The Tennent's Scottish Cup Final; Dunfermline 0-1 Celtic

A disappointing season for the Pars climaxed with a Scottish Cup final appearance at Hampden Park on Saturday and despite hopes being high that a historic third cup win would be recorded, Dunfermline supporters were left heartbroken once more.

Unlike the preceeding matches in the Athletic's glorious cup run, the final itself turned out to be a bit of a damp squib, with neither team able to produce a thrilling spectacle like there was in the 2004 final. Certainly, the Pars gave as good as they got and definitely deserved extra time on the balance of play but in typical fashion the champions, despite being nowhere near their best, conjured up a scrappy goal to win the game.

There was a great sense of occasion around the National Stadium as 15,500 Pars fans took their seats in the capacity crowd, and the excitement and tension was incredible. The Fifers had beaten both Edinburgh clubs, Rangers and Partick Thistle en route to Hampden and were full of belief that this would be their year. And the noise escalated into a crescendo as Stephen Kenny and Gordon Strachan led out the teams.

Stephen's line-up was hampered by a number of enforced changes. With Tam McManus, Stephen Glass and Jim O'Brien not allowed to feature and Gary Mason suspended, the gaffer surprisingly chose Mark Burchill to partner Jim McIntyre instead of playing Jimmy Mac on his own up front, while there were also starting places for Darren Young and Scott Morrison. Phil McGuire was surprisingly left on the bench as Kenny kept faith with the Scott Wilson Sol Bamba centre back partnership.

As the game kicked off, it was clear to see that Kenny's men were intent on winning the game and started brightly, creating the first real chance after only three minutes. Good play saw the two front men link up, with McIntyre releasing Burchill on the left hand side of the Hoops box, but his shot skewed well wide of Artur Boruc's goal, who was to have a quiet afternoon despite the Pars' endevour.

The former Celtic man went over in the box minutes later and the fans howled for a penalty, but referee Kenny Clark rightly waved away the appeals after the innocuos challenge by Paul Hartley.

Gordon Strachan's team hadn't got into their stride and although Shunsuke Nakamura had the ball in the net, the goal was disallowed for a foul on Dorus De Vries. But Pars escaped on the half hour mark.

Great play from Scotland star Kenny Miller saw him wriggle away from both Scott Muirhead and Morrison before flighting a ball into the box which was met by Jan Venegoor of Hesselink, which the Dutchman sent inches past the post.

But that was the closest Celtic came in the first half as a well drilled Dunfermline side, led brilliantly by Young and McCunnie in midfield, hunted down their opponents and refused to let them have any time and space on the ball.

Not that they didn't go forward. With Adam Hammill operating on the right and Muirhead on the left, the Pars had potent options on the flanks and Muirhead and Morrison combined with seven minutes until the break, but Morrison's long range effort went harmlessly wide of the post.

A scoreless half time was just about right and the optimism of the large Fife contingent grew. The long it remained goalless, the more chance we'd have as Celtic would become frustrated.

However, Celtic, no doubt after a half time tongue lashing, came out for the second half in menacing mood and created another golden chance six minutes into the half.

The quiet Aiden McGeady, who had been policed magnificently by Greg Shields, finally found some space and delivered a cross straight onto the head of Miller, who's header was straight at De Vries.

Just on the hour mark, De Vries was called into action once more, holding a comfortable Lee Naylor drive from range before Hammill provided an outragous piece of skill to leave the Athletic fans drooling.

On the halfway line, he controlled a ball from high in the air and as Neil Lennon came towards him to tackle, the 19 year old simply lifted the ball over his head and ran forward, leaving the Celtic man desperately trying to turn as quickly as the Ark Royal.

That was to be Lennon's last moment as a Celtic player as Strachan replaced him with Caldwell. He, nor the Celtic fans, liked the decision as evidenced by booing and Lennon marching straight up the tunnel, but the truth was that he was being run ragged by Young and McCunnie in midfield and, in my mind, the switch turned the match in Celtic's favour.

The animated Stephen Kenny, never one content to sit back and wait for something to happen, replaced Morrison with Stevie Crawford, switching Hammill to the left and Muirhead to left back in the hope a new attacking threat would develop.

With eleven minutes remaining, Dunfermline breathed a huge sigh of relief as the game's best chance was spurned by the Glasgow side once more. Nakamura found substitute Craig Beattie, whose driving run took him into the box and from an angle, hit a shot which went inches wide of the post. You began to think this could well be Dunfermline's day.

McIntyre was replaced by Jim Hamilton as the Pars team began to tire after putting in so much effort and with just six minutes to go, they cracked after a really scrappy goal. Beattie played the ball in from the right and a deflection off Scott Wilson saw the ball break to Jean-Joel Perrier Doumbe to stab the ball right into the corner for his first Celtic goal in his first Scottish Cup tie.

It was a cruel goal to lose as it looked like the Pars had done enough to hold on for extra time and despite trying in vain to mount last gasp attacks, they failed to carve out an opening and it was left to Celtic to claim their 34th Scottish Cup.

A disappointing result but what an effort from the Pars players. They gave their all and despite not creating too many openings, certainly deserved extra time. It was a sad end to a sad season where its a case of "if only". If only Stephen Kenny had arrived earlier, if only Tam McManus, Stephen Glass, Jim O'Brien and Gary Mason had been available for the final.

But, with European football returning to East End Park and hopefully the majority of the squad will want to hang around and help us bounce back up. It will be an interesting summer at EEP but we look to the future. Onwards and upwards, the Pars will be back.

Match Stats

Dunfermline Athletic: De Vries; Shields, Wilson, Bamba, S.Morrison (Crawford 72); Muirhead, Young, McCunnie, Hammill; Burchill (Williamson 89), McIntyre (Hamilton 80).

Subs not used: McKenzie, McGuire.

Celtic: Boruc, Perrier Doumbe, McManus, Pressley, Naylor, Nakamura, Lennon (Caldwell 66), Hartley, McGeady, Miller (Beattie 56), Vennegoor of Hesselink.

Subs Not Used: McGovern, Riordan, Bjarnason.

Goal: Perrier Doumbe 85.

Official Tennent's Lager MoM: Darren Young (Dunfermline)

Walking Down the Halbeath Road MoM: Soleymane Bamba

Attendance: 49,600

Referee: Kenny Clark

Dunfermline 0-3 Falkirk

The Pars rounded off a depressing league season with a dismal performance against bitter rivals Falkirk. Even though 8 changes were made to the side, Dunfermline should have performed a whole lot better than they did but instead three second half goals saw the Bairns secure 4 wins out of 4 against the Athletic this season.

Stephen Kenny's team selection was clearly influenced by next weekend's Tennent's Scottish Cup final with Celtic. Dours De Vries and Jim McIntyre had slight knocks so were not risked, with Roddy McKenzie and Mark Burchill coming in. With Adam Hammill on England under 19 duty and Gary Mason, Jim O'Brien, Tam McManus and Stephen Glass all unable to play next week, the gaffer included Darren Young, Stephen Simmons, Stevie Crawford and Freddie Daquin, while Scott Wilson returned from suspension as the defence looked like being the one which will line up at Hampden.

The 12.30 kick off did little for crowd numbers but those who did attend were intent on creating an atmosphere, as the Pars fans hit back at taunts about the drop by reminding their rivals we're in the UEFA Cup next season; something which Falkirk have never achieved.

But for those who did attend, they must have wished they had stayed at home during an absolutely atrocious first half which would have got football stopped. Both teams looked like they couldn't be bothered fulfilling the fixture and, as a result, there was very little in terms of chances.

Simmons saw a shot blocked by Vitor Lima while McKenzie produced a smart block to deny Carl Finnigan at the near post. And that was it for the first half, apart from Scott Muirhead and Russel Latapy firing free-kicks over and straight at the goalkeeper respectively.

At half time, Kenny withdrew Muirhead after picking up a knock and subbed the ineffective Daquin for Jim Hamilton and Callum Woods as the Pars looked for a pre-cup final boost.

However, they didn't get going in the second half either and just 4 minutes had gone in the second half when the visitors took the lead. With the ball bouncing loose in the box and no Pars players willing to clear, the ball eventually broke to Steven Thomson who lashed the ball home past McKenzie.

Latapy, who ran the show for the Bairns against the Pars yet again, went close with a chip which went just over the bar before he orchastrated the second goal. The veteran played a one-two with Alan Gow, who placed the ball past McKenzie for the second goal.

This was truely poor stuff from the Pars but they seemed to pick it up a bit thereafter, with Young and Shields firing good efforts just over while Crawford stung the arms of Kasper Schmeichel with a fierce drive.

A Crawford cross was then met by sub Tam McManus, but his header came crashing back off the crossbar and it was evident it was not to be the Pars day. To rub salt into the wound, Pedro Moutinho thumped home a third goal from 25 yards in stoppage time.

A desperately disappointing way to say farewell to the SPL, but the team will be much changed and in a different frame of mind for the big one next week. We have nothing to lose, we can do it! 'Mon the Pars!

Match Stats

Dunfermline Athletic: McKenzie; Shields, Wilson, Bamba, Muirhead (Woods 45); Daquin (Hamilton 45), Simmons, Young, McCunnie; Crawford, Burchill.
Subs not used: Paterson, McGuire, Ross, O'Brien.

Falkirk: Schmeichel, Ross, Scobbie, Barr, Milne, Lima, Thomson, Craig (O'Donnell 81), Latapy (Moutinho 74), Gow (John Stewart 86), Finnigan.
Subs Not Used: Lambers, Uras, Mcstay, Twaddle.

Goals: Thomson (49), Gow (57), Moutinho (90).

Walking Down the Halbeath Road MoM: Scott Wilson (Also the WDTHR Player of the Year)

Attendance: 5,087

Referee: Eddie Smith

Pars lose fight for survival at Inverness

Dunfermline Athletic's brave fight to avoid the drop to the First Division ended in heartbreaking fashion on Saturday after a 2-1 defeat by Inverness Caledonian Thistle. The defeat itself was cruel, but the manner in which it occurred, along with St Mirren's victory at Motherwell, made it a painful journey home for the large Pars following.

Football can so often be full of little ironies and Saturday was no different. As the Pars fightback from the brink began with a 3-1 victory in the Highland capital in March, it is all the more galling that it was finally killed off there thanks to a howler from goalkeeper Dorus De Vries and a deflected Rory McAllister goal.

But for so long the journey north looked as though it would have a happy ending. After a nervous start, the visitors took control of the match and went close twice through Adam Hammill before storming into the lead. A high ball from Gary Mason was flicked on by Tam McManus to Jim McIntyre, who crashed a stunning volley high into the net from 12 yards.

The travelling army were in raptures. News then came through that Motherwell were leading St Mirren, and continued to do so at half time. With just 135 minutes of the season remaining, Dunfermline were 2 points clear of St Mirren.

And as news came through that Motherwell led 2-0 just after half time, the fans dared to believe that Stephen Kenny was going to pull off a houdini act even better than the one his predecessor had achieved in 2005 at Tannadice.

But news of a goal for St Mirren dampened spirits but the Pars still remained on top. Darren Dods almost diverted a Jim O'Brien cross into his own net, while Sol Bamba saw a header flash wide.

McManus, as well as having a shot saved, should have hit the net on the hour mark as Caley keeper Michael Fraser dropped a Hammill cross, but the striker elected to take a touch and the chance was gone.

More bad news followed with a St Mirren equaliser, but Dunfermline were still just 13 minutes away from heading into the final day with a one point lead and their destiny in their own hands. But disaster struck.

A foul by Bamba gave Inverness a free-kick at the edge of the box. Richard Hastings' shot was straight at De Vries but, unbelievably, the big Dutchman let the ball squirm through his hands and over the line.

Dorus has been a model of consistency this season and has simply been immense in goal, but that one mistake will haunt him for the remainder of his Athletic career. With news coming in that St Mirren led, a draw would require a 5 goal swing in the final game so Kenny threw on Owen Morrison and Mark Burchill in an attempt to grab a winner.

But it was not to be. A foul by Barry Wilson on Morrison on the halfway line went unnoticed by the referee and the ball was played to McAllister, whose shot was heading straight for De Vries only for a wicked deflection off Bamba to send the ball the other way and in.

The fans expressions told you everything. There was no way back for the Pars and although Gary Mason struck the post with a header, their time was up and First Division football beckoned.

It was such a cruel way to go. The team had given everything over the last 2 months but 2 cruel, flukey goals sealed our fate. As the players collapsed onto the sodden turf, the fans applauded and cheered their heroes while choking back tears; they knew the team had come so close and were extremely unlucky.

We now say farewell to the Premier League against the old enemy Falkirk on Saturday before Kenny tries to raise spirits ahead of the Scottish Cup final. We may be down, but we are certainly not out. In Stephen Kenny, we have a very talented young manager who can do great things for our club and, perhaps most importantly, he has given the fans a team we can be proud of.

Roll on the cup final. We may be going down a league, but we'll be taking a trophy down there with us.

Match Stats

Inverness CT: Fraser, Tokely, Dods, Munro (McAllister 76), Hastings, Hart, McBain (Sutherland 69), Black, Paatelainen (Wilson 61), Bayne, Dargo. Subs Not Used: Ridgers, McCaffrey, Duncan, Rankin.

Goals: Hastings (77), McAllister (89)

Dunfermline Athletic: De Vries, Shields, Bamba, McGuire, Muirhead, O'Brien (Burchill 81), Mason, Glass (Owen Morrison 81), Hammill (McCunnie 66), McManus, McIntyre. Subs Not Used: McKenzie, Young, Hamilton, Woods.

Goal: McIntyre (37)

Walking Down the Halbeath Road MoM: Jim McIntyre

Attendance: 6,464

Referee: Mike Ritchie

Dunfermline Athletic 4-1 Motherwell

And so the two way dogfight has a new member. Motherwell are now looking anxiously over their shoulder following a thrashing in front of the Setanta cameras at East End Park on Monday. With two games to go, the Steelmen sit just 5 points clear of Dunfermline and take on St Mirren on Saturday, which has the makings of a huge match. Motherwell have now failed to win in ten matches and it is difficult to see how under pressure Maurice Malpas can lift his side to get them over the safety line.

For the Athletic, the win hauled them back to within a point of St Mirren before the trip north to face Inverness on Saturday. A win was required, but the emphatic nature in which it was delivered was most impressive as the Pars racked up their fourth win on the spin.

But the game was soured somewhat with three red cards which saw the visitors end with nine men. Mark Reynolds was ordered off for deliberate handball as Jim McIntyre attempted to race in on goal while Scott McDonald was sent packing for a wild lunge on Scott Muirhead. They will miss the St Mirren game barring appeals which could yet be bad news for the Fifers, whose night was dampened only by the dismissal of Scott Wilson which led to Motherwell's consolation penalty.

After the win in Paisley last week, the Dunfermline fans flocked to East End in numbers and were still streaming into the ground as the Pars surged into a two goal lead inside the opening ten minutes.

And the opening goal typified the Pars play; patient build up and good passing. Tam McManus gathered the ball and played a lovely ball in between two Motherwell defenders to find Adam Hammill on the left, who crossed the ball to the back post and found Jim O'Brien, who took a touch before firing home his first Dunfermline goal at the near post.

A bad start for the 'Well got worse as they went two down four minutes later. Stephen Glass' long free-kick looked harmless enough but with the visiting defence and goalkeeper static, Wilson gobbled up the opportunity to power home a header for his second goal of the season.

East End was positively buzzing thereafter, with the Pars controlling possession well but they did have a major let off after one lapse of concentration. Brian Kerr played the ball through for McDonald, but the Celtic bound striker slid his shot just past the post as Dorus De Vries rushed out to meet him.

The one way traffic continued in the second half and after Graeme Smith had saved a McManus free-kick, the deserved third goal duly arrived via the penalty spot. Another good move saw Gary Mason slid the ball through for Jim McIntyre who was bundled to the ground by Paul Quinn as he and Reynolds came to meet him. Glass stepped up and converted the spot kick to leave the 160 odd Motherwell fans wondering why they bothered making the journey.

Malpas' post match assessment of "we were never at the races", while correct, does a disservice to Stephen Kenny's side who put in as controlled a performance as they have done all season. All over the pitch they worked tirelessly and refused to accept a 3-0 win, evidenced in Reynolds going off for handball as McIntyre attempted to burst through and grab a fourth goal.

But Kenny was displeased with conceding a first goal in five matches. "We got sloppy and were casual at 3-0- that's disappointing" he said. This is to be expected of the quiet and likeable Irishman who wants the maximum from his players each week. But even he couldn't fail to be impressed with the way his side passed their visitors off the pitch and cut them open at will.

Though Ross McCormack did sting the fingers of De Vries, Motherwell's goal was against the run of play and McCormack was involved, going down when in on goal after a slight tug by Wilson. Referee Dougie McDonald deemed it enough to merit a sending off, though it seemed harsh.

While McDonald scored the penalty, he lost the plot just after the restart as he flew in to a tackle on Muirhead and scythed the Pars full back down, receiving a straight red card.

But the scoring was not over. The home side took advantage of Motherwell's nine men as Mark Burchill, lucky to receive only a yellow card after a poor challenge on Jim Paterson, crossed the ball for fellow substitute Jim Hamilton to head home in stoppage time, putting the gloss on a fine win.

A fine win for the Pars which keeps them firmly in the fight to avoid the drop going into the penultimate weekend. As for Motherwell, all might not be 'Well come the end of the season on this evidence.

Match Stats

Dunfermline Athletic: De Vries, Shields, Wilson, Bamba, Glass, O'Brien (Daquin 74), Mason, Muirhead, Hammill, McManus (Hamilton 84), McIntyre (Burchill 71).
Subs Not Used: McKenzie, Woods, McCunnie, Young.

Goals: O'Brien 6, Wilson 11, Glass 58 pen, Hamilton 90.

Sent Off: Wilson (86)

Motherwell: G. Smith, Corrigan, Reynolds, Craigan, Quinn, Vadocz, Kerr, D.Smith (Fitzpatrick 71), Paterson (Keegan 80), McDonald, Clarkson (McCormack 54).
Subs Not Used: Meldrum, Kinniburgh, McBride, McGarry.

Goal: McDonald 87 pen

Sent Off: Reynolds (68), McDonald (89)

Walking Down the Halbeath Road MoM: Gary Mason

Attendance: 6,662

Referee: Dougie McDonald

Dunfermline Athletic V Motherwell Preview

The relegation battle is hotting up, and on Monday Dunfermline Athletic face another must win game in the fight for survival. After the high of last Monday, St Mirren's victory over Dundee United on Saturday re-opened the 4 point gap between the sides and it is up to Dunfermline to make sure the gap is reduced to a solitary point again with just 2 matches left.

A defeat for the Pars in Monday's live Setanta clash is almost unthinkable, so positivity is the key. Stephen Kenny would always have been looking at this game as a must win anyway, so that has not changed. But there is no margin for error but Dunfermline handled that superbly last week and must do so again against a Motherwell side who aren't entirely safe yet themselves.
Motherwell could still go down if they were to lose their remaining matches while both Dunfermline and St Mirren win theirs, but it is extremely unlikely.

Maurice Malpas brings his side to West Fife aiming to protect a 100% record against the Pars this season but they have hit another rocky spell of results, combined with the loss of Scott MacDonald and Brian Kerr to Celtic and Hibs respectively on pre-contracts.

In those previous meetings this term, Motherwell triumphed by 2-1 and 2-0 at Fir Park. In the first encounter, Stevie Crawford had levelled with 19 minutes left but the home side hit back for a crucial win, while Stephen Kenny's team flopped 2-0 in front of a large travelling support in March, which is the Pars' only defeat in their previous 8 games.

While Motherwell had deserved those victories, the same could not be said of the 2-0 defeat on Boxing Day. Dunfermline dominated the game from start to finish, wasted several good chances and were undone by two sucker punches from that man MacDonald. He will be the main threat to the Pars once again and we will have to keep him quiet.

Dunfermline however go into this game with confidence after recent results, and in Jim McIntyre and Tam McManus, we have strikers working well together and who have given us a goal threat. I don't envisage many changes from the St Mirren game, with the only one being the inclusion of Phil McGuire in place of either Sol Bamba or Stephen Glass. We can also point to our last post split victory over the Steelmen last season, when we won 3-2, if we're looking for more positives.

The penultimate home game of the season could not be more important. With prices set at £12 for adults, £5 for concessions and £1 for kids, Pars fans have a great opportunity to be at East End Park in numbers and give the team great support. As we proved last week, a big and noisy support can make a difference and it could prove vital on Monday.

Come on ye Pars!

Tennent's Scottish Cup final- Ticket information

The countdown is on to May 26th as the Pars return to Hampden for the Scottish Cup final with Celtic. Dunfermline have been allocated 17,000 tickets, as was the case for the 2004 final, and sales have passed 5,000 already.

Season ticket holders, Supporters Clubs, Shareholders, Club Sponsors, Lounge members, Pars Online registrations and holders of ticket stubs from the Hibernian semi final and St Mirren matches have PRIORITY for tickets until Saturday, 12th May with a maximum of 4 tickets per person.

Ticket prices for the final are as follows:

South Stand Lower- Section P1- £40

South Stand Lower- Sections P2/P6- £35

West Stand- £28

West Stand Family Section- Adult: £24
Child- £10 (under 16s only and MUST be accompanied by an adult)


Tickets can be bought via the following methods.

From the East End Park Ticket Office: Open Monday to Friday from 9:00am to 5:00pm (open until 6:00pm on Tuesday and Thursday)

Saturday, 12th May: 9:00am-12:00pm

The ticket office will also be open on Monday, May 7th from 9:00am to 5:00pm and from 5:30pm to 7:45pm.

Tickets can also be purchased via telephone on 0871 200 1560

St Mirren 0-1 Dunfermline Athletic

And so the Pars bandwagon moved on to Paisley on Monday for a crunch relegation battle with St Mirren. Victory for the Paisley club would mean almost certain relegation for the Pars, while a draw would leave them an uphill struggle. Victory would cut the defecit to one point with three games left.

From the victorious cup side, out went the banned Phil McGuire for Scott Wilson, while Tam McManus and Stephen Glass were recalled; Darren Young and Jamie McCunnie the players sacrificed.

A crowd of over 10,000, including 3,000 Pars fans, packed into Love Street creating a tremendous atmosphere as a sea of beach balls were hurled from the travelling support in celebration of the team reaching Europe. After the inital fun and games, it was down to the serious stuff as the game got underway and the Pars looked menacing enough early on, with McManus and Jim O'Brien buzzing around trying to make things happen. O'Brien sent the Fifers' first attempt over the bar with a fourth minute free-kick.

The home side were as nervous as the Pars and while John Sutton sent a header narrowly wide, not too many chances were created in a first half littered with mistakes and tackles. St Mirren full back David Van Zanten earned the wrath of the away support following a late, reckless lunge on Adam Hammill which produced a yellow card.

Amazingly, moments later, he got away with another appalling challenge on Hammill on the touchline, with referee McCurry deeming he had played the ball. The referee himself wasn't immune to criticism, as Saints defenders were constantly getting away with climbing on McManus and Jim McIntyre and preventing them from making a challenge for high balls.

The Pars though did carve out a glorious chance on the half hour and it came from the unlikliest of sources. Sol Bamba charged forward from halfway and, after playing a neat one two with McIntyre, fired a shot wide from 16 yards as the ball seemed to get caught beneath his feet.

Five minutes before the break, Hammill sent a shot just wide of the post but the Pars went into the break desperately seeking a goal and despite having the better of the half, had not hit the form they had shown in previous games.

Whatever Stephen Kenny said to his side at half time clearly worked as the team poured forward at the start of the second half and began to pass the ball a lot better. They forced a corner on 49 minutes and a header from McManus at the near post forced Chris Smith into a wonderful reaction save and he then dealt with a Hammill shot from the rebound for good measure.

The keeper was beaten though on 52 minutes but the linesman's flag saved his side. A Hammill free-kick was played to McIntyre, who laid the ball off for Scott Wilson and the defender's shot was diverted in by McManus. TV replays suggested the Pars striker was unfortunate not to see the goal given.

Smith again saved Saints when he saved with his feet after Hammill had burst through and you sensed a goal was coming for the Athletic, and it duly did moments later.

A Glass pass to McIntyre saw the striker find the impressive Scott Muirhead on the left. The full back strode forward, played a one two with Hammill and hit a shot which was blocked by Kirk Broadfoot. The ball however fell kindly for McManus eight yards out and this time he made no mistake as he sent the huge visiting support wild.

This seemed to wake the home side up and they responded by launching high balls for Sutton and Stewart Kean at every opportunity, which was easy meat for Shields, Bamba and Wilson. With Gary Mason excelling in defensive duties, the Buddies failed to create a clear cut chance and the Pars should have wrapped the game up with nine minutes to go.

As St Mirren attacked, Dunfermline broke forward through O'Brien down the right and his cross found McManus again at the back post, but the goal hero could only head wide with the goal gaping.

Saints continued to pile high balls into the box but the closest they came to a goal was a goalmouth scramble where Shields hacked the ball away. The Pars held out to record a valuable victory and players,management and supporters celebrated together. A great win for the magnificent support to enjoy, the battle has only just begun, starting with Motherwell on Monday.

Match Stats

St Mirren: Smith, van Zanten, Potter, Broadfoot, Maxwell, Brittain (Corcoran 64), Murray, Brady (McKenna 85), Reid (Mehmet 77), Kean, Sutton.Subs Not Used: Hinchcliffe, Malone, Mackay, Lawson.

Dunfermline Athletic: De Vries, Shields, Wilson, Bamba, Glass, O'Brien (Young 90), Hammill (McCunnie 78), Mason, Muirhead, McIntyre (Hamilton 89), McManus.Subs Not Used: McKenzie, Burchill, O.Morrison, Woods.

Goal: McManus (58)

Walking Down the Halbeath Road MoM: Gary Mason

Attendance: 10,251

Referee: Mike McCurry