The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Hippolyte catches up with fan club after Pars see off Boreham
BOREHAM WOOD 0 DUNFERMLINE 0 (DUNFERMLINE WIN 6-5 ON PENALTIES)
Myles Hippolyte enjoyed an emotional homecoming as Dunfermline Athletic saw off Boreham Wood in front of a swathe of his friends and family.
The 23-year-old hails from London, starting his career with the likes of Southall, Tamworth and Hayes & Yeading before making the move to Scotland in 2014 in a bid to realise his dream of playing full-time football.
And on his return south of the border on Saturday, Hippolyte was roared on by his dad and brother – both named Michael – as well as several members of his extended family and close friends.
Indeed, while the rest of the Pars squad were already back in the dressing room following the penalty shootout victory that secured IrnBru Cup progress, he was the last man off the pitch as he caught up with some familiar faces.
“It was good to be back in London – well, the outskirts anyway,” smiled Hippolyte.
“It’s something that I’ve missed. “I had my dad, my brother, my cousins in the crowd and some really good friends that I haven’t seen in around three years – and they were able to come and watch me.
“It was a nice occasion in that way. “My dad was always a huge part in my career. Anything I ever needed when I was younger – training, coaching or anything else -– he was there for me, and it was the same with my brother, so it’s special that they were here.
“The people that came to the Boreham game are the same ones who have supported me since I was very young, which was a nice feeling.”
Hippolyte’s fan-club saw him slot home a clinical penalty during the shoot-out as the Pars dispatched six successful efforts, ensuring Connor Smith would be the villain when his kick struck the bar in sudden death.
While not a display of flowing football at Meadow Park, the Pars were resolute and enjoyed the better of the chances and, following successive defeats by three-goal margins against Ayr United and Inverness, Hippolyte hopes the display is a sign of things to come.
More than 500 Dunfermline supporters made the 830-mile round-trip to Borehamwood, creating a sea of colour and a wall of noise.
Indeed, they outnumbered the home fans and, with beach balls being batted back-and-forth the Fifers were revelling in their trip ‘abroad’.
The soaring inflatables were more entertaining the football in the first period. Speculative efforts from James Craigen and James Vincent which drifted off target were the only moments of attacking endeavour on show.
Mercifully, the second half was an improvement, with Reeco Hackett-Fairchild heading over from point-blank range for Boreham Wood and Smith fizzing a drive inches off target following a cleverlyworked corner-kick.
However, it was the Pars who had the best opportunity to settle the contest in regulation time when Aidan Connolly was sent haring through on goal, only to be denied by the imposing frame of goalkeeper Ryan Hufdart.
Connolly would make amends, joining Hippolyte, Malaury Martin, James Craigen, Faissal El Bakhtaoui and Robbie Muirhead among the successful penalty takers in the subsequent shoot-out before Smith’s failure from 12 yards sent the Pars into the last-16.
Pars boss Allan Johnston said: “It was important to go down there and put in a performance, get a clean sheet and build on that. Hopefully we have done that and it is a step in the right direction. We have a lot to work on, we know that, but I think we are going the right way.”