The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Cardle helps fire Pars to ‘back where they belong’
Hat-trick hero plays starring role in victory over on-form Blues
Dunfermline winger Joe Cardle was bursting with pride after Saturday’s 6-1 demolition of an in-form Stranraer side at East End Park.
Naturally he was delighted to grab his second hat-trick of the season – adding to the one he grabbed at For far last September– but the 29- year-old Blackpool-born player was equally happy to see his team take another step towards the League One title and promotion as they stayed eight points clear of their closest challengers Peterhead.
Last summer the Pars began the season on fire, famously outscoring Bayern Munich as they totalled 25 goals in winning their first five games.
As the league table testifies, results have remained positive, but the swagger of last August was replaced by a more workmanlike approach until the fireworks returned on Saturday.
“We could have scored five( at B re chin) last week, but we ended up with only two,” pointed out Cardle.
“If we keep doing what we did today, then we have a great chance of clinching promotion. The boys have been fantastic all season. We have a really tight-knit group here and we’ve got on so well all season.
“We need to keep it going for the last 10 games now because the fans have been amazing all season and we’re desperate to get this club back to where it belongs.”
Cardle now has 14 goals to his name this term, and although his hat-trick stole the show, striker Fa is sal El Bakhtaoui still grabbed a brace of his own to lift his season’s tally to 23 while defender Brad McKay also got on the scoresheet.
What made Saturday’s victory even more impressive was the fact that St ran ra er went into the game on the back of a six-match unbeaten run and had not lost away from home since the week before Christmas.
Pars boss Allan Johnston added: “That was a brilliant performance with a lot of good goals, and it’ s been coming for a few weeks now.”