“THE SAINTS. Are cooomiiing!!”.
The phrase belted out by Dunfermline cult heroes The Skids and the people of the ‘Auld Grey Toun’ as they prepared for Paisley’s table topping finest to come to town. We felt this was a perfect opportunity to restart the Tour after a three week absence from ground-hopping the grottiest and greatest of Scotland’s stadiums. The appeal of a confident 3rd placed Dunfermline taking on high flying Saint Mirren at East End Park was too much to resist, even though we’re both skint as per, with the new year giving our wallets a good shagging.
We had both been to East End Park before in our footballing lives but Aaron has been the more frequent traveller, watching his beloved Hibees in the Championship not too long ago. This was of course the first time that both of us were to sit in the home end, for what was looking like a real tasty matchup between two of the lower leagues big dogs – a proper Roman Reigns v John Cena in Championship terms – what was there not to be buzzing about?
Dunfermline itself is the biggest settlement in the glorious Kingdom of Fife and the 10th largest town in Scotland, a place which we also found to be steeped in real history – the medieval Dunfermline Abbey being the burial place of Scotland’s mighty Robert the Bruce, alongside other past Kings and Queens of our home country. Connected to the famous Abbey lies the ruins of the once great Dunfermline Palace, where the signing of the great ‘Auld Alliance’ treaty took place in 1295 – a town that really has served it’s role to Scotland throughout her history. The mere thought of it all was nearly enough to rip off your tartan troons and scream “FREEEEDOM!!!” until your lungs burst.
Thankfully this never came to pass but with a sense of pride in our hearts and the Burn’s night haggis still rumbling away in our bellies we headed to Waverley station.
As both of us are of course avid Scottish football fans, we have watched Dunfermline in the top flight numerous times and knew that they are not a club to be taken lightly; having seen them eliminate Mikey’s Dons at Pittodrie in the Scottish Cup as well as leaving Easter Road and Aaron’s Hibernian with all three points in the bag. Don’t be shaking any sort of stick at the Pars!
After our half-hour or so jaunt across the Forth Road Bridge and into Fife, we stepped off at Dunfermline Town Station, pleasantly surprised to find ourselves immediately walking through a grassy, tree-lined park – as opposed to the usual grey buildings or rundown corner shop. It really was a decent first impression of the town to be walking through a nice patch of nature, taking in the evening air and looking out over the town below us. Mikey was loving the clear skies, fairy lights lining the trees and retro bandstand in the middle of the park. Aaron couldn’t stop reminiscing about a toilet incident in the parks bushes…
How romantic eh.
The club Dunfermline Athletic itself has a solid history in general, having won the Scottish Cup in 1961 under legendary manager Jock Stein and also in 1968, under George Farm. These two pieces of silverware highlight a period of success for the Pars, where they also lost out on the 1964/65 Division One title by one point to Kilmarnock, who pipped the league to Hearts on ‘Goal Average’!! This was what they had in place of Goal Difference back in the golden days. In a highly competitive time in Scottish football it could be argued that Dunfermline were unlucky not to come out of this era with more trophies. The Pars also reached the 1969 European Cup Winners Cup Semi-Final, taking the scalps of clubs such as Olympiakos and England’s West Bromwich Albion before losing in a tight affair to Czech outfit Slovan Bratislava – eventual winners of the Cup Winners Cup that year – beating the one and only Barcelona.
Oh how we all wish those days could return to Scottish football.
Exiting St Margaret’s Park and turning up some fairly standard streets, the corner of the ‘Norrie McCathie Stand’ finally reared into view. We shuffled on up to the fortress that is East End Park and discovered that the night’s entertainment was on BT Sport, we even snagged a peak at Chris Sutton, who never came for an interview despite our fan boy attempts to lure him out. We’ll get you one day Chris!
MARK OUR WORDS.
One person we did manage to sneak an interview with was Dunfermline General Manager – Mikey Mlotkiewicz, a great guy with an amazing name, us Mikey’s need to stick together. The big man showed us onto the East End Park pitch-side, where we talked with him about what it was like to be involved in the running of one the SPFL’s bigger boys.
We will refer to him as ‘Mikey M’ or likewise in the interview below, to avoid any confusion.
Q1. You are currently sitting third in the Championship, playing top of the league at home tonight, is the season going to plan?
A. Mikey M responded enthusiastically “Things are going very well of course, the target set out at the start of the season was to make the playoffs and we’re on course for that”. He continued on saying “obviously we would love to win the league but a playoff spot is the realistic target for us”.
Q2. So you say the goals at the beginning of the season was to make the playoffs, do you think that outlook changes if you win tonight?
A. Mr. Mlotkiewicz told us that “those goals set out at the start of the season would not change” even if the Pars did take 3 points tonight. He continued stating “we just need to win as many games as we can”. It really is that simple to be fair!
Q3. The club has had some tumultuous times in the not so far past, were you involved during the administration of the club and if so can you give us some insight into what it was like?
A. “Yes I was…” said Mikey M hinting at calamitous time the club had been involved in. “I met a gentleman named Ross McArthur at a fundraising dinner” continued the General Manager, that man is now of course the Dunfermline Chairman. “After the takeover from Pars United we started to change things from the bottom up”. He mentioned how they even revamped the badge and began to market the club more effectively, things which helped to transform the club to where it is now. “This is my second year as GM and it is getting better all the time” and in all honesty you could tell there was a feeling of positivity around East End Park, as if they were truly on the way up.
Q4. What can the club do to stand out in the region of Fife, where there’s not that large a catchment area but a number of respected teams?
A. “It is very competitive area but the best thing we can do is just keep winning on the park”, clear to see Mikey M was not just a General Manager but also a keen football fan. He continued “the attendances here have been great, we have an U12s free season ticket we do as well as positive PR with the community, which is also vital”.
Q5. It is the first day of the 2020/2021 Scottish football season, a beautiful sunny day in the Kingdom of Fife, the team bus is packed and the manager has suited up. Who are the Pars kicking off against?
A. “Celtic, Rangers or Aberdeen”, replied Mikey M with a promising feeling and a grin on the big fella’s face.
Q6. And finally, what’s the score gonna be tonight?
A. “2-0 to the Pars!”
After our interview with the General Manager and taking a couple of snapshots of inside the ground, we decided to head for ‘Legends’ – a Dunfermline faithful boozer – what else are two Scottish lads to do on a Friday evening? The mood inside the place started tame but as kick-off approached the bar soon began to fill up with black and white, we even sampled a taste of the ‘1968’ Dunfermline Athletic’s own IPA, which I do not think we’ll be trying again in a hurry we are afraid to say but it was a pretty unique addition nonetheless. Barring the pint, the atmosphere inside only grew and grew, it is fair to say we easily could have stayed there all night, chatting shite to the fans around us and sampling the beverages for £3.50 a pop, which ain’t too shabby!
We could see that the ‘Pars’ nickname definitely rang true during our time in ‘Legends’ – apparently the old Dunfermline Cricket Team would refer to the footballers for Dunfermline at the time as ‘the paralytics’, due to both an uncompromising style of play and their ability to tan bevvy after bevvy at the bar – ‘paralytic drunk’ – which is absolutely quality if you ask us. Potentially an urban legend but who knows, an interesting story either way.
Just before leaving to get our tickets we spoke to some young Pars fans, who told us that ‘Joe Cardle’ or staunch ‘Nat Wedderburn’ were their favourite players and that if they did not make the playoffs then “get the manager out!”. Nice to see the younger generation out supporting their home club passionately. Upon leaving the ‘Legends’ bar we went into the club shop to purchase our tickets – with Mikey requesting we sat next to the ‘hardcore mob’ and we were duly sat in the North West Stand.
The older gentleman that we bought the tickets from – who’s name was David – told us that he had been coming to East End Park since 1961 and was a guy who has really seen the lot. Hearing this and in the real spirit of what Tour of the Terraces is all about, we had a chat with the Pars loyal. In what is one of the most enjoyable conversations we’ve had on the Tour to date, David reminisced and painted a real picture of what it would have been like to be coming to East End Park in the swingin’ 60’s.
Q1. How do you feel like the club’s season is progressing?
A. “We’ve had a good start and I knew it would be tight”. David continued showing his wisdom with his prediction – “I said at the start of the season that it would come down to 4 or 5 teams in amongst it at the end, it may even come down to goal difference.”
Q2. If you win the game tonight do you feel like your goals for the season change?
A. David confirmed to us what Mr. Mlotkewicz had said “playoffs are definitely the goal for the season and I have a lot of confidence in the board going forward.” David beckoned us closer and told us that the club had “made a small increase of profit in the past 2 years” basically; it was time to start getting excited again if you’re a Par.
Q3. Given the history of the club and the way things are going, do you feel like you should be a top flight team?
A. David smirked and told us “I think in all honesty that this is the best league in the country.” In terms of competitiveness David may have an argument – he continued saying “up there it’s just Celtic winning everything, there’s not as much competition in the top flight as there is in the Championship”. With a real passion and belief in his voice, David stated “I think we would wipe the ground with the bottom four of the Premier League!” Got to appreciate the confidence.
Q4. As a Par’s fan we’ve got to ask you, George Farm or Jock Stein?
A. “No”. Was the short and sweet of it. David continued “George Farm wasn’t liked around here and that’s a fact, the only good thing he did was bring in his son-in-law, Pat Gardner”. The Dunfermline hero scored the winner against West Brom in the European Cup Winner’s Cup and also a brace in the 1968 Scottish Cup Final. “Farm took the glory for a team that was already there, the team had already been built”. David also implied that Farm had not mixed well with the players.
Q5. Being a fan who has attended East End Park for so long, have you ever fallen out of love with the club?
A. “No, never, in the late 70’s all my mates were saying – why are you still following that lot?” as if the clubs popularity had somehow declined and his pals had begun to follow other teams. “In the 60s it was totally different, we lost the league to Killie on the last game of the season, we really should have won it that year”. He continued to reminisce talking about when Dunfermline had beaten Valencia 6-2 in Europe as well as that famous night in Dunfermline against West Brom. “I remember the ground being absolutely rock solid, this place was absolutely shaking, we beat them 1-0 and went through to the next ground”. Sad to see that it is most likely these kind of nights may not be around the corner for Dunfermline.
Q6. Finally, what’s the score gonna be tonight?
A. “I think it’s gonna be really tight but we’ll just sneak it, 1-0 Dunfermline.”
After our interview with David and feeling a liiidle bit tipsy, we headed for our seats near the Dunfermline ultras, who fair play to them did their bit throughout the game and created a fair share of noise in a mostly filled up East End Park, exactly what you want to see on a Friday night clash with two clubs at the top end of the league going toe to toe. The teams came out to The Skids blasting over the tannoi and with that we were all plunged Into the Valley.
See what we did there.
THE MATCH
We are now going to enter how the 90 minutes ended up going;
FIRST HALF
As Pars skipper Callum Morris lead the black and white out of the tunnel there was a rather electric atmosphere about the place, with flags waving, banners hoisted and chanting from both sets of fans – notably “Chris Sutton you’re a wanker, you’re a wanker”, sorry on our behalf Chris, as well as a staple we heard throughout the match “Sixety-One, Sixety-Eight, Athleeetic, Sixty-One, Sixty-Eight, I say, Sixety-One, Sixety-Eight Athletic, playing football the Jock Stein way!”. Or at least we’re 99% sure that’s what it was.
The match itself had a cagey opening, with neither team really going on top but both with moments of promise when going forward. The travelling Paisley faithful did not have to wait too long to celebrate, as former Don Cammy Smith rounded off a really lovely passing move by St Mirren move down the park, involving McGinn, Morgan and Smith who fired the ball beyond Lee Robinson in the Dunfermline sticks, after emerging star Lewis Morgan had played a cute backheel in behind. St Mirren began to take more of a hold on the game as the half progressed and the Pars faithful were beginning to get frustrated with the team, who were looking less and less threatening.
With half-time approaching there were a couple ‘ooos’ and ‘aaas’ from the crowd when an opportunity flashed across the St Mirren goalmouth as Dunfermline tried to create something. Nothing more was to happen though and the players trooped off at half-time. Dunfermline down but not out.
SECOND HALF
Whatever Allan Johnston said at half-time obviously seemed to work, with Dunfermline pressing high and full of energy, starting the half with a real intent about them. It really did not take long for the equaliser to come as on the 49th minute Nicky Clark’s looping header beat Buddies number 1 Craig Samson to send East End Park into raptures, with stewards literally holding back sections of the crowd who were completely rejuvenated by the goal, who obviously saw a route to three points for their team.
Dunfermline looked more dangerous at this point going forward, with the crowd fully behind them and the eleven men on the park finding some rhythm, you could see that the Saints were shaken. Sadly for the Pars, you have to take your chances against the side hunting for a league title and seemingly from nothing a free-kick was whipped into the Dunfermline danger area, where hungry Jack Baird was waiting to turn the ball home in front of the travelling Buddies.
In a sort of reflection of the match it was now the Saint Mirren fans who took their turn to make all the noise, banging drums and chanting songs as their team began to dominate the game again. Dunfermline seemed to almost give up as the second half wore on, with the Saints simply looking like the table topping outfit they are, seeing the game out, much to the Pars faithful’s ire.
Nearing full-time and Dunfermline did have a succession of corners as well as a couple ‘last throws of the dice’ pumping it long into the St Mirren half, hoping for a knock down or a deflection but nothing came of it and referee John Beaton signalled the end of a tense affair at East End Park, sending St Mirren eleven points clear at the top and leaving Dunfermline still mired right in amongst the playoff battle.
The playoff picture really beginning to heat up.
Our Tour of the Terraces MOTM: Nat Wedderburn – always tricky to choose a Man of the Match when the home side loses but Wedderburn was a presence in the centre of the pitch who stood out for us. Winning the ball several times and giving Dunfermline a much needed steel, breaking up St Mirren attacks and coped well with what looked like potentially the most threatening attack in the league.
AARON’S COLUMN
After collecting the East End Park hat–trick match ball last season with Hibs, this would be my fourth visit to one of Scotlands larger seated venues. So I knew my whereabouts and that you Fife lot are some breed. Lovely looking town, with down to earth characters – in bits – and a solid bit of history behind it, was always going to be a high point for Aberdeen’s finest and I. The club has top facilities in place, easily of Premier League standard, which we kindly got an inside glimpse of, thanks to the sounder Mikey of the night. The club store looks brilliant, would advise going and having a chat with David, the volunteer there, if you’re ever looking for a proper insight to The Pars. £12 entry for us which was fine I suppose, especially when I remember that I once paid a whopping £8 to get into Opal once. You certainly don’t get to see the Pars along with a lush Steak bridie in Opal.
Tell you that for free.
Dunfermline has a very solid, sturdy squad with a lot of superb individual talents throughout the squad. There are several big names who’ve served their time in SPL with the likes of Higginbotham and Sheils. So there’s no shock that they’re sitting in a playoff position. However, on the field on this particular day didn’t seem to gel well enough as a unit to ever hugely threaten the Buddies. Bit gutting that Joe Cardle wasn’t on the field due to suspension I believe. I have to give credit to St.Mirren as they came to tricky tie in Fife and wandered back off to Paisley with all 3 points, cementing themselves as odds on favourites to be playing top flight footy next season. I’m sure most of you have seen their opening goal, if not have a gander it’s lovely top dollar football. It reminds me of the stuff Mikey and I get up to at 5-a-sides.
Having to spoke to members who work within the club and several fans, there’s a bit of a buzz surrounding The Pars at the moment. The club is in an ideal position given their objectives, so no reason not to be a good feeling in the air of Dunfermline Athletic Football Club. This energy fed into myself and really felt engaged, wanting The Pars to do a number on the Saints, however, this was not to happen. I can definitely see them achieving a playoff spot, and doing a bit of damage in those playoffs, however, I reckon we’ll see The Pars in this division again next year unfortunately. Having said that this lot from Fife will be where they belong once more in the SPL within the next 5 years in my eyes. It’s been 6 years since they’ve been a top flight club, which is a large period of time. Growing up I have always associated Dunfermline as an SPL side, so is weird seeing The Pars not in amongst for so long. This funky Friday night in fife has definitely been my highlight of the Tour so far, so many thanks you Pars!
Enjoy the SPL when it comes!
MIKEY’S RAMBLE
Dunfermline Athletic, one of a good few teams in Scotland with the potential to be bigger than they currently are, belonging to the 10th biggest settlement in Scotland with a not bad catchment area when compared to some other ‘smaller town’ clubs such as maybe an Annan or Alloa. The club has no lack of history either, hoisting the famous Scottish Cup on two occasions and East End Park hosting it’s fair share of European ties, even as recently as the 2007/08 UEFA Cup. Unfortunately, the club also has had it’s darker times in more recent history, going into administration in 2013, since which it has been an uphill struggle for them to get back to where they once were.
From what I saw in this Fife town was a team extremely proud of it’s history, something which was all around in Dunfermline, as a bit of a history nerd I loved reading about Robert the Bruce’s connections, the tower of Malcolm Canmore and the almost mythical Dunfermline Abbey. Even into modern times, Dunfermline had ties which I found highly intriguing, such as musical icon Stuart Adamson being raised there, right through to a nightmare that Art Teacher Colin Dymock had, which allegedly inspired the famous DAFC crest. There was a great whole feeling of mystery and rich backstory to the place.
The club itself is moving solidly in the right direction after having to restart from the bottom of the pile I really do not think it will be too long before we see a Dunfermline Athletic competing in the top flight of Scottish football again. You could definitely argue this is where they belong, however, I do feel there are a number of sides of a similar size who would be willing to argue their case for a deserved spot in Scotland’s top twelve. Take nothing away from Dunfermline though because the air of moving on and putting the past 6 or 7 years behind them is rife all around the place.
The facilities and town itself were both really nicely kept – East End Park a formidable all seater that has the potential to be intimidating and absolutely jumping if the club carries on the way they are going. I just really hope to see more Pars lads and lasses turning up to support their team if they were to sneak in the top flight – while attendances there have been brilliant already – I’m sure every Scottish football fan would find it great to see a club like Dunfermline selling out their hallowed ground.
The team itself will need some improving in my opinion before moving up to join the country’s finest clubs but I would love the Pars to prove me wrong, go up and ‘wipe the ground’ with the bottom four to prove the wise old owl David right. Higginbotham was a player I was looking forward to seeing, having known him for exciting performances in the top flight for Partick and Killie but sadly he did not really impress and a talismanic player like that will really need to up his game if Dunfermline want to go up this year.
In summary, lovely town, great history and a really refreshing feel around the whole place – if you are visiting East End Park at some point then me and Aaron would both highly recommend Legends for a couple pints and have a taste of the 1968 if you are feeling brave. Everyone from Mikey (the cooler one that we interviewed) to club shop David were absolute toffs so thank you again for making us feel welcome in your proud town and even prouder football club.
I will leave you by paraphrasing former Dunfermline player and footballing legend Alex Ferguson “history always repeats itself and nothing is beyond the realms of possibility in football.”
THE RATINGS
So there you have it Pars fans! An overall rating of 76 is the highest we have awarded thus far on the Tour, so you all better be bloody grateful!!
Joking aside we both thoroughly enjoyed our time in Fife’s largest town and would say to any Dunfermline local to get along to East End Park, where the history of the town and club is clear to see all around, with an extremely passionate fanbase that craves just that extra little bit of success the club probably deserves.
We hope to see you boys succeed in the future!
Dunfermline, it’s been a whirl.
Tour of the Terraces 