Brechin City 1 Dunfermline 1

SPFL League One: Thomson (38) 0-1; Jackson (76) 1-1

MATCH PICTURES
After a gap of almost twenty years Dunfermline travelled to meet Brechin City on league business.  Manager Jim Jefferies made no changes from the side that started against Stranraer two weeks previous.

Brechin City Manager Ray McKinnon brought in Allan Walker, Alan Trouten and making his Glebe Park debut, Aidan Connolly.  So from the side last time out against Arbroath out went Steven Jackson, Bobby Barr and Stuart Anderson. It was the home team that kicked off playing up the slope.

Dunfermline in their turquoise away shirts were the first to defend on two minutes with Callum Morris glancing away a Johnny Brown cross from deep down the left.

Alex Whittle got the Pars into attack mode and his driving run and cross from the left picked out Ross MiIlen on the right. Unfortunately his effort was skied and it was retrieved by Josh Falkingham but in losing possession the Pars skipper tangled with central defender Gerry McLaughlan but no penalty from Referee Alan Muir.  Then in sixth minute Jordan Moore`s pass sent Ryan Wallace in but his low drive was held by keeper Graeme Smith, albeit at the second take. 

Andy Jackson`s break down the left got him in with a shooting chance but he pulled his shot across the face of the goal. Thomson at the other end made Smith pull off a good save and then on the quarter hour Smith was out speedily to thwart another Thomson chance.

Home defenders collected yellow cards in 17th and 18th minute and Brown`s challenge on Falkingham earned the Pars a free kick at an ideal distance for Stephen Husband to shoot but Smith threw himself to his right to turn the ball away. Dunfermline then came close again in 23 minute when Thomson`s header was kept out by the left goalpost.

There was a big let down for the Pars four minutes later when Thomson beat the offside trap but dragged the ball too far right in beating Smith allowing the defence to get back in time to clear the striker`s shot off the line.  On the half hour Husband played a one two off Falkingham in putting Thomson through but his shot took a deflection that made it simple for Smith to hold.

Scully was totally redundant and in 32 minutes had to beat away Andy Jackson`s cross from the right byeline.  The ball went behind off Morris but was a better outcome than if the ball had travelled to the awaiting Ryan Donnelly.

Then in 38 minutes Robert THOMSON took his chance, latching on to a through ball from Morris and smashing the ball from the edge of the box past Smith to make it 1-0.  A Falkingham cross then won the Pars a corner where Morris headed on to the roof of the goal and next Whittle earned a corner on the left.  Millen sent the ball over and Wallace dived in bravely to head the ball towards Thomson but he failed to control and that chance was gone.

Half time arrived with the visitors in front but really they had enough chances to be much more comfortably ahead than the scoreline suggested.

Half Time: Brechin City 0 Dunfermline 1

The first chance of the second half fell to Dunfermline. It was the fourth minute when Wallace`s chip from the right was collected by Whittle on the left byeline and when he returned the ball Jordan Moore and Gerry McLauchlan clashed and the ball was scrambled clear. The physios came on for the head knocks to both players but they were fit to continue.

Moore was then deep inside the City box when he crossed into the six yard box but he failed to see Andy Geggan standing clear slightly deeper. Husband then released a good ball into the Brechin box but Thomson and Moore struggled to keep out of each others way. The ball broke to Wallace and he sent the ball goalwards only for a defender to head it off the line.

Geggan was yellow carded in 64 minutes but almost made up for that in the following minute but he just missed connecting on to a Wallace cross to the far post. Smith held when Millen swung in a cross from the right while at the other end the Pars lived dangerously when Donnelly`s drive was blocked.

Brechin made a break with Barr cutting inside to feed Andy Jackson and the Pars were happy to concede a corner. When that was sent over from the left there was one almighty scramble and JACKSON poked the ball into the net. 1-1 

The Angus side pushed up and gave their bench and supporters cause for optimism. Scully kept out a useful effort and he was assisted by some wayward shooting.

As the match went into time added on, a Whittle cross cannoned off Hay on to Thomson in the six yard box but the ball went wide left.  City certainly came into the game in the second half and Dunfermline paid dearly for not talking their earlier chances. Whilst the home team had the music blaring in their dressing room after the match, the away room was very different with heads down, ears roasted and spirits dejected.