Six-year hoodoo broken as Dunfermline Athletic eye Premiership

Joe Cardle scores his second goal to add the gloss to Dunfermlines victory. Picture: Michael Gillen.

The Pars, who took their tally to 21 goals in just five home games, surged into a two-goal lead after just ten minutes and instantly banished painful memories of previous derbies with great strikes by Declan McManus and Joe Cardle.

Subsequently enjoying the benefit of a two-man advantage following red cards for Craig Sibbald and Lee Miller, they survived a wobble caused by Tom Taiwo’s late counter to finish in style with a second Cardle goal in injury time.

Against the team that finished second in the Championship last season, it was as comfortable a win as Dunfermline could have hoped for and Kallum Higginbotham, who was in the Falkirk team the last time the Pars won in 2011, is hopeful it augurs well for the campaign ahead.

“We couldn’t get a win against them last season, so, in the first meeting of this season, it’s great to get a victory against our biggest rivals,” he said.

“Most people will have Falkirk as one of the favourites [for the league title]. They have been up there the last few seasons when some big teams have been in there, so they are rightly being tipped as contenders.

“So, if we want to be up there and be thought of as real contenders, too, then we need to beat teams like Inverness and Falkirk at home, and we’ve done that in the last couple of weeks. The boys are absolutely buzzing at the moment.”

Higginbotham was the architect of the opening goal after just four minutes, puncturing a fragile Falkirk defence with a threaded ball that was converted calmly by McManus. Just six minutes later, Callum Smith freed full-back Ryan Williamson in space behind the Bairns defence on the right flank and his low cross was stroked in by Cardle.

Falkirk recovered to pressurise the Dunfermline defence at the end of the first half but ended up bringing trouble on themselves shortly after the interval. First, Craig Sibbald lashed out at Cardle with his boot after a foul on the touchline and was red-carded by referee John Beaton, with Lee Miller following shortly after for striking Nat Wedderburn deliberately with an elbow.

Somehow, Falkirk pulled a goal back with seven minutes left when Taiwo speared a fantastic shot into the top corner after picking up the ricochet from Tony Gallacher’s shot off the post. However, Cardle scampered on to David Hopkirk’s through ball in the 93rd minute to restore the two-goal cushion.

“Our aim has always been to get promotion,” added Higginbotham, pictured. “We are a Premiership team in waiting because we have the facilities and the stature.

“With the players we have, it’s a Premiership squad. There are bigger budgets in the league but, if we can stay under the radar and keep performing the way we have been, we will see where it takes us.”

Falkirk manager Peter Houston accused his players of being “soft as putty” and promised to discipline Sibbald and Miller for indiscretions that only made it more difficult for his side, who have now earned just one point from their opening three games.

“It’s understandable that the manager is furious,” admitted midfielder Mark Kerr. “So many things went wrong. The two red cards compounded our misery. The dressing room is not a good place to be.”