DUNFERMLINE 0 - 1 RANGERS

Last updated : 17 April 2005 By Pars Mad

It was certainly the most spirited Pars performance in recent times but the fact remains that no matter how you look at it, the league table shows the Pars as joint-bottom.

On a day when even the most-optimistic of Pars fans must have expected a Rangers goal glut the home side - led by excellent performances from Wilson, Skerla and Darren Young to name but three - proved that contrary to what many people, including myself, may think they do have fighting ability. Unfortunately however, what the Pars don't seem to have in their locker is goals! A valuable commodity for any team, let alone one fighting to stay in the division.

An early goal from Dado Prso gave Alex McLeish's side a valuable three points as they attempt to catch leaders Celtic in the title race, but opportunities were few and far between in a contest that never rose above mediocre.

Rangers were the first to threaten and won a couple of corners in the opening two minutes. Barry Ferguson tested Derek Stillie with a left-foot shot which the goalkeeper could not hold, but his defence came to his aid before Nacho Novo could take advantage. Ian Campbell then made an excellent tackle to prevent Prso cashing in on Novo's through pass.

But Rangers moved in front in the seventh minute from their third corner. A shambolic error saw the Pars defence fail to clear their lines from a fairly innocuous corner and Fernando Ricksen crossed for PRSO to head home. Trying to hit back straight away Noel Hunt - lively throughout the ninety minutes - directed a header straight at Ronald Waterreus.

Ferguson and Ricksen had a firm grip on midfield as Dunfermline were restricted to attempts from distance. Darren Young tried his luck from 25 yards, but Ronald Waterreus was well positioned to save and the goalkeeper also did well to deal with another effort from Hunt from outside the box shortly afterwards.

Novo should have put Rangers two in front midway through the first half after some suicidal defending from Dunfermline, but he dragged his shot wide of the far post when it would have been far easier to score. Still, what more do you expect from a Raith Rovers reject...

There was another close call for Dunfermline after 32 minutes when Ricksen shredded the Dunfermline defence, but Thomas Buffel's final effort went agonisingly wide with Novo just short of connecting at the far post. A furious Scott Wilson berated the forgiving ears of Ian Campbell - the young defender failing to track the run of Buffel.

Rangers were looking for a second before half-time but it was the Pars who almost equalised seven minutes from the break. With the Rangers defence all at sea - with Calamity Bob Malcolm the main culprit - the ball broke kindly just inside the eighteen yard box to Darren Young who cracked a shot past a helpless Waterreus and onto the keeper's left-hand post. Noel Hunt's rebound sailed over the bar after the ball failed to sit up well for the young Irishman.

A sweeping move from Rangers at the start of the second half almost brought reward when Prso laid the ball back for Ferguson only for his searing shot flashed just over the top. Still what do you expect from a Blackburn Rovers reject...

Alex McLeish's side did not get things all their own way and Prso was both booked for dissent after a challenge from Campbell as the game became bogged down into a midfield scrap. Prso had an opportunity with 17 minutes left, but his control let him down at the vital moment.

With the Pars desperately pressing the Rangers goal in search of an equaliser the Pars fans tried to do their bit to slavage a point, spurring the players on - although we'll still no doubt see the weekly 'Get the behind the team' guff in the papers this week, if we've not been getting behind the team all season then I don't know what we've been doing! Although, if the truth be told, the Pars never once looked like seriously threatening Ron the Porn Star in the Rangers goal.

As Pars fans we don't ask for any fancy flicks, we don't ask for mazy runs and we don't ask for saucy skills. All we do ask for is for the players to show fight, to show that they actually care about the club that we love. Well today the players did that in spades. Despite never really playing well against, let's be honest, a poor Rangers side the Pars players fought for every single ball and had it not been for the sloppiest of goals early in the first-half a point, or more, could have been taken from this game.

With players such as Derek Young, Darren Young and Noel Hunt playing as good as they have done all season it was apparent that the players were well and truly up for this one. Although at the end of the day the reality is, and always will be, that Rangers took all three points and we took sweet FA! Two league wins in eighteen matches is not the kind of from that will see us survive in this league.

However with the players showing the kind of fight that will so desperately be required over the next five 'cup finals' there is hope for all us fans who yesterday, after the Livingston and Dundee Utd victories, had the Pars condemened to relegation. Although if the Pars were to slip back into the underperforming, under-achieving groove next week at home to Caley then it wouldn't be the first time this season. Have we enough fight to stay up? I won't hold my breath...

Man of the Match
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SCOTT WILSON - Commanding performance from the big defender. First to every challenge and excellent in the air. Far too good for First Division football!

PARS - Stillie 7, Skerla 8, Campbell 7, Thomson 7, Wilson 9, Mason 7, Darren Young 8, Derek Young 8, Hunt 7, Donnelly 7, (Mehmet) 4, Hristov 5, (Christiansen) 3.