Dunfermline 1 - 1 Inverness Caledonian Thistle: Thistle puncture Pars’ hopes of first home victory in 15 games

By EWING GRAHAME
Published on Saturday 18 February 2012 17:39

HOME continues to be where the hurt is for Dunfermline. This was their 15th match at East End Park this season and they are still waiting for their first victory.

It probably didn’t help that they were facing Inverness yesterday, since the Pars haven’t won a league match against the Highlanders at East End Park this century.

Even so, manager Jim McIntyre was delighted with his players’ effort on a rutted surface that made a passing game almost impossible.

“I thought we were excellent,” he said. “You can see how difficult the pitch is and sometimes you need to adjust the way you play. I don’t think it made for a good game.

“After we took the lead, we created enough good chances to put the game to bed but when we didn’t Inverness scored a good goal themselves.”

Both sides struggled to string three passes together during the opening stages and it took 17 minutes for the first shot to arrive, a tame effort from 18 yards by Inverness midfielder Nick Ross that failed to trouble Chris Smith.

Another 12 minutes elapsed before the next incident of note, when Paddy Boyle deflected a netbound drive from Richie Foran behind for a corner.

Johnny Hayes had a shooting opportunity three minutes from the interval only for referee Bobby Madden to belatedly blow for an earlier foul on Foran before the winger could pull the trigger.

It was against the run of play when the home side took the lead in first-half stoppage time. Referee Madden angered Thistle once again when he awarded Dunfermline a free-kick 20 yards out after Joe Cardle hit the turf following a coming together with Kenny Gillet on the stroke of half-time.

Martin Hardie’s dipping shot rebounded from Ryan Esson’s crossbar, David Proctor couldn’t clear his lines and Cardle was in the right place to rifle home from eight yards.

The Pars were transformed after the interval. Confidence coursing through them, they attacked their opponents with a cohesion and purpose that had been utterly lacking before the goal.

Andy Kirk glanced a free header wide of the target before Proctor almost gifted them a second in the 50th minute.

He completely missed Gary Mason’s through ball and that left Andy Kirk one-on-one with Esson, who got Proctor out of jail with a fine diving save to push away the striker’s curling effort.

With the Highlanders rattled, Kirk was inches away from converting a cross-shot from Gary Mason that wasn’t far away on its own.

However, just as in the first half, the team who had been under the cosh managed to fashion a goal out of nothing.

On this occasion Ross displayed pace and determination to ensure that he was going to beat Foran to meet a cross from Hayes and force the ball over the line from close range.

“I specialise in tap-ins,” said Ross. “Richie’s claiming the goal, which is amazing because he must have been three or four yards behind me when I put it in!”

The home fans in the Norrie McCathie Stand were on their feet screaming for a penalty when Esson saved at substitute Liam Buchanan’s feet but this time Mr Madden called it right by ignoring the resulting appeals.

Liam Buchanan ought to have broken Dunfermline’s duck at East End Park in the 89th minute but, with time and space to spare, he sent a free header from Paul Burns’ corner over the bar from six yards.

“On any other day Liam puts that away,” said Cardle afterwards. “We had enough good chances to win the game today and they fell to the right people but we just didn’t put them away.

Inverness manager Terry Butcher bemoaned the loss of striker Gregory Tade in unusual circumstances.

“Gregory woke up last week with an Achilles injury,” he said. “I can’t afford my players to injure themselves while they sleep so perhaps I’ll tuck him in myself next week: it’s an injury nightmare.”

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