The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Craigen the hero as Pars end winless run
DUNFERMLINE: Johnston looking up the table as Fife side clinch narrow win
DUNFERMLINE 1 INVERNESS CALEY THISTLE 0
Dunfermline Athletic saw off a poor Inverness Caledonian Thistle 1-0 at East End Park last night to move back into the Ladbrokes Championship play-off race.
Although not mathematically a ‘must win’, with these sides coming into the game outside the play-off picture, both managers had emphasised the importance of the three points ahead of play.
Pars boss Allan Johnston was particularly pleased with the win and is now looking up the table after his side had gone six league games without a victory.
“I’m just delighted for the players and the fans because they have stuck by us,” he said.
“There were a lot of good performances and we created a lot of chances, something we haven’t done recently.
“I’m delighted with the win and we’re hoping to get another one on Saturday.”
It was the lack of chances created that particularly frustrated Caley Jags boss John Robertson.
“I didn’t think there was much in it early on but after going behind we didn’t have the cutting edge to get in behind them,” he said.
“We had one chance with Aaron Doran and with all our good play we never looked like scoring. The better team won – I have no argument about that.”
Having not played a competitive match since February 24, there was every reason to expect John Robertson’s side had come into the game undercooked and young defender Cameron Harper backed up that assumption by pulling up whilst conceding a free kick five minutes into his debut.
The visitors did manage to get replacement Brad Mckay on, but they were still picking the ball out the net from the resulting dead ball.
It was too easy for James Craigen to curl a low left-foot show into the corner from 20 yards, with goalkeeper Mark Ridgers not able to stop it at his side.
After a goal in the first six minutes the 2,249 crowd may have expected the match to kick on from there, but alas that was not to be.
The rest of the first half was poor fare, with neither side showing any kind of attacking threat.
Thankfully the second period started a bit more brightly, with Inverness getting their only attempt on goal just after the restart.
At the other end Craigen pulled out a good stop from Ridgers and five minutes into the second half there were already the double the shots on goal as in the first.
By this point the hosts had begun to control the game and, despite only being a goal ahead, looked pretty comfortable in their lead.
That lead could and should have been extended but Carl Tremarco was able to clear off the line after Ridgers had flapped at a cross and minutes later Declan Mcmanus should have done better than hit the post with a close-range header.
Minutes from time Kallum Higginbotham passed up the best chance Dunfermline had to get a second goal their play deserved, but, although Ridgers did well to save, it never looked like it would alter the outcome of the match.