Mochrie enjoys derby day experience
Sunday, 18th Sep 2022“It was my first game with real rivalry but I enjoyed it.”
At the beginning of August this year nineteen year old Chris Mochrie was loaned out to Dunfermline from Dundee United to gain experience. After three games in which he came off the bench to play, he has now started the last three League One matches but none anywhere he has played has been like Saturday’s derby game against Falkirk. Chris told the website:-
“I knew that there was something but I didn’t realise how much. I had been hearing about it all week, then on Saturday I discovered just what a good atmosphere it was to play in. It was my first game with real rivalry but I enjoyed it.”
The first league derby game between Dunfermline and Falkirk since April 2019 attracted a crowd of 6670 and on Saturday that attendance was only exceeded at Ibrox and Easter Road. Chris felt that underlined the magnitude of the two clubs now competing in the third tier of Scottish football. He continued:-
“The two are big clubs and for a League One game it probably had more fans than some Premiership games today.
“It was really intense, really enjoyable. I think for us it was probably a game of two halves. In the first half Falkirk were the better team and had a couple of chances but second half we reacted really well to come back from a goal down. We had not been a goal behind before this season so it shows the character in the group and it was a really good reaction.”
The game certainly changed dramatically in the second half after manager James McPake’s half time change of tactic:-
“We switched from a three at the back to a four at the back just to try and go man for man against them. It seemed to work, we were on our second balls more and they weren’t getting as much space. I ended up getting a bit more space to get on the ball.”
Chris will join the Scotland U21 squad as they prepare for a double header this weekend against Northern Ireland. He showed what he can do with an impressive defence wrecking run in 69 minutes. He commented:-
“It was a good run and I was just gutted that I snatched it a bit and it went past the post. Hopefully I will keep getting into those areas and I will take one of the chances.
“After the first half it was a really good reaction from us. We kept our heads in a big rivalry game and the crowd was lively. We had chances, hit the bar, hit the post. Probably at the end of the day we could have got something more out of that game.”
Kyle Benedictus spoke to PARStv
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