Dunfermline Athletic Football Club

East Fife 0 Dunfermline 3

Saturday, 4th Jul 2015

Pre Season Friendly: Four new signings start - Callum Fordyce, Ben Richards-Everton, Jason Talbot and Michael Paton - in front of trialist goalkeeper, David Hutton.

Despite heavy overnight rain the ground staff at Bayview had the pitch in good shape for the one o'clock kick off.

Manager Allan Johnston fielded his four new signings - Callum Fordyce, Ben Richards-Everton, Jason Talbot and Michael Paton - in front of trialist goalkeeper, David Hutton. Welcome face in the Pars line up was Ryan Wallace fit to start against the club he joined the Pars from in June 2012.

East Fife's starting eleven included five former Pars - Ryan Goodfellow, Jonathan Page and trialists Finn Graham, Declan O'Kane and Scott Mercer.

Wallace and Moffat got the match underway with the Pars attacking the goal at the town end. First opportunity came in seventh minute when Paton clipped the ball forward for Wallace. The Pars striker brought the ball down nicely but his right footed shot from 20 yards went narrowly wide left of Goodfellow's goal.

Two minutes later East Fife's Kevin Smith latched on to a loose clearance powering the ball right from the edge of the box.

Dunfermline came forward again but were let down with their final passes, Hopkirk and then Williamson failing to reach Wallace and Hopkirk having similar problem with his pass to Moffat.

The Pars first corner of the match in 16 minutes was sent over from the left by Wallace but O'Kane met that before it could reach the tall Dunfermline targets. East Fife had made the first substitution of the afternoon with trialist Allan Walker replacing Gary Naysmith and it was the sub who came close to opening the scoring with a forceful header that sent the ball just outside the left upright.

Kyle Wilkie broke away from his marker and the Methil side threatened but Nathan Austin was offside when he received the ball on the right side of the box. Then in 29 minutes a swift move up the right produced a low ball in from Williamson towards the six yards box that let Michael MOFFAT slide in to glance the ball past Goodfellow for 1-0.

Two minutes later a Hopkirk cross found Paton 15 yards out but his header went straight to Goodfellow.O'Kane charged down an Andy Geggan drive then Williamson got in behind the defence on the right. He cut the ball back for Paton whose shot beat Goodfellow but Fraser Mullen was on hand to boot the net bound ball clear.

East Fife continued to press with Smith's shot deflected into the sidenetting. At the other end Wallace had an effort deflected for a corner on the left. He took that and on getting the chance to cross from the defended ball tested Goodfellow with a looping shot. Hopkirk had the final chance of the half and when that was blocked it raised appeals for handball from the travelling support.

East Fife 0 Dunfermline 1

The home side fielded three subs before they kicked off in what was then bright sunshine. Brown, Austin and Smith were replaced by Jon McShane and two trialists. Five minutes into the second half Moffat latched on to a mistaken pass back, advanced on goal and then laid the ball off to his left for HOPKIRK to smash home from 20 yards. 0-2

Allan Johnston as promised then introduced nine substitutes with only keeper David Hutton and centre half Richards-Everton remaining. The League Two club sensed an opportunity against so many players who were not up to the speed of the match but the new side settled in well with only a Fraser Mullen free kick getting anywhere near target.

In 64 minutes Goodfellow reached high to his left to pull off a great one handed save to deny Faissal El Bakhtaoui with a shot from 30 yards. Four minutes later a mercurial run from El Bakhtaoui set up Ross Caldwell but East Fife prevented him finishing from the right.

Then in 76 minutes Caldwell made ground down the right and set over a cross from the byeline that trialist Joe CARDLE rammed home for 3-0. Cue Joe, Joe Super Joe!

Just three minutes later Cammy McClair did well to beat Wilkie on the right. He then picked out Caldwell who with his back to goal teed it back for McClair but his shot rose all the way to clear the crossbar.

It was eight minutes from full time when Hutton was called upon to make a serious save, holding well as McShane fired a 30 yard free kick on target. Two minutes later Graham sent the ball wide right but when the cross came over McShane was offside which was possibly lucky for him since in front of goal, he skied what was a good chance.

Graham hurt himself stopping an El Bakhtaoui burst out of his own half after a neat flick from Caldwell and when play resumed McClair showed good skills to create a chance for himself but his shot escaped across the goal and so it finished just 3-0.

- - Listen to Allan Johnston`s post match thoughts

EAST FIFE: Ryan Goodfellow; Trialist, Trialist, Jonathan Page (c), Ross Brown (Trialist HT), Fraser Mullen, Kevin Smith (Jon McShane HT), Nathan Austin (Trialist HT), Trialist, Kyle Wilkie, Trialist
SUBS NOT USED: Trialist, Trialist,

DUNFERMLINE: David Hutton; Ryan Williamson (Cammy McClair 58), Callum Fordyce (John Potter 58), Ben Richards-Everton, Jason Talbot (Jordan Orru 58); Andy Geggan (c)(Lewis Spence 58), Josh Falkingham (Shaun Byrne, 58), Michael Paton (Scott Ferris 58), David Hopkirk (Joe Cardle 58), Ryan Wallace (Ross Caldwell 58), Michael Moffat (Faissal El Bahktaoui 58)
SUBS NOT USED: Cammy Gill (GK)
SCORERS: Moffat (29), Hopkirk (50), Cardle (76)

REFEREE: Crawford Allan
WEATHER: Breezy Overcast 14C
ATTENDANCE

NEXT MATCH: Pre Season Friendly v Berwick Rangers
Monday 6th July 2015, 19:45 kick off at Shielfield Park

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