|
| A
reserve close door friendly against Hibernian is held at the Fleet
Grounds, to give injury victims Gus MacPherson and Michel Doesburg a run
out. The Dunfermline XI lose 2-1, with the Pars goal coming from Steven
Hampshire. |
| The
Rossi saga takes a new twist, as the wayward defender turns up at
Southampton for a week's training. Apparently DAFC have belatedly given
permission for Rossi to spend time with the Saints with a view to a
permanent move. Relationships between Rossi/his brother and the club are
clearly strained. Rossi's brother (his agent), has been touting the
defender for £300,000, whilst chairman John Yorkston says the going rate
is £1 million. Mr Yorkston added, "I just hope that he is a Southampton player
by the end of the week". Unfortunately for all concerned, by the end of the
week it transpired that Southampton had decided not to make a move for the
defender 'at the moment'. It is understood that Rossi was injured during
training, and the opportunity to display his talents was limited. In the
meantime he is believed to have returned to Cassablanca for treatment.
More to follow on this one I think! |
| For
the game against Dundee Utd, Michel Doesburg is drafted in to the squad to
replace the suspended Justin Skinner. The game is too early for MacPherson,
who is still lacking match fittness. |
| Andrius
Skerla plays the first half of Lithuania's friendly match against Israel.
Lithuania lose 3-2. |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| Date: |
18th
August 2001 |
Opposition: |
Dundee United |
Score
(H/T): |
2-3 (0-2)
|
| Competition: |
Sc
Premier League
|
Venue: |
Tannadice |
Attendance: |
7,602
|
| Scorers: |
[0-1] McIntyre
(12), [0-2] Lilley (28), [1-2] Thomson (61
pen), [2-2] Thomson (77), [2-3] Hamilton (80
pen) |
| Yellow Cards: |
Crawford,
Mason, Dair, Skerla (DAFC), Hamilton (Dundee Utd) |
| Pars
Team: |
Ruitenbeek,
Doesburg (Bullen 59), Skerla, Thomson, McGroarty; Nicholson, Mason,
Nicholls, Dair; Crawford (Hampshire 40), de Gier. Subs not used:
Thomson, Potter, Nicol
|
| Dundee Utd: |
Gallacher,
McCunnie, Lauchlan, Grifffin, Aljofree; Hannah, Buchan, Miller (Venetis
90), McIntyre (Paterson 72); Hamilton, Lilley (Carson 86). Subs
not used: Combe, McCracken.
|
| Referee: |
S Dougal
|
|
The Athletic were made to pay for two first defensive lapses
that gifted United a first half lead. Thomson got caught in position by the
corner flag, and from the cross, the ball was headed back across goal for
McIntyre to hammer the ball home. The second United goal was almost a carbon
copy, but Lilley's shot from outside the box, found Ruitenbeek slow to
react. Looking dead and buried at half time, the Pars surprised in the
second half with a spirited come-back. The catalyst for the revival was the
introduction of substitute Lee Bullen. Gaining a penalty just 90 seconds
after his arrival, which was converted by Thomson, the big striker's direct
running at the United defence caused all sorts of problems. In 77 minutes,
McGroarty was brought down just outside the box, and from the resultant
free-kick, Thomson curled a beauty into Gallagher's net. Unfortunately the
Pars forgot to defend, and when a Millar shot was stopped by Ruitenbeek's
foot, Mason got into a tangle with Lilley, and a penalty was conceded. There
was to be no fairy-tale ending for the Pars, as Hamilton slotted the ball
home.
|
|
|
| Andy
Tod goes on loan to Jim Jeffrey's Bradford City for three months, and
scores on his debut against Macclesfield in the Worthington Cup. Junior
Mendes spends a week on trial at English Third Division Lincoln
City. |
| The
Under 21 league starts with the Pars home tie against Rangers being played
at New Bayview. The opening home fixtures have all been re-arranged to
allow the new under soil heating at East End Park time to bed in. The Pars
lost 3-0, but on the plus side, there was a very positive performance from
Gus MacPherson. |
| There
was a major boost for the Pars as Stevie Crawford and Barry Nicholson are
called into the Scotland squad to play Croatia and Belgium. A surprise
call up the Scotland Under 21 squad as an over-age player, was Gary Mason,
but there was disappointment
for Chris McGroarty who failed to
make the squad. |
| Another
surprising turn in the Rossi saga - the meandering Moroccan turns up on
the Thursday and trains. Blaming his brother for misleading him regarding
'clauses in his contract', the Moroccan international, who will not
feature in the team against Hearts on Saturday, was forced to train with
the youngsters. |
| Missing
from the team against Hearts will be Andrius Skerla, who took an ankle
knock in training, and Steven Hampshire who was also injured. Gus
MacPherson is passed fit to make his debut. He starts the game on the
bench. |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| Date: |
25th August 2001 |
Opposition: |
Heart
of Midlothian |
Score
(H/T): |
0-1
(0-0) |
| Competition: |
Sc
Premier League |
Venue: |
East
End Park |
Attendance: |
6,992 |
| Scorers: |
[0-1]
Severin (75) |
| Cards: |
MacPherson,
Dair, Doesburg (DAFC), Simmons (Hearts) |
| Pars
Team: |
Ruitenbeek,
Doesburg, SM Thomson, Bullen (Skinner 66), Nicholson, Mason, Nicholls (MacPherson
HT), McGroarty, Dair (Nish 76), de Gier, Crawford. Subs not used:
SY Thomson, Potter.
|
| Hearts: |
Niemi, Simmons,
Pressley, Webster, Mahe, Juanjo (McSwegan 59), Severin, Fulton, Flogel,
McKenna, Wales (Kirk 42). Subs not used: McKenzie, Davidson,
Kirk, McCann, McSwegan
|
| Referee: |
M McCurry |
| A shocking
performance from the Pars, who made the easy look difficult throughout.
Despite a fairly bright opening 15 minutes, when the Pars had some
excellent efforts on goal, including a de Gier header which hit the bar, their
play degenerated, and it was no surprise when Hearts scored in
75 minutes. It is of little consolation that the winner was a spectacular 35 yard Scott Severin
blockbuster, which gave Ruitenbeek no chance. A very scrappy
game. |
|