GVV Eilermark 0 Dunfermline 12

Pre Season Friendly
Skerla. Hampshire 3, Dempsey, Dair, Fotheringham, Kilgannon, Blair 2, Nish, McLeish

The final match of the Dutch pre season tour supplied the Pars with shooting and finishing practice. Fielding a side which was a blend of youth and experience Dunfermline eventually demolished the courageous Dutch amateurs of Eilermark in the border town of Glanerbrug.


It was well accepted before the match that the Dutch would be in for a hammering and their goal was to limit the damage to single figures. The SPL side certainly got off to a slow start and were well behind the clock with their opening goals.


Scott Thomson fired in from the edge of the box in the 8th minute but Wermer in goal saved easily. Next a Gary Dempsey lay off to Brian Blair was thumped over the bar.

Out on the right Sean Kilgannon took the first corner of the game in the 12th minute and Andrius SKERLA`s header slipped in at the far post with the defender frantically trying to stop it but in vain. (picture below)

Kilgannon provided another shooting chance for Blair six minutes later but the shot was wide. Davie Nicholls had a great run into the right side of the opposition penalty box to square for Dempsey but the shot went wide right.

Mark McGarty had a pop at goal in the 23rd minute only to see it deflected for a corner. Steven Hampshire beat the offside trap but his shot was at Wermer. With Jimmy Calderwood encouraging his team to push forward the second goal did eventually come on the half hour.

George Fotheringham who was patrolling the right side of the Pars attack cut the ball back for McGarty who picked out HAMPSHIRE with a fine pass and the striker turned advanced into the box and smacked in the second.

A free kick two minutes later was tapped by Thomson to Nicholls who belted in a shot from 30 yards out. The keeper spilled it and Gary DEMPSEY hit home from close in.

The young Irishman should have made it four when Jason Dair sent him through the middle in the 36th minute but the keeper was able to make the save. Next Dempsey did the same for Blair and he also shot at the keeper.

A loose clearance from midfield was received by Jason DAIR and the Pars utility man took route one to goal from 40 yards out to place a left footed shot passed the advancing keeper with three minutes remaining to half time.

The Pars then scored a fifth following a tantalising run from Kilgannon which eventually picked out Nicholls wide left to cross for FOTHERINGHAM to head in at the near post.

Five down at half time the home team substituted their keeper and the Pars made four changes. They too replaced their keeper with Stillie coming on for Ruitenbeek, Petrie, McLeish and Nish replacing Dair, Nicholls and Dempsey.

Only nine minutes into the second half Scott Thomson was subbed as well and Andrius Skerla was handed the captain`s armband. The goal machine got back into action in the 56th minute when Blair found KILGANNON on the right edge of the box and he looped in for number six.

Stevie Hampshire latched on to a through ball that Kilgannon had classically dummied but the shot did not match the build up the keeper taking advantage of the striker`s delay in shooting.

Hamps and Nish swung the ball across the penalty box and Brian BLAIR was left with a tap in for the Pars 7th in 62 minutes. Lee Bullen then came on in the centre of defence in place of Skerla and Stewart Petrie became the third captain of the day.

Number 8 was a nice goal created out of a Fotheringham slip to McLeish and expertly headed in by BLAIR on 70 minutes. Next minute it was nine as Colin NISH picked his spot slotting it past the tiring keeper.

The main question then was were Dunfermline going to make it into double figures. It took until the 87th minute until HAMPSHIRE skilfully controlled a Kilgannon cross to make it ten.

Kevin McLEISH hammered in another from 18 yards and then HAMPSHIRE completed his hat trick on the final whistle to finish the battering at 12-0.

The travelling support at this match which had exceeded 50 and had been joined by Chairman John Yorkston and director John Meiklem and their wives all went off to celebrate the goal feast with some local refreshments.

The touring party return to Scotland by air on Monday.

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