Controversy overshadowed fine Pars win, says Johnston

Allan Johnston has expressed dismay that Dunfermline’s victory over Falkirk has been overshadowed by the shameful actions of a section of the Bairns support.

The Pars and their bitter rivals have vowed to work together to root out the individuals who threw rubber eyeballs onto the pitch to mock Dean Shiels during Tuesday’s clash and have been poring over CCTV footage.

It is understood officials are not confident of clearly identifying the fans, who also booed Shiels and could be heard singing about the former Hibs, Rangers and Kilmarnock player ‘having only one eye’ during Dunfermline’s 2-0 victory.

Johnston praised Shiels yesterday for the ‘composure’ he displayed in shrugging off the insults, which came in the first game between the sides since Falkirk pair Kevin O’hara and Joe Mckee were hit with Scottish FA bans for abusing Shiels over his disability during the teams’ Irn-bru Cup tie in October.

And the Fifers boss has lamented the fact the unsavoury episode has detracted from a welcome win for the East End Park outfit against their old foes.

He said: “Dean showed a lot of composure because it must have been hard, some of the stick he was getting from the stand.

“You don’t like to see that in football, it’s poor. And I’m sure Falkirk will deal with the fans who have done it.

“I wasn’t aware of the eyeballs being thrown onto the pitch at the time, but obviously I heard about it after the game. You don’t like to hear about things like that in football.

“But, if you look at the game, I think it was a good game of football.

“It’s actually a shame that everybody’s talking about what went on at the sidelines, rather than talking about the performance.”

O’hara and Mckee were banned for eight and four matches respectively after being found guilty of ‘excessive misconduct’ by the SFA, with the latter eligible to face Dundee United tomorrow after serving his punishment.

Bairns boss Paul Hartley knows that the duo could face a backlash of their own.

“I think they have got to just try and handle it as best as they can and not react. That’s all we can say to them. They are not bad lads,” Hartley said.