The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Pars captain dishes out some home truths
Harsh words as Dunfermline suffer first loss to Alloa at East End Park since 1976
DUNFERMLINE 1 ALLOA 2
Dunfermline captain Paul Paton’s postmatch comments were as eye-catching as his tattoos after Alloa had come from behind to hand the Pars their fourth straight defeat and dump them out of the Challenge Cup at East End Park on Saturday.
Alloa’s first win there since 1976 was the headline statistic, but the Fifers are now winless in their last six games stretching back to July.
As Paton acknowledged, they received plenty of praise last month for their heroic display at Celtic Park when they took the holders to extra time in the League Cup, but subsequent performances have dipped well below that standard.
“We took the plaudits after the Celtic and St Mirren games, so we deserve to take some criticism in the last two weeks,” he admitted.
“We’ve just not been good enough, especially as we are a full-time team playing against part-time teams. We scored a good goal today and then gave a soft one away to let them back in.
“Full credit to Alloa, who played well, but we really should be taking the game to part-time clubs on our own patch.
“The manager works us hard in training and you can talk all you like about tactics and formations, but when you cross that white line on a Saturday, then it’s up to us players
“We’re just not creating enough chances for the strikers.”
Paton’s final remark was totally accurate, particularly in the closing stages as Dunfermline pressed for an equaliser and the visitors sat deeper and deeper.
They even had to survive the last five minutes plus six minutes of stoppage time with only ten men after substitute Blair Malcolm limped off with a pulled hamstring but, as manager Stevie Crawford noted, the quality of the home side’s final ball simply wasn’t good enough.
Greg Kiltie, signed on loan from Kilmarnock, did score an excellent opening goal on the counter-attack before sloppy defending allowed Robert Thomson to equalise shortly before halftime.
Alan Trouten then took centre-stage early in the second period, firing a low, first-time shot from Jon Robertson’s cross which went in off the post.
“I really like playing here,” said a smiling Trouten.
“I scored four goals, including two doubles, at East End Park last season.
“I hope I can do it again in the league match which is coming up soon, although I hope to score every week.
“It’s a quality pitch here, and if you can’t play football in a great stadium like this, then you shouldn’t be playing.
“Jon’s cross took a wee deflection and I managed to step back and guide the ball into the net.
“The manager (Peter Grant) has called us a gang, but we’d be the worst gang in the world in a fight.
“I know what he means, though – we stuck in really well after we went 2-1 up and we held on with only 10 men at the end.”
We’re just not creating enough chances for the strikers. PAUL PATON