Reserves v Forfar Athletic
Tuesday, 11th Apr 2000Reserve League East: Title sealed
FORFAR ATHLETIC 3 DUNFERMLINE ATHLETIC 4
With three games yet to be played, the Pars clinched the Reserve League East title at Station Park. One can only hope that such a large squad will prove beneficial in the closing stages of the season.
The game sparked to life after just five minutes when McLeish completed a one-two with McGroarty on the left wing and whipped in a cross, which TEMPLEMAN volleyed home.
Five minutes later, young Mark McGARTY made it two, sending a volley past the helpless Forfar keeper from the back post after Bullen failed to connect with Graham`s cross.
A minute later the Pars found themselves three up when a goalmouth scramble saw the ball trickle out to the feet of TEMPLEMAN, who fired it back into the top of the net from the edge of the box.
If Forfar`s defence had been generous for the the Pars` third goal, David Hay returned the favour soon enough. A short pass back from Reid proved troublesome for the young keeper and when he attempted to pass it out wide he merely stroked it to the feet of the oncoming Paul McIlravey. The Forfar attacker was left with the easy option of playing the ball across the
goal, where Innes MacDONALD was waiting to grab Forfar`s first of the match.
The frantic start was misleading and after the remainder of the first half passed without incident it was Forfar who started the stronger team - the early flurry of goalmouth activity for the Pars in the first half certainly didn`t repeat itself. Forfar`s passing game exposed the Pars repeatedly and it was only a matter of time before they would grab another.
Sure enough, with an hour on the clock McILRAVEY grabbed the second goal for the home team, eventually burying the ball after it had been lobbed back and forth across the Pars` box.
Ten minutes later the Pars restored their two-goal cushion. Lee Bullen latched onto a weak backpass and, having rounded the keeper, cut the ball back. It eventually found its way out to David GRAHAM who thundered it past an array of legs from 25 yards.
Within a few minutes, Pars could have grabbed a fifth goal, but when a corner kick was chipped into the box Reid couldn`t direct his header away from the keeper.
Five minutes later it was Forfar`s turn to have a near miss. A frantic stramash (just had to get that word in somewhere Alan, Ed) in the Pars goalmouth eventually saw the ball fired back in from the right, but the ball flashed across the goal with no takers and out of play.
Within a minute, Jamie Dolan was trying his luck with a thirty-yard drive, but it was wide of the target and didn`t provide too much cause for concern.
A nervy final five minutes resulted from Sean CHRISTIE`s drive into the top corner of the Pars` net, but Pars remained on top until the final whistle, making the trip back to Fife as champions.
SUBS NOT USED: Tomkinson, Harrow, Atagan
SCORERS: MacDonald, McIlravey, Christie
YELLOW CARD: none
DUNFERMLINE: David Hay: Nicol (MacReadie 85), Chris McGroarty, Jamie Squires, Brian Reid, Jamie Dolan, Graham, McLeish/Trialist, Lee Bullen (Walls 85), Mark McGarty (Anderson 74), Chris Templeman.
SUBS NOT USED:
SCORERS: Templeman (2), McGarty, Graham.
YELLOW CARD: none
REFEREE: Ricky Smith
WEATHER:
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