Pre Season Friendly v Emster Streekteam

EMSTER STREEKTEAM 0 DUNFERMLINE 6 Date: 21/07/03

Fixture: Pre Season Friendly
Attendance: 500, Kick Off: 19:00
Weather: Sunny 29c


The sound of the bagpipes welcomed Dunfermline to Emst, north of Apeldoorn to play their first fixture of their tour to the Netherlands. Tunes of Glory it may have been but according to Jimmy Calderwood it was a poor performance in which he was disappointed by the lack of enthusiasm shown by some of his players.


Scott MacNicol, Andy Tod and Kevin McLeish joined first team regulars in the Dunfermline starting line up. Stevie Crawford kicked off alongside Gary Dempsey up front and in the fifth minute, Dempsey provided his partner with the first chance of the game, a well-struck shot from the edge of the penalty box which was well saved by the Emst Select keeper.



Two minutes later Darren Young whacked in a shot from 25 yards out that went narrowly wide left. A Jason Dair corner was met by the head of Tod, but unfortunately Crawford failed to stick away the chance that fell to him. In the next minute, the 14th, Toddy then displayed skills that he must have been hiding for a number of years. A Scott Wilson effort at a corner kick was headed only as far as big Andy, he chested it down, took a touch with his right foot, and shot in fine crack at goal which unfortunately was blocked.



The Pars got the breakthrough they deserved in the 16th minute following a free kick awarded when Darren Young was scythed to the ground 25 yards out in a central area. Barry NICHOLSON clinically hit the net bending the ball over the defensive wall.


In the 20th minute Young set up Crawford but the striker chose to give McNicol the shot and his fine effort was parried round his left hand post by the keeper. There was a period where no chances at all seemed to come the Pars way until Dempsey headed a Fotheringham cross just wide in the 37th minute.


You could have said the first half was played out fairly tamely had it not been for the rather robust home tackling and jersey pulling to rival anything that you would see in a Jenners January sale.



The second half was a better affair, at least the Pars scored five more goals. Goal No.2 arrived in the 53rd minute when Jason Dair made ground down the left to cross for Stevie CRAWFORD to stab home with his right foot from 6 yards out.



Six minutes later, Gary Dempsey took the fall out from a crunching challenge on Crawford by the home skipper, he stepped over them , advanced into the box and unleashed a wicked shot that the keeper tipped over the top. The introduction of Craig Brewster in the 58th minute immediately raised the tempo of the Pars performance.


A Brewster lay off to McLeish brought out a great save by the second substitute Emst goalkeeper and then in the 68th minute Stevie CRAWFORD had the easiest of tasks to stick away a Scott MacNicol ball after the Australian had made all the running down the right wing.


The fourth goal netbound


Goal No.4 came from a George Fotheringham corner, nodded down by Andy Tod for Craig BREWSTER to belt into the net. Crawford should have added another in the next minute but the keeper made a good save with his outstretched right foot. Derek Stillie, a half time substitute for Marco Ruitenbeek, was forced into the first save that either Pars keeper had to make and that was in the 73rd minute.



No.5 on its way in.


The Amateurs managed to gift the Pars the fifth goal when the keeper fisted away a David Grondin corner onto the back of his own player and into the net. Right at the end another Grondin corner led to the sixth and final goal. Substitute Scott WALKER rose high over everybody else to crash home a header for his third goal of the pre-season.


At the end of it all Jimmy Calderwood was disappointed with his team’s performance. He agreed that the home team had played the match like a cup final, but felt his players didn’t really start. He was particularly disappointed by the lack of enthusiasm shown in the first half and suggested that his younger players should have a look at what he brought to the game when he came on.


The Manager felt that the first half play was a disgrace and was disappointed that he and Jimmy Nicholl had to push the team on so much. He said that they would have to raise their game considerably for the next four matches which are against teams who all played in the top flight of Dutch football last season. With concern he said"if we play like that in the league we wont win a game".


DUNFERMLINE : Marco Ruitenbeek (Derek Stillie HT); Scott MacNicol, Andy Tod, Scott Wilson (Scott Walker 72), Chris McGroarty; Kevin McLeish (Anthony Storrie 78), Barry Nicholson (George Fotheringham 25), Darren Young (Craig Brewster 58), Jason Dair (David Grondin 78); Stevie Crawford (Gary Mason 72), Gary Dempsey.
STRIP: : New blue away strip
SCORERS: Nicholson (16), Crawford (53, 68), Brewster (69), Own Goal (70), Walker (90)