Stirling Albion 1 - 5 Dunfermline Athletic

Ten times before in his Pars career had Andy Kirk scored a brace of goals. Whilst others such as Cardle and Bell had scored a hat-trick the Northern Irishman had never yet managed to convert a double into a triple. Until today – two late goals left him clutching the match ball as the Pars outclassed their recently promoted opponents.

Back to league business, and back to the league line up, with one change as Macca reverted to the 4-4-2 formation. In came McDougall at the expense of Phinn, Keddie and Burke disappeared completely and Chris Higgins resumed his partnership with Dowie as expected. So the starting eleven contained no real surprises – Smith between the sticks, Woods, Dowie, Higgins and McCann across the back; Gibson, Bell, Mason and Cardle in midfield, with Kirk and McDougall looking for goals.

The home team has changed almost completely since the Pars were last in town on league business, as has the backroom staff. New manager John O’Neill named a 4-4-2 with a mix of experience –for example Martyn Corrigan and Ross Forsyth - and some youth -a couple of on-loan Jambos in the shape of Smith and Brown. There was also the sight of a player from Rénion in the Indian Ocean – step forward Monsieur Jerome Heeking. There was a modicum of Pars interest in Greg McDonald who started out with the Pars, and sub keeper Callum Reidford.

Kick-off was delayed for 3 minutes until the assistant was satisfied with the netting at the north end of the ground. This seemed like a sensible precaution as the Pars were kicking in that direction, and dominated early proceedings. Within 40 seconds Gibson had whipped a ball into the corridor of uncertainty between the back-line and the keeper which McDonald had to hack clear and soon after Kirk had an early turn and shot from 25 yards over the top.

Cardle had already combined well with McCann when in 9 minutes he ghosted past Corrigan into the heart of the box, but scuffed his shot when it seemed the rigging was about to be tested. Two minutes later Cardle collected Gibson’s deep cross and chose to set up Mason, but his effort from close range was blocked. However, the goal soon came, with Gibson as the architect. The banana-booted one nutmegged Brown before sending the ball across the face of the goal. Kirk couldn’t get there but Bell could, knocking the ball home at the far post. 1-0 Pars

One minute later and it was 2, with some shocking defending. McDonald tried to shepherd the ball out over the bye-line, but under pressure from McDougall stood on it, gifting possession. McDougall had a host of options, including shooting himself from a tight angle, but threaded the pass through to Kirk who netted from about a yard. 2-0 Pars.

Stirling got their first corner in 16 minutes, which merely led to a Pars break, 3 on 2, but Bell’s pass to Cardle wasn’t the best, although it did prompt Corrigan to produce the game’s first foul. Gibson’s attempt from the free-kick was too deliberate and Christie in the Stirling goals saved comfortably.

At this stage the Pars were well on top, but two substitutions changed things a little. McDonald gave way to Aitken, Corrigan moving to centre-back and Robertson taking his place, and Mason limped off to be replaced by Phinn. The Pars were still the better team, but their threats were more restricted to coming from wide areas, rather than through the middle as well.

Gibson still looked to be in the mood – in 26 minutes he sent the ball one side of Brown, and ran round the other side to collect, before drawing a decent save from the keeper – then just after the half hour a neat chip sent McDougall clear, although the latter’s cross was as clumsy as the former’s was delicate. Then suddenly the home team pulled one back. Heeking beat McCann, got to the byeline and crossed for Smith to head home – a classic centre-forward’s goal, and now the score was 2-1. Three minutes later and it was nearly two each with a similar move, but this time Smith managed to cling on to Forsyth’s header. The Pars ended the half the way they had begun, though; Gibson left Forsyth and Brown for dead, but McDougall couldn’t capitalise, and just before the break Phinn made a brave attempt to get on the end of Kirk’s head-flick but was undone by the keeper’s height advantage.

Half-time: Binos 1 Pars 2

The Pars would feel that they should have been out of sight at the break, but instead had only a one goal lead, which, as we all know only too well, can disappear in a moment of madness or flash of inspiration. Phinn had a great opportunity to restore the two goal cushion after 5 minutes of the second half when Gibson picked him out at the far post but Christie made a brilliant save from Nick’s header. The importance of this was emphasised when Smith had to back-pedal to clutch Forsyth’s 35 yarder under his own bar. However, most of the action was at the other end, where the Pars forced a series of corners, albeit with no tangible reward. Higgins won a header, but it was nodded behind for another corner. In a rehearsed move Gibson drove the second corner to the edge of the box where Phinn’s drive was charged down. Kirk was the next to come close when his effort from Bell’s head-back was stopped on the line, before the Northern Irishman was again denied by Christie from yet another Gibson corner.