The fifth league match of the campaign saw Inverness Caley Thistle visit East End Park. From the previous Saturday in the Tunnock’s Caramel Wafer Cup, Lewis McCann, Josh Edwards and Kevin Nisbet returned to the Pars line up. Twenty one year old keeper Cammy Gill retained his place meaning he started his first ever league match at East End Park.

Inverness Caley Thistle also showed changes from their Tunnock’s Caramel Wafer Cup line up but there was only one change from their previous Championship match a 5-0 home win over Morton, Miles Storey coming in for James Keatings.

The visitors kicked off attacking the goal at the McCathie Stand end but the first attempt came from Nisbet inside 90 seconds when Greg Kiltie touched the ball to him on the edge of the Caley box. The effort did not trouble Mark Ridgers and went wide left.

In fourth minute Nisbet provided Kiltie a chance in a similar fashion and this time the shot was deflected behind for the first corner of the game. Edwards curled the ball in and although it fell to Lee Ashcroft’s shins, it took the big man by surprise and Ridgers gathered.

Tom Walsh was the first to try a shot for the Highlanders but his month minute attempt was well blocked out on the right side of the Dunfermline box. Two minutes later Edwards stopped Shaun Rooney 20 yards out and when Walsh sent the setpiece into the box it was Aaron Doran who lobbed a tricky ball back to the far post but the defence came out on top.

Gill comfortably held a Tremarco header from a 14th minute Walsh corner but the home side were finding it hard to get out of their own half. Doran was caught offside before a Tremarco foul on Tom Beadling allowed Edwards to flight a great ball into the six yard box from a 19th minute free kick but Nisbet was denied by the close attentions of former Par, Jordan White.

Shooting opportunities were few at both ends but in 25 minutes McCann struck a shot from 35 yards but was wide left. Four minutes minutes later Vincent’s foul on Kiltie set up Edwards for another good delivery into the danger area and this time the ball was cleared behind for a corner on the right. Jamie McCart was first to the ball when Edwards sent that in and Turner was yellow carded as he stopped the counterattack.

Nine minutes from the break there was a good chance for the Fifers. Nisbet fed McCann on the left and his cross was intercepted before it reached the head of the inrunning Beadling but Paul Paton gathered the ball on the edge of the box and fired a shot that went disappointingly wide left.

Another Edwards free kick from the right from just 15 yards short of the byeline was just a bit strong as was a Martin setpiece from just inside his own half that Ridgers held.

There was one final chance for the Pars before the break. Kiltie’s cross was deflected behind and from the corner on the right McCart headed away Turner’s delivery. 67% first half possession for the Pars and the only three shots of the game came from them.

Half time: Dunfermline 0 Inverness Caley Thistle 0

The second half commenced with a close thing as an Edwards free kick in from the right side was swished at by McCart and the ball slipped narrowly behind for a corner on the left. Then in 51 minutes Nisbet slickly exchanged passes with Kiltie on halfway and embarked on route to goal. His shot from the edge of the box scraped wide right.

Next a McCann shot was blocked by Rooney and then when given a 54th minute chance to shoot the Northern Ireland U21 internationalist blasted wildly high and wide.

Gill came out bravely to hold a Rooney cross and when Donaldson blasted a clearance off Carson, Nisbet was able to swing the ball in from the left. Turner and then McCann has shots blocked and the home crowd roared as Dunfermline won the corner on the left. Vincent headed behind and another followed from the right. Caley Thistle cleared before John Robertson made two quick substitutions, firstly Sean Welsh coming on for David Carson and then Nikolai Todorov replacing Jordan White.

Storey crashed an off target effort wide from the edge of the box in 64 minutes but Caley did have a spell where they were further forward than they had been for some time. McCann and Kiltie took play to the other end and under pressure, McCann just couldn’t get enough on his headed attempt.


Turner and then McCann were withdrawn in 72 minutes to be replaced by Harry Cochrane and Josh Coley. Roddy Macgregor replaced Tom Walsh at the same time. Just four minutes later another sub was required as Josh Edwards limped off. Danny Devine came on as Coley won a corner on the left. Lewis Martin switched to left back.

The subs injected some urgency to the play both sets of fans became more vocal. It was Gill who had to pull off a good stop on a Doran rocket from 25 yards out. Gill came well out to clear and then when Coley was caught offside, Donaldson launched the free kick from inside the Dunfermline half. As Vincent attacked the ball it bounced up and Devine was penalised for handball, a penalty was given. Sean WELSH made no mistake to put the visitors one up with three minutes remaining.

In time added at the end of the 90, Kiltie came close to salvaging a draw but the defence prevented his shot and the three points were to head back up the A9. Even after the match John Robertson would concede that neither side deserved more than a draw and observed that neither keeper had any serious efforts to save. He felt that the result summed up Dunfermline`s luck (or lack of it) just now.

DUNFERMLINE: Cammy Gill: Aaron Comrie, Lee Ashcroft, Lewis Martin, Josh Edwards (Danny Devine 77): Tom Beadling, Paul Paton (c), Kyle Turner (Harry Cochrane 72), Lewis McCann (Josh Coley 72), Greg Kiltie, Kevin Nisbet.
SUBS NOT USED: Andy Ryan, Gabby McGill, Matty Todd, Ryan Scully (GK)
YELLOW CARD: Turner (30)

INVERNESS CALEY THISTLE: Mark Ridgers, Shaun Rooney, Coll Donaldson, Jamie McCart, Carl Tremarco (c): David Carson (Sean Welsh 60), James Vincent, Miles Storey, Aaron Doran, Tom Walsh (Roddy Macgregor 72), Jordan White (Nikolay Todorov 62).
SUBS NOT USED: Kevin McHattie, Charlie Trafford, Cameron Harper, Cameron Mackay (GK).
SCORERS: Welsh (87pen.)
YELLOW CARD: MacGregor (88)

REFEREE: Nick Walsh
WEATHER: Overcast 14C
ATTENDANCE 3486

NEXT MATCH: Ladbrokes Championship (away) v Partick Thistle, Saturday 21st September 2019, 3.00pm at the Energy Check Stadium, Firhill