything because all the players know that we need to start putting away chances. We were clinical Friday night, and we’re happy with that.”
The match had its share of nail-biting moments, and having been subbed in 73 minutes Moffat had to watch the last 20 minutes from the dugout. He described the experience, saying, “It was nervy because you know they’ve got bigger players than us, with the personnel we had tonight. They had two big strikers, and, watching from the side there, it was a bit nail-biting, especially when they scored the pen. I’m really happy that we won the game.”
The victory against Morton was of great importance for Dunfermline and Owen highlighted the significance of the win, saying, “Obviously, last week, we performed well, but the result wasn’t with it, and a few weeks before that, we never really performed well. As I said last week, the better team probably won on those two days against Ayr United and Partick Thistle. We needed the three points and we were really happy to come away with that.”
Manager Post Morton
Match Report: 03/11/23 Morton 1 Dunfermline 2
Chris Hamilton captains Pars to Clydeside success
