Dunfermline Athletic

Dundee 3 Dunfermline 2

Saturday, 27th Mar 2021

Scottish Championship: five changes - Watson, Wilson, F Murray, Thomas and Wighton start. Kevin O’Hara (3) 0-1: Craig Wighton (6) 0-2: Jason Cummings (35) 1-2: Danny Mullen (54) 2-2: Lee Ashcroft (56) 3-2:

This match started the day as fourth v third but as a consequence of the evening kick off for live television coverage on the BBC Scotland channel, it kicked off fifth v third. The afternoon results meant that Inverness Caley Thistle and Queen of the South joined Dunfermline and Dundee on 30 points, three behind second placed Raith Rovers.

The Pars were still without the services of Vytas Gašpuitis who was away on international duty with Lithuania. From the team that started at Cappielow on Tuesday night out went Matthew Todd, Steven Whittaker, Kerr McInroy, Lewis McCann: Declan McManus. In their places Stevie Crawford brought in Paul Watson, Iain Wilson, Fraser Murray, Dom Thomas and Craig Wighton. Ewan Henderson, an on loan signing made on the eve of the match was on the bench.

Dundee manager, James McPake, made two changes from the eleven that started against Alloa Athletic last time out. Sam Fisher and Danny Mullen dropped to the bench as Liam Fontaine and Osman Sow returned. Former Par loanee Jonathan Afolabi was on the bench just a day after scoring for the Republic of Ireland U21s against Wales in Wrexham.

The visitors kicked off defending the goal in front of where their fans would have been accommodated had it not been for the Covid-19 restrictions. In just 90 seconds Fraser Murray tried a low shot from outside the Dundee box that whizzed wide right. Kevin O’Hara almost got a touch on it but with his next chance O’HARA found the top left corner. The goal came from a Josh Edwards throw in when he combined with Wighton who cut in to deliver the vital assist.

Three more minutes passed before the Fifers doubled their lead. This time after O’Hara had blocked Liam Fontaine’s pass, Craig WIGHTON fought off former Pars captain, Lee Ashcroft on the edge of the box and chipped a shot over keeper, Adam Legzdins. 0-2

What a start but there were 84 minutes left. Dundee forced a couple of corners and from the second one Ashcroft headed narrowly wide of the right goalpost. Thomas created danger after the referee played advantage and his cross has to be headed over his own bar by Jordan Marshall. The corner was defended and it was Owain Fôn Williams who had to save next.

Paul McMullan was picked out on the right and despite Edwards challenge he got in a low shot at an angle that the big Welshman parried away. Max Anderson gathered the loose ball but his 22nd minute shot was blocked.

At the other end Thomas fired a low left footed shot from 20 out that the 34 year old Dundee keeper dropped to his left to hold. Next it was
Fôn Williams who was tested. On the half hour an Anderson shot was booted away by Euan Murray but it took a wicked rebound off Aaron Comrie and as the ball fell to Osman Sow, big Owain made two fantastic saves to deny him but Jason CUMMINGS headed in at the far post. 1-2

While Dunfermline had continued to create chances, Dundee had recovered well from their early setback. In 41 minutes two Pars corners were defended and when Dee broke they earned a free kick when the ball hit Watson’s hand. Fortunately the Fifers wall did its job stopping the attempt from the newly introduced sub Danny Mullen.

Right on 45 minutes tenacity from Paul McGowan created a cross from the left to the near post where Ashcroft headed wide left. The stats at the break would show 66% Dunfermline possession but Dundee had grown more and more threatening with ten shots to the Pars three.

Half time: Dundee 1 Dunfermline 2

First shot of the second half came from McMullan in 51 minutes but Edwards made a good block to stop it. Two minutes later Cummings broke through the middle and when he laid the ball off for Mullen his shot was deflected on to his crossbar by Fon Williams. No such luck when the next chance came from a 54th minute corner on the left. Fon Williams saved Ashcroft’s powerful header but MULLEN nipped in to net. 2-2

Dundee made it two goals in two minutes when ASHCROFT met another Paul McGowan corner from the left and his header found the Fifers goal just inside the right upright, 3-2. It could have been all square two minutes later when Thomas forced a cross from the left that Fraser Murray looked likely to head in until Marshall appeared to survive a push on the on loan Hibee.

There was a clearance off the Pars goal line when Fontaine met a McGowan corner before Paul Watson required the physio’s attention in 64 minutes. Unable to continue Ewan Henderson came on as his replacement with Lewis Mayo filling the centre back role.

In 69 minutes Fôn Williams saved from Mullen and then closed out Cummings at his left goalpost. With twenty minutes remaining there was a double substitution by Dunfermline, Scott Banks and Declan McManus replacing Dom Thomas and Kevin O ‘Hara.

Banks delivered a dangerous ball from the left and then it was a cross from Henderson in 77 minutes that McManus clashed with Legzdins that referee Bobby Madden blew up. Fôn Williams was called upon again to stop a decent Cummings shot and there were a couple of moves where Edwards tried hard to penetrate the Dee defence.

Adam Legzdins tipped a Fraser Murray free kick over his bar and then Henderson produced a great cross from the right that Ashcroft cleared. Keeping up the pressure Banks then controlled the ball to place a shot at goal but he was wide left. Quickly Banks got in another shot that was blocked, fell to Henderson to shoot and then deflected into the goalkeeper’s hands.

Try as they did Dunfermline just could not find the equaliser and dropped to fourth place as a result, their lowest league placing of the season so far.

DUNDEE: Adam Legzdins: Christie Elliott, Lee Ashcroft, Liam Fontaine, Jordan Marshall: Paul McGowan, Declan McDaid, Paul McMullan, Max Anderson (Shaun Byrne 87), Osman Sow (Danny Mullen 39), Jason Cummings (Jonathan Afolabi 90).
SUBS NOT USED: Cammy Kerr, Lyall Cameron, Sam Fisher, Calum Ferrie (GK).
SCORERS: Cummings (30), Mullen (54), Ashcroft (56)
YELLOW CARD: Marshall (79), Anderson (83)

DUNFERMLINE: Owain Fôn Williams: Aaron Comrie, Paul Watson (Ewan Henderson 66), Euan Murray (c), Josh Edwards: Fraser Murray, Lewis Mayo, Iain Wilson, Dom Thomas (Scott Banks 70): Kevin O’Hara (Declan McManus 70), Craig Wighton.
SUBS NOT USED: Kyle Macdonald, Lewis McCann, Kerr McInroy, Cammy Gill (GK)
SCORERS: O’Hara (3), Wighton (6)

REFEREE: Bobby Madden
WEATHER: Cold 8°C
ATTENDANCE

NEXT MATCH: Scottish Championship (away) v Raith Rovers, Tuesday 30th March 2021, kick off 7.05pm. Live on BBC Scotland channel.

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