U20s v St Johnstone

SPL U20 League: Gray (5) 0-1; Gray (19) 0-2; Thomson (23) 1-2; O`Kane (56) 1-3;

MATCH PICTURES
Dunfermline travelled to Parth for their penultimate match of the season. Again, given the Club`s involvement in the SFL First Division Play Offs it was a young team that John Potter put out at McDiamid Park on Tuesday night.  It was just 12 days since the teams met at East End Park when a Chris Kane hattrick gave Saints a comfortable 3-0 win.

St Johnstone fielded seven players from the previous meeting, Dunfermline nine but there was only Scott Mercer from the side that kicked off against Celtic in the SFA Youth Cup Final less than a week ago.  The hosts kicked off attacking the north end but when Ryan Williamson won possession in the right back position he broke and switched the ball in for Andy Ritchie in the centre circle.  He then sent Ross Drummond down the left to cross for Lewis Spence to get in a good effort that keeper Craig Reid turned over the bar all within 40 seconds. 

That corner came to nothing but in fifth minute a corner from the left was headed down and goalwards by Scott GRAY who rose above his marker at the far post. A defender cleared off the line but the match officials decided the ball had crossed the line and the Pars had an early lead. 0-1

St Johnstone tried hard to get back into the game and Sean Robertson had to be out fast to deny Chris Kane and then in 17 minutes he made a somewhat unorthidox save from Marcus Maddison as he drove in from the right.  The Pars remained really well organised with plenty of talking among the players.

Mercer lobbed in an inviting ball from a free kick 40 yards out and the Saints defence did not make a good job of dealing with it. Worse still they left GRAY unmarked and he found the net just inside the left goalpost from 12 yards.

This time St Johnstone succeeded in hitting back and it was from a stunning 30 yards effort from Craig THOMSON just after the midway point in the first half. 1-2

The Pars did not let that affect them and Mercer and Williamson in particular sent over good deliveries.  Despite pressing St Johnstone back the visitors could not find the net again but Gray came close to completing a first half hattrick when he headed Mercer`s free kick from the left over the St Johnstone crossbar.

Half Time: St Johnstone 1 Dunfermline 2

The Perth side showed a real desire from the restart and Robertson was relieved in 50 minutes to see a well struck Thomson drive slip narrowly past his right hand post.  When Dunfermline pushed up through skipper Ritchie, Paterson forced a corner on the left and when that came over it was edged to Declan O`KANE on the right to ram the ball home. 1-3

Saints Gray saw yellow for his tumbling of Spence but Mercer`s free kick from the left touchline floated into Reid`s arms. Drummond broke into the box on 70 minutes, composed himself and released a stinger that Reid did really well to keep out.

The home side tried hard as they committed all their subs and went for goal Robertson did well to fist away a Taylor-McKenzie free kick. Then the Pars keeper saved from the same opponent but the clock ran down to duly reward the Fifers with a good victory.

MATCH PICTURES