Goal celebrations all round
Monday, 6th Mar 2023“I thought it was my goal. I ran away celebrating and Kane came with me but when I turned around everyone else was away to the other side.
Players are usually modestly indifferent when it comes to which team members score the goals but Chris Hamilton has every right to be keen to be credited with his first league goal since scoring the second of five Stirling Albion goals against Cowdenbeath in April 2021.
Having not hit the net during his 2969 minutes in 35 appearances for a good going Arbroath side last season, the 21 year old opened his Dunfermline account in the Premier Sports Cup tie against Alloa Athletic in July. He kept up his record scoring against Alloa Athletic again on Saturday although some would like to take that away from him.
When the opening goal hit the net in the 39th minute of Saturday’s game, Rhys Breen celebrated as if it was his but not even the sharpest behind the goal video can disprove that the goal should be Chris’. He told the website that there were three players still trying to claim the goal.
“We have looked at the video so I think Breeny is off the list, I don’t think it is his. Me and Wighty are still arguing trying to find an angle that shows it. I definitely get a touch but it is whether Wighty gets a touch on his shoulder before it goes in. We are going to argue about it until the end of the season I think.
“I thought it was my goal. I ran away celebrating and Kane (Ritchie-Hosler) came with me but when I turned around everyone else was away to the other side.
“Breeny headed it, then I headed it and Wighty says it skiffed off him. We have had a look, there is an angle from behind the goal but you can’t see if it touches Wighty, you would have to take his word. I will take it, it is my first league goal for Dunfermline.”
Chris felt that the team needed that goal as much as he did and believes that it calmed the team down at a point in the game when they were on top. It was a good time to get the goal especially having failed to take anything from a blistering opening ten minutes. He agreed:-
“It is probably the best that we have started at home for a while. We were on the front foot, we were making things happen. We just couldn’t really get that clear cut chance. Wighty had a few across goal and there was some good play, but we just needed the goal. It came at the right time and settled us down a bit. We went in 1-0 up at half time and we have not done that enough this season so it was good.”
Chris was happy that the team had responded to the manager’s calls for them to start games better.
“He has been big on getting the crowd behind us and starting well, starting quick. At home the second half has always been much better either getting goals late on or coming from one behind. I don’t know the reasons for that but Saturday was probably the best that we have started.
“The second half was a very good performance. Kane was excellent on the right, Kev and McCann gave us something different when they came on and Macca was on early so the subs made an impact. It was a professional performance in the second half and we weren’t too much in danger.”
Chris has started only 14 of the Pars 26 league games and he was pleased to start against Alloa after coming off the bench in the previous two matches away to Queen of the South and at home to Airdrieonians.
“The competition for places just now is really good, look at the bench and look at the boys coming on. It keeps everyone on their toes. Training has gone up a level because everyone is looking around thinking ‘if I’m not at it someone will take my place’.
“That’s a good place to me. At times this season we have maybe been a wee bit short of boys on the bench but now we are in a really good place.”
Particularly after sitting out the last time Falkirk came to the KDM Group East End Park, a start on Tuesday night would suit Chris fine:-
“It is a big game when Falkirk come and a big one for the fans. For us you only get three points at the end of the day. It is one we are definitely looking forward to and we will be looking to start the way we did against Alloa and go and see if we can take another three points.
Above: Matty Todd and Chris Hamilton celebrate the Pars win at the Falkirk Stadium in November
“Everyone is looking forward to it. Folk talk about these games when the fixtures come out so it is one that you look forward to but the Alloa game was massive for us because we know that they are a good team. They are good at what they do so there is no point in slipping up against them and getting a win on Tuesday.
“It was massive for us to get the three points. We will now look to Tuesday and see what we can do. We will go against a team that is in a really good run of form. We will go into it confident, we go into every game confident but we know that it will be a tough game.”
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