Frozen Fraser ready for Broath
Friday, 5th Feb 2021“It was absolutely freezing but from the start of the game everyone pulled up their sleeves and did the dirty work.
The two goal hero of the Fife Derby, Fraser Murray is hoping his side can kick on and take Wednesday night’s performance into Saturday’s match at Arbroath.
The Hibs loanee sunk Raith Rovers hopes of a comeback just two minutes after they had clawed a 64th minute goal back to make it 2-1. Players were strung all along the eighteen yard line as he sensationally lifted the ball over the Raith wall to rattle it in off the underside of the crossbar.
The 21 year old polished off the Rovers with another cracking goal in 87 minutes. It was clearly a great joy for Fraser to score his brace but he had praise for the full team and how they had stuck to their tasks through difficult times:-
“We have gone through a sticky patch, but the main thing was not to lose most of the games that we drew. That shows that we are solid at the back, we just needed a bit of luck and we got that on Wednesday night. We never got that on Saturday but we played well and created a lot. Hopefully we can kick on from here now and take this performance into Saturday against Arbroath.
Fraser has made eight starts for Dunfermline and come on as a sub in nine but he enjoyed starting the last two matches.
“I have had a few niggles in the past month or two in both hamstrings which has been a bit annoying. But credit to all the other boys, Dowser, Dom and Banksie, they have all done brilliantly. It is a team here and whoever plays and whoever comes on, we are all in it together. Hopefully we can push on now and have a good finish to the season.”
Wednesday night’s three points reduced the gap at the top of the league to nine points and importantly took them three points clear of Raith in third place although the Kirkcaldy side have a game in hand. Fraser summed up the situation that the Pars find themselves in:-
“The aim at the start was to be in the play offs, Hearts are starting to get away a bit now but we showed that we can compete against Hearts and beat them. Had we been a little lucky it would have been different at the weekend.
“I think everyone to a man carried out the manager’s game plan perfectly. The way we started the game pressing wise, the way we took care of the ball, we created a good few chances and everyone on the park was brilliant.”
The Tynecastle match was the third game in a row in which Dunfermline had failed to score a goal, so whacking four past Raith ended a frustrating run:-
“You saw at the weekend against Hearts, on another day you are going to get three or four goals in that game if it wasn’t for Craig Gordon. The main thing from Saturday going into Wednesday’s game was to take those chances and one was bound to go in.
“I thought Saturday’s was one of our better performances this season creating chances, defending well. Mayo coming into centre mid has done well in there. The boys at the back - Watson, Muzz, Aaron and Josh have been solid at the back all season. They have not been conceding goals.
“Obviously, the boys upfront including myself have been playing well but it has just not been falling for us to score goals. Thankfully against Raith it was one of those nights where everything seemed to go in.”
His first goal from the free kick gave Fraser happy flashbacks to the one he scored against Kilmarnock in the Betfred Cup.
“I think Banksie wanted it but I was having it. He said ‘you’d better score’ so I did. Since I was young I have practiced free kicks, corners and crosses so it is always nice to see one go in.
“It was absolutely freezing but from the start of the game everyone pulled up their sleeves and did the dirty work. When we won the ball back we passed the ball well, kept the ball and I loved it.”
Fraser felt that the Pars fully deserved to win, let’s hope he can say the same at Gayfield.
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