Captain’s Log

“We probably were the better side over the two legs but ultimately Raith Rovers took their two chances and they are through.”

Dunfermline captain Euan Murray summed up his mood and those of his team mates when he reflected that although they felt that they were the better team, their inability to convert any of their numerous chances led to them paying the ultimate price with defeat to their Fife rivals. He said:-

“It is a sore one, it is always sore losing any game of football but it was one where I felt that we were the better team over the two legs.

“We knew that we had a lot of chances in the first leg and that could maybe come back and haunt you. To be fair the mentality was good and even on Saturday I thought that we had the better chances in the game. Ultimately if you don’t take them you get punished. It is a learning curve for a lot of the younger ones but I’m sure the club will bounce back and be stronger next season.”

Raith took the lead in 64 minutes when Lewis Vaughan reacted first after Owain Fôn Williams had saved a strike from full back Reghan Tumilty.

“I would say the first was unfortunate. It hit off somebody’s back side. Fônners has dived to read the first shot and to be fair to Lewis Vaughan, he has put it away well. Most players would probably have panicked but he showed composure which he has got.

“From there on in we huffed and puffed probably a wee bit and it just never went our way. I am devastated just now but like I say, we will move on.”

Stevie Crawford said after the match that he hoped that his players would mature and be better for their play off experiences and Euan agreed that there was plenty to be optimistic about next season.

“I think that there are a lot of good foundations there for the club to grow and get better and stronger. It is totally different, this league is unforgiving and you can see that at a lot of the clubs.

“We will take a lot of credit away for getting the club in this position but also, they will need to learn that having that cut throat side to you in a play off game is the difference. We probably were the better side over the two legs but ultimately Raith Rovers took their two chances and they are through.”

Asked about his own situation, Euan claimed that he had not thought about that as his full concentration had been on the play off games:-

“I have said from the very very start when there was speculation in November that my sole focus would be on giving everything for this club. Up to this week it has been the very very same. I will sit down with my representatives now and see what is what.”

Though desperately disappointed with the season ending at Stark’s Park Euan had enjoyed the unusual 2020-2021 season adding:-

“It has been an absolute pleasure to play for this club first and foremost. Other than that pride, being the captain of a club with a lot of young inexperienced lads and going through a lot this season.

“We have not got the situation where we can bond in a dressing room. You are sitting in freezing cold stands at Alloa and it would be easy to sit and sulk about these kind of things and let it drip into performances but we didn’t.

“We have stuck together, we have had a great team spirit. The club has been good with me and I have got to be thankful of that.

“I am just gutted that the fans could not have been here since these were two good games. It has been like that the full season, whether it would have pushed us on? I feel that it would have and certainly me - I loved to play at East End when it was full. We saw it last season in the first game against Dundee.

“Coming into that in my first game, I was blown away by the support and the fanbase the club has. They have been a big miss and there have been two excellent adverts for Fife Football. They will be devastated as are we, but the foundations are there and hopefully the club goes forward and goes from strength to strength.”

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