Reserves v Raith Rovers
Tuesday, 15th Sep 2009Winning start to Reserve League Cup campaign
SCOTTISH RESERVE LEAGUE CUP
Tuesday 15 September 2009: East End Park
DUNFERMLINE ATHLETIC 3 RAITH ROVERS 0
This was Dunfermline`s first official reserve outing of the season, and Assistant Manager Gerry McCabe would have been pleased with both the victory and the manner in which it was achieved. It provided much needed match practice for first team squad players, while the younger players involved did themselves no harm in what was a competent display all round.
Raith Rovers very nearly opened the scoring inside four minutes when the lively Lee Bryce took a good ball from Brown to advance into the left side of the penalty area. Paterson came to close him down but Bryce chipped only to be foiled as his effort came off the side netting. A minute later and the same player received a ball over the top and outpaced Graham only for his cutback to be blocked by Higgins.
When Bryce shot over from the left side of the box in 10 minutes, Gerry McCabe was heard to shout, "one ball is beating us all the time." His advice certainly seemed to do the trick because Dunfermline never allowed to happen again and began to take control. With Graeme Holmes controlling the midfield, Dunfermline started to put some good moves together, but rather like the first team, the final ball just wasn`t good enough. Pars best chance of the first quarter came in the 23rd minute when Steven McDougall was through one-on-one with Rovers keeper O`Connor but he blasted it straight at the Rovers number 1. Five minutes later a move involving Holmes and McDougall allowed Gibson to drive into the box. His shot was well struck but O`Connor was well positioned to parry it away.
Most of the game was being played in Rovers half, but Greg Paterson had to be lively when a good ball over the top almost caught the Pars defence out. Dunfermline finally broke the deadlock in the 35th minute, and a great goal it was too. The move was started by Holmes who picked out Willis on the right. The young winger sent the ball into McDougall inside the box. His shot was cleared but only to the edge of the box where HOLMES sent a glorious left foot volley into the keeper`s bottom right hand corner.
Two minutes later and Ross and Willis combined to send in another cross which McDougall headed over. Dunfermline increased their lead in the final minute of the first half, and again some good pacey one-touch football down the left allowed Muirhead to win a corner. A great delivery from Gibson flew past the Rovers defence where Chris HIGGINS was nicely placed to stoop and header home number two.
Half Time: Dunfermline Athletic 2 Raith Rovers 0
The second half started quietly but Dunfermline got their third goal in 56 minutes. Willie Gibson`s persistence won him a free kick thirty yards out in front of goal. The cleverly taken kick was slid to GIBSON who rifled a low drive past O`Connor into the keeper`s bottom right hand corner of the net.
Jordan White had shown a lot of energy and Rovers defence were happy to concede a 57th minute corner when he latched on to a great Willis ball inside the box. Six minutes later and he tested O`Connor with a header from Greg Ross`s cross after some good build up play.
Raith Rovers saw more possession in the second half but they rarely troubled Greg Paterson. Dunfermline continued to create chances and although Graeme Holmes looked tired in the second period, he had one great solo run in the 84th minute which finished when he shot straight at O`Connor. Then in the 87th minute, a corner from McGregor was sent back across goal by Willis. Chris Higgins powered a looping header across the keeper but the crossbar prevented the Pars centre half from scoring his second of the night.
A good performance and special mention for the younger players, who all acquitted themselves well, including two good cameo performances from subs Harry McGregor and Ryan Thomson.
SUBS NOT USED: Craig Bauld (GK)
SCORERS: Holmes(35), Higgins(45), Gibson(56)
RAITH ROVERS: Gary O`Connor, Graeme Beveridge, Kevin Brown, Craig Wedderburn, James Drummond, Robert Sloan, Mark Whatley, Jamie Mackie (Jordan McKechnie, 74), Lee Bryce (Chris McDougall, 79), Thomas Graham, Mark Ferry.
SUBS NOT USED: Ross Callaghan, Colin Wilson, Ross Laidlaw (GK).
REFEREE: Ian Craig
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