Day Twenty Five: Dunfermline Athletic (East End Park)

Dunfermline Athletic v Partick Thistle

Scottish Division 1

Tuesday 14th December

I'm sat at my desk at work when I'm happily interupted by a phonecall from my dad. He's calling with the news that after a second pitch inspection, the Falkirk game's off; there's only one other game on tonight and that's Dunfermline Athletic v Partick Thistle.

It's a shame the Falkirk games off as it means that my mate Andy, the Dunfermline fan, who returns from a 6 month trip jet setting around the globe on the 23rd December. So far I've managed to put my dad off visiting East End Park in the hope that Andy, currently on a round the world trip, would have been able to join us but unfortunately he's going to miss out on our trip to East End Park. Sorry mate, but perhaps we can catch them away from home at some point.

With the road congestion around Edinburgh city centre I decide it makes more sense for me to meet my dad at his house rather than him struggle across town to pick me up at work then turn round and go back the same way. I was hoping for a 5pm finish, but it's nearer 6pm by the time I get away. I then make a schoolboy error and drive along Queensferry Road to Cramond. Thank god I don't have to drive out there every day, I'd go mental stuck in all that traffic.

It's almost 6.40pm by the time I pull into my parents street and find my dad sat in the car with the engine running and the heater on. He tells me he's checked the Dunfermline website and has learnt the car park beside the ground will be open, so hopefully we'll take our seats in time for the 7.30pm kick off.

After an easy drive over the bridge and into Dunfermline we're then surprised to see a road closed sign being guarded by a traffic warden. He tells us that not only is the car park shut, all on street parking is also prohibited too and the nearest car park is up the road, and through two roundabouts.

The car park we find our way to still has a covering of snow and ice in places and you'd have thought that as the police have instructed fans to use this car park that they might have made it a little safer. Once out of the car it's an even more dangerous trek to the ground, walking through the 'tundra' as my dad called it was an experience not to be repeated as my dad tells me we'll be walking round the long way. Fair enough as there were several times I thought I was going to have to dive in there and stop my dad from taking a tumble.

Standing outside the front of the stadium to get my photo taken I notice a bloke watching us, for a while I thought he was going to offer to take a picture with both my dad and I in it. His offer as it turns out is much better than that, he asks 'Are you paying to get in tonight?'. He gets a nod of agreement from me and then offers me his season ticket booklet and says 'you might as well use this seeing as I'm on my own tonight'. I ask him if he's serious and yes he was. Brilliant, that's £17 more towards Christmas presents.

Once through the turnstile I hand him back his season ticket and ask him if he wants any money for the pass or if I can in fact buy him a programme. He turns to me and says he gets them for free as his son plays for Dunfermline, so I thank him for the game and tell him I hope his son scores the winner, he laughs and says 'I doubt it, he's a centre half'.

My dad follows behind me and as we walk up the steps towards our seat he passes to me a ticket and says that another bloke asked him the same question, 'Are you paying to get in?' and offers up his spare ticket. We reckon it's karma after the winter wonderland walk through the snow to the ground.

Seeing as we've saved £27 I'm off to the pie stand to spend my money. They don't have a pie stand here, they've got a cafeteria and it looks like it's stocked and run by Stephens the bakery. I use the excuse that I've not had any dinner when I arrive back at our seats with two scotch pie's and two bridies. (Editor's note: these were steak bridies as oppose to Forfar bridies)

The pie turns out to be a disappointment. It's very salty, very greasy and way too hot. A five out of ten at a push reckons my dad. The bridie on the other hand is lovely, the pastry is great, the filling is plentiful and it takes me an age to finish it.

Dunfermline run out to a belter of a tune - Into the Valley by The Skids.

Dunfermline, the current Division One leaders are first to try their luck. It's good work down the line by Calum Woods, who passes it on to Graham who then beats his defender and fires a great ball across the six yard box but it fails to find an team mate.

Partick Thistle, who according to my dad have the best strip in Scotland, go close after ten minutes when Paton plays a deep ball to the back post where Paton catches it on the volley and it looks to be flying in until a deflection takes it past the post.

The home side are playing the more attractive football, with lots of neat one touch passes and it's from one of these passages of play that Graham almost catches the keeper out with a floated shot that clips the top of the crossbar and goes behind.

Simon Donnelly had a header on target for Partick but it's well saved by Smith in goal.

Woods then tries a delicate dinked ball over the last line of the Dunfermline defence but it's just a little to hard and it bounces through to the keeper. After the big centre defender makes a hash of turning to chase after the ball, the bloke beside me says to his mate 'he couldn't turn in a bloody car park!'.

After a Partick player is brought down and is treated by his medic, a voice in the crowd shouts out 'Dig a hole and bury him', nice eh?

The Dunfermline players and fans are claiming for a penalty just before half time as it looked like McDougall was pulled over in the box. It would have been a soft penalty, but as my dad has said we've seen them given for less this season.

Half time comes and the next forty five minutes have to improve as this has been a dull game so far.

Dunfermline come out with more purpose in the second half but it's a good fifteen minutes Graham makes a good run to the each of the box, he plays a good ball down the line to Cardle who instead of crossing the ball tried to shoot from an impossible angle and ballooned it miles over the bar. The crowd, especially the bloke sat beside us are not pleased.

Jim McIntyre, the Dunfermline manager, responds by making a double substitution on the hour mark. It's another five minutes before Scott Fox, the Partick keeper, has to make the first save of the second half. With twenty minutes left a brilliant defensive header by Partick's Boyle prevents Willis from knocking it in at the back post. At the other end of the park, a Buchanan cross is headed goal-wards by Rowson. The ball bounces in front of the Chris Smith in goal and he only grabs it at the second attempt.

Dunfermline's Clarke was booked for dissent after screaming at the referee after a very close offside decision. Moments later he was almost celebrating a goal when he got on the end of a cross but his effort went just wide.

Partick Thistle almost sneaked it at the end when Flannigan created space for himself and shot just wide from twenty five yards.

The final whistle goes and we've just witnessed our first nil nil draw of the campaign. In truth it's been a really dull game, even duller than the Queens Park v Albion Rovers game. Twenty five games before we witness a dull no scoring game in Scotland has been a pretty good effort.

My dad's off to watch Kilmarnock next weekend on his lonesome so tonight was my last game off 2010. Next game for me is the Edinburgh derby on New Years Day, I'm going to go out on a ledge here and predict there will be a bit more bite and entertainment in that game.

Merry Christmas to y'all, see you in 2011. x

The Statistics

Ticket: Adult £16, Concession £11

Programme: £2.50

Attendance: 1,743

Pie: £1.60

Pie Marks: 5 / 10

Man of the Match: Dad - David Graham (Dunfermline) Me - Paul Cairney (Partick Thistle)

Final Score: Dunfermline Athletic 0 v Partick Thistle 0

Mileage: 28 miles

Fascinating Fact of the Day: The late great Jock Stein started his managerial at Dunfermline. He led them to their first Scottish Cup, beating Celtic 2 - 0 in a replay in 1961.

Next game: Tynecastle (Heart of Midlothian)