9th July 2023 Dunfermline Athletic 1 Hearts 1

 

First Hearts game of the season today for me with a friendly away at Dunfermline Athletic. Normally I would take the train to Dunfermline but as Have a free bus pass I thoughtI would use it and save the £7.10 train fare. Every little helps in a cost of living crisis ! I checked the bus times and decided to go for the 12.40 departure from St Andrew Square bus station. I left home around 11.45 to walk to the bus station. I arrived around 12.20 to find there was a delay with the 12.40 departure which final arrived in the bus station around 12.50. There was a quick turnaround with passengers getting off quickly as boarding commenced. The bus out via Princes Street and Queensferry and then out past the Miller and Carter at Cramond and on to the ‘old’ Forth Road bridge. The old bridge is now for buses only with other traffic using the Queen Margaret crossing. After coming off the bridge it was the Inverkeithing Ferry Toll before Rosyth and then into Dunfermline. We arrived just in 14.00 and then it was a case of finding my way to East End Park. I eventually found May way to the train station and them up through the park and along Halbeath Road to East End Park. I purchased a £2 ‘fold over’ programme covering both todays game and Wednesdays match against St. Johnstone. In full colour it opened to show a A5 size photo of Dunfermline promotion winning side last season along with details of various records the side had achieved. After entering the ground I headed to my seat in the stand after deciding the queue at the snack bar was too long to wait. As I took my seat I looked across and saw Craig in the next block. I wandered across to have a chat. He had taken Harper and his pal Jayden to the game. Harmoni was also meant to be going but pulled out.  The two boys were down at the perimeter fence chatting to their pals. As kickoff approached I moved back to my own seat to watch. 

Dunfermline under manager James McPake had an excellent season and won League One to allow them to play in the second tier Championship in he forthcoming season. They have a strong squad including former Hearts players Chris Hamilton and Craig Wighton and should be competitive in the higher league. They have added former Rangers and St Johnstone attacker Michael O'Halloran to their squad to strengthen their squad for the Championship.

Hearts ave had a strange close season. after the departure of Robbie Neilson they have now appointed a new managerial team go Frankie McCoy, first team coach, Steven Naismith, technical director and Gordon Forrest, assistant first team coach. The intention is that Naismith will be the manager but as he has not completed all the necessary coaching badges Mcavoy has been named as coach with Naismith as a technical director. On the playing side Ross Stewart, Michael Smith and Gary Mackay-Steven have not been offered new contracts and have left the club. In addition Josh Ginnelly has left on expiry of his contract despite offers of a new deal and has now signed for Swansea City. On the positive side, despite no new signings as yet both Liam Boyce and Beni Baningime have recovered from ACL injuries and should be fit for he start of the competitive season. Kio has also left hearts returning to Germany to play for Greuther Furth in Bundesliga Two. Hearts reportedly received a six figure fee for the player. Hearts lost Zander Clark to injury and he was replaced in goal by Harry Stone. Stone has now moved up to second choice keeper after the release of Stewart and with Craig Gordon still recovering from a leg-break. Gordon at the game today sitting in stand among the Hearts fans. 

The game started with Hearts on top and Lawrence Shankland  had a couple of chances blocked. Dunfermline however broke after around ten minutes and after a mistake by Stephen Kingsley Harry Stone got down well to push away a shot from Wighton. Shankland had another chance and fired the ball high over the bar. Connor Smith looked good and was unlucky not to be awarded a penalty before Cammy Devlin fired the rebound over the bar. 

Hearts made a number of changes for the secong half bringing on a number of B team players along with Peter Haring who took the captains armband from the substituted Shankland. Dunfermline had the first chance of the half when Stone got down well to push away a shot from Lewis McCann. WTH twenty minutes to go Hearts brought on Liam Boyce and Beni Benigime. Both had been out with ACL injuries since 2022, Benigime since March and Boyce since August.

The return the two experienced players made a big difference. Benigime was especially impressive by winning the ball in midfield, retaining possession and then feeding the ball to other players. However Boyce created Hearts goal after seventy five minutes. He ran towards the penalty area and then fed the ball to his right. Luke Rathie ran on to it, took a touch and shot across goal. I thought it took a touch of Dunfermline defender Benedictus  as it went into the net but the goal was awarded to the Hearts defender. I had nothing to eat or drink since 11.30 and decided to leave with five minutes to go as the heat was getting to me. I  heard a squeak from the Dunfermline end as I walked past their end along Halbeath Road. It turned out I had missed Haring turning a Sutherland cross into his own net for an equaliser.

I walked to the bus station and arrived just in time to catch the 17.00 to Edinburgh. I got off at the West End and walked from their arriving home at 18.00 after a good day out.

Teams

Dunfermline: Mehmet, Fisher, Benedictus, Breen, Corrie, Allan, Chalmers, Edwards, Todd,  O’Halloran, Wighton.

Subs: Tod, McGowan, Sutherland, Etoo, McCann

Hearts: Stone, Atkinson, Cochrane, Sibbick, Kingsley, Denholm, Oda, Devlin, Shankland, Grant, Smith

Subs: Rowles, Halliday, Sandilands, Haring, Forrest, Boyce, Wilson, Baningime, Rathie, Neilson.