El of a way to do it

It was entirely appropriate that Faissal El Bakhtaoui should achieve his first senior hattrick in the match that sealed the Ladbrokes League One title.

This was just Dunfermline's sixth championship in its 130 year history and it cropped up as a bit of a surprise.

A crowd of 4402 had taken their seats at East End Park hoping to see Dunfermline win another three points and set up a title win opportunity at Albion Rovers the following Saturday. Instead Cowdenbeath's win against the odds at Peterhead left Dunfermline thirteen points ahead of the Petrofac Training Cup finalists who have only four fixtures remaining because their match against Stranraer was brought forward from the cup final weekend.

The French Moroccan striker who has now scored 29 goals this season for the Pars, was predictably selected by the media for interview and in his best and most fluent English yet described his excitement:-

"It is my first hattrick for the club and I am so happy. It is an unbelievable day for me and the lads, we are champions.

"The third goal was a dream and it is the best goal I have ever scored for Dunfermline. I scored two weeks ago at Ayr but this one at home is the best goal I have scored.

"When we realised that we had won the league It was unbelievable for me. At half time the manager said Cowdenbeath 1-0. The fans were telling us to come on and I thought that if we won we would be champions.

"It has been a special season for me and we are all happy to be champions. We got a bit nervous but at half time he spoke to the lads and told us that we could be champions after the game."

Faissal was at the club when it went into administration and then suffered relegation as result of a fifteen point deduction. Exactly three years to the day he was the one to score the goals that took the club back into the second flight of Scottish football. He described his feelings:-

"Although I was here I did not play much. It is unbelievable for this massive club with the fans behind them. The club deserves to be at a higher level than League One.

"When I came I signed for two years and Jim Jefferies used to put me on the bench every week. I would play in the 20s but I came from Futsal and needed to learn.

"I used to come on in games and score goals. Jim Jefferies offered me a new contract and told me that I had something to offer. My contract is finished this season but I would like to stay."

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