Hibernian 1 Dunfermline Athletic 4

2002
Scottish Premier League
Attendance:

Scorers:
Hibernian: Paatelainen.
Dunfermline: Walker, Brewster(2), Crawford.

This is a copy of a report of the game as it appeared in the Scotsman on Thursay 12th September 2002

Double back to make Hibs pay

CRAIG Brewster and Stevie Crawford can hardly have expected such a welcome back to Easter Road. The odd polite round of applause from the supporters is customary, but so generous a reception from the home defence is unusual to say the least.

And this was largesse on a grand scale. The former Hibs strikers scored three goals between them and could have had double that tally as Dunfermline Athletic recorded a first league victory at the Edinburgh ground for a barely-credible 41 years.

Dunfermline’s recent form suggested that they would find it difficult to end that wretched run. After a bright start to the season, they followed up a 2-0 defeat at Tynecastle with a 6-0 home drubbing by Rangers. Hibs, however, did not go into the match full of confidence themselves, for all that their last game was a win at Motherwell.

Steven Whittaker, whose first start in the Hibs line-up had been at Fir Park, was retained by manager Bobby Williamson, while there were also starting places for Janos Matyus and Yannick Zambernardi with the third recent recruit, Craig James, on the bench.

While Hibs began shakily, Dunfermline, on the other hand, perhaps taking a leaf out of Motherwell’s book from the previous night, took the game to the home side from the start.

Stunned by the rapidity of the onslaught, and stretched on either flank, Hibs were simply unable to settle, and it was no surprise when they went a goal down after ten minutes. The initial damage was done by a through ball direct from a free-kick which momentarily seemed to have put Crawford in the clear. Then, forced wide out to the right as the defence scrambled back just in time, Crawford sent over a tempting cross to the far post. Brewster’s shot was blocked by Tony Caig, deputising in the Hibs goal for the injured Nick Colgan.

The rebound, however, went straight to Scott Walker, who blasted the ball home from no more than three yards.

The goal shook Hibs out of their torpor, and for a while there were two teams in the contest. For all that, the next real chance came Dunfermline’s way, although this time Caig did well to save in a one-on-one with Crawford.

Having found how easy it was to put their speedy striker into space, and how troublesome their deep crosses were proving, Dunfermline, to no-one’s real surprise, continued with those tactics. They paid off - and in the cruellest way possible for Caig - in the 24th minute. The goalkeeper looked like he had Lee Bullen’s cross from the right covered, but instead of catching it cleanly he fumbled it straight on to Brewster’s head, whence it was re-routed into the net.

The former Hibs man looked a touch perplexed by his goal, but his bafflement was as nothing compared to the confusion in Hibs’ ranks. Still reeling, the home side were again exposed a minute later - and again by a through run from Crawford - but, as had happened just before the second goal, Caig positioned himself well and blocked the shot.

Mixu Paatelainen then had a chance to pull a goal back when, following a corner, the ball broke to him at the far post, but the big Finn overbalanced as he tried to shoot and gained only the slightest of contacts.

Forced to press forward, Hibs were as a consequence leaving even more space at the back than they had done in the game’s opening stages, and they had a timely tackle by Derek Townsley to thank when Gary Dempsey broke into the box. Just after the half-hour, though, they could do nothing to prevent the third goal.

Latching on to yet another through ball, Crawford calmly rounded Caig and slotted home into the empty net. It rounded off a period of ineptitude by Hibs which surely rivalled anything in recent memory, and for a time it merely seemed a matter of time before the Fife side would score again.

To their credit, though, Hibs did manage a fightback, and eight minutes before the break Paatelainen got a goal back, cutely redirecting a low cross from Townsley into the corner of Marco Ruitenbeek’s goal.

As half-time approached, Brewster blasted over a half chance from just outside the six-yard box - a chance which appeared unlikely to be Dunfermline’s last unless Williamson managed to conjure up some miraculous change of form with a few well-chosen words back in the dressing room. Whatever he said, the manager decided that words alone would not bring about the desired change. When the teams came back out, Grant Brebner was on in place of Matthias Jack, while James was introduced for Whittaker.

Hibs’ play was certainly more resolute - it could hardly have been less so - and yet, when another goal did come, it was into their net. Once more, Caig was at fault: coming out to a cross from Walker, he could only palm it down to Brewster. The veteran coolly collected, took the ball round the keeper, then placed it into the net.

Some Hibs fans walked out, but the Dunfermline support were eager to savour every minute. Few of them had been born the last time their side had won in the league at Easter Road. Fewer still must have thought they would do so with such embarrassing ease.

Hibernian: Caig, Townsley, Whittaker (James 45), Murray, Fenwick, Jack (Brebner 45), Dempsie, Paatelainen, Matyus, Luna (McManus 80), Zambernardi. Subs not used: Westwater, Wiss.

Dunfermline Athletic: Ruitenbeek, Skerla, SM Thomson, Nicholson, Mason, Crawford (Dair 89), Brewster (Hampshire 80), Walker (Kilgannon 62), Dempsey, Bullen, Wilson. Subs not used: Stillie, McGroarty.

Referee: S Dougall. Attendance: 9,837

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