2003: NEC Nijmegen 0 Dunfermline 1

Memorable Match #84
Pre Season Friendly
Station de Goffert, Nijmegen
Sunday 27th July 2003

Special guests for the NEC Nijmegen Open Day were former boss Jimmy Calderwood and his Dunfermline team. The pre-match entertainment attracted 12,500 people to the stalls and attractions set up around the perimeter of the ground to create a party atmosphere. There was a small group of Dunfermline fans both new to touring and some who were enjoying their fourth pre season in Holland.

Jimmy Calderwood was introduced and interviewed for the fans two and a half hours before the kick off. Former player for both sides, Jack de Gier was paraded in front of the NEC fans to be revealed that he was joining NEC on a commercial and coaching role with immediate effect.

Calderwood and de Gier pressed the trigger to release ticker tape and a bank of black, green and red balloons that rose to unveil the current NEC squad behind it.

This was a day when the Pars bi-lingual boss seemed to be speaking to the whole world of media but it was also the day that his players did the talking on the park. The Sunday afternoon friendly was a very accomplished outing against a team waiting to hear who their opponents will be in the UEFA Cup, a tournament they qualified for virtue of finishing fifth in the Dutch Premier League.

Team selection was eagerly awaited as it was widely anticipated that this one would probably give an indication to what the manager felt was his best starting line up. David Grondin was handed the left midfield role and Derek Young started behind the front two. Gary Mason was in his usual defensive midfield role as Dunfermline lined up 3-1-3-1-2. Only eyebrow raiser was the inclusion of the "trialist" Andy Tod on the left of the back three.

NEC kicked off playing with their backs to the tv screen which was broadcasting the pictures to the stadium. An early Barry Nicholson free kick was headed into the keeper by Tod and at the other end the first corner of the match was headed away by Craig Brewster.

After eleven minutes Grondin and Mason played the ball down the left side with some good interchanges eventually including Stevie Crawford before Craw overstruck the cross over the six yard box. Next minute Derek Young shot in the first Pars attempt of the afternoon and from 25 yards out came extremely close to slipping the ball inside the left goalpost.

Above: Ahead of the Open Day Jack de Gier met up with some of his old team mates - Lee Bullen, Noel Hunt, Andrius Skerla, Scott Thomson and Derek Young

The goal was not long on coming however. Craig Brewster sent a good ball out to Grondin on the left wing and the Frenchman’s cross looped across the box to find CRAWFORD on the six yard line who had a relatively easy task to sidefoot the ball into the net. 0-1

The Pars then looked as they might run amok. The Young brothers fed Crawford the ball but he just ran over the ball leaving to Brewster to shoot. Keeper Dennis Gentenaar appeared to be caught out by the strike forces trickery and let the ball spin under him then dived back on to it before the ball could cross the line.

Schuurman and de Nooijer looked like they might have cracked the Pars defence in the 22nd minute when Hersi was in to the right of goal but the ball was put behind for a corner which Tod dealt with easily. With the Pars pushing forward again Brewster touched back a Grondin pass for Darren Young to shoot but straight at the keeper.

The shoulder charge on Stevie Crawford in the 32nd minute by Rob Wielaert, the NEC captain, deep into the left hand side of the penalty box might have earned a penalty in Scotland but there was nothing other than a goal kick to be earned in Nijmegen. The next Dunfermline pressure came when Tod won possession on the half way line and surprised his opponents by heading straight for goal. When the defence decided to close him down, he slipped the ball left for Crawford whose ball in was to the penalty spot where no-one was waiting, and had he chosen the far post Nicholson would have been sure to have made it 2-0.

Half time: NEC Nijmegen 0 Dunfermline 1

NEC made three half time substitutions and the new strike force of Frank Demouge and Zico Tumba made an immediate difference. The Pars survived a 48th minute cross from Wisgerhof which evaded both Hersi and Skerla. Almost right away Schuurman and Tumba manufactured another chance for Hersi but Mason reacted quickly to shut him out and concede a corner.

When Tod fouled Tumba, Zonneveld launched a free kick that Nicholson charged down. There was some respite when Crawford took the ball down the left wing and launched it over in the direction of Nicholson at the far post. Unfortunately his challenge for the ball took out the defender and the referee’s whistle went against him.

NEC then had a period where they showed why they had qualified to compete in Europe this season stringing several series of good passing movements together. Grondin was forced to head behind for a corner from which Tumba also headed over the top.

Next, in the 57th minute the home support roared as they had their hopes raised, Schuurman and Zonneveld combined to let Hersi penetrate the Pars defence, for once getting away from Mason, but the wee No.7 shot wide left to the great disappointment of the home fans. Within a minute, Hersi again had a great chance meeting Tumba’s cross from the left but hitting it into the side netting on the right.

Lee Bullen came on for Derek Young in the 68th minute and Dunfermline got back into the game as Lee became a target for long balls out of defence. The opposition’s remaining chances were firstly easily plucked out of the air by Derek Stillie, then a Simr shot was charged down by Wilson and Mason and Tod headed clear a Schuurman corner.

A difficult match for Dunfermline against strong opponents, but they played with composure and patience. Crawford took the goal well and Mason would surely have picked up the Man of the Match award, had there been one for a gritty display which truly frustrated his Dutch opponents.

This was one of ten pre season friendlies that the Pars played at the start of the 2003-2004 season. They took seven points from their opening three SPL matches, a 0-0 draw at home to Celtic, a 2-0 win at Dundee and a 2-1 win in Aberdeen. A sound start to the season was the foundation for a fourth placed finish and finalists in the Scottish Cup.

NEC NIJMEGEN: Dennis Gentenaar; Peter Wisgerhof (Rene van Rijswijk 78), Rob Wielaert, Arian Ebbinge, Jeffrey Leiwakabessy; Resit Schuurman, Dejan Govedarica (Jaromir Simr HT), Youssouf Hertsi (Fabian De Freitas 78), Mike Zonnefeld; Patrick Ax (Frank Demouge HT), Dennis de Nooijer (Zico Tumba HT)

DUNFERMLINE: Derek Stillie; Andrius Skerla, Scott Wilson, Andy Tod; Barry Nicholson, Darren Young, Gary Mason, David Grondin; Derek Young (Lee Bullen 68); Craig Brewster (Jason Dair 78), Stevie Crawford
SUBS NOT USED: Gary Dempsey, George Fotheringham, Chris McGroarty, Kevin McLeish, Scott Y Thomson (GK)
SCORER: : Crawford (15)

REFEREE: RHJ Temmink
ATTENDANCE: 7000
WEATHER: Sunny 24C

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