How Partick Thistle spoiled new Dunfermline owners' big day to go top of the Championship

Dunfermline’s new German owners were in the stands for the first time but it was Partick Thistle who stole the show with a resounding win to underline their Championship promotion credentials.

Kevin Holt nods home Partick's second goal in the 3-0 victory over Dunfermline at East End Park (Photo by Sammy Turner / SNS Group)

The DAFC Fussball GmbH consortium who took over the majority shareholding at East End Park last month were greeted with warm applause from the 2000 home crowd as their attendance was announced over the tannoy pre-match.

The investors have had to bid their time before travelling over to watch the team in action due to Covid restrictions but there was not much for them to be encouraged with in this Dunfermline performance after being comprehensively outplayed by the visitors.

Their defending left a lot to be desired as Thistle struck twice in the opening 22 minutes with Ross Docherty and Kevin Holt both left unmarked to score from corner kicks before a 78th minute own goal from centre-half Ross Graham summed up a miserable afternoon for the Fifers.

"Very poor,” was Pars boss Peter Grant’s assessment of the game. “The players are well aware that the new investors are here and it was fantastic to see them because we know they’ve had a difficult time getting over here. We’d have loved to have given them something else to enjoy.

“To give goals away at the start from set plays like we did makes it very diffiult but we weren’t competitive enough or aggressive enough. We looked lethargic in everything we done.

"It’s your home game so you’ve got to play with intensity and set the tone and we just didn’t do that.”

In contrast, Jags boss Ian McCall was delighted to see his team move top of the table after two wins from the opening two fixtures.

“We played really well and the game-plan worked,” he said. "I thought Docherty and [Stuart] Bannigan ran the game. They were absolutely majestic and our centre-backs were outstanding. It was a great team performance.

"Dunfermline wll be up there at the end of the season so it’s a great result for us.”

Thistle took the lead on seven minutes when former Pars midfielder Kyle Turner turned a deaf ear to the home fans giving him pelters to swing in a corner that Docherty glanced beyond goalkeeper Deniz Mehmet.

The Pars defence fared no better in the 22nd minute when Thistle doubled their lead from another corner kick.

Turner again provided the delivery and as Mehmet stretched for a ball he was never reaching, Holt had the simple task of heading into the gaping net, becoming the first Thistle defender to score in over a year in the process.

The half-time boos may have left Dunfermline players longing for the days of empty stadiums but they got the fans back onside with a more purposeful start to the second half following the introduction of Craig Wighton.

The former Hearts man was inches away from converting Kyle MacDonald’s low ball two minutes after the restart, then forced a finger-tip save from Harry Stone to deny a powerful effort from 20 yards.

Stone was also called into action again to flick a Todorov header over bar at full stretch, but the game was already looking safe for Thistle before Graham haplessly turned a cross from substitute Connor Murray into his own net.

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