Dunfermline started the game having lost only one league game all season which was to Montrose – and by the end of this game it stayed that way. A crowd of 3,957 watched with a good Mo crowd as referee Alan Muir got it underway. Aaron Lennox was in goal with Mark Whatley, Andrew Steeves, Matty Allan, Kerr Waddell and Sean Dillon at the back then Terry Masson, Adam McKinnon and Lewis Milne with Rory McAllister and Blair Lyons up top. On the bench there was a place for new signing Matheus Machado but as it played out he did not make his debut.

The first half was end to end stuff with Montrose having the better of the early exchanges. McAllister and Lyons both had good chances in the first two minutes then afte 6 minutes McAllister got on the end of a Steeves cross but the header went just wide. The Pars were sending long balls forward hoping for a mistake but Waddell and Dillon mopped up all that came their way and when one got through Lennox diverted the shot for a corner which came to nothing. Still in the opening 10 minutes Lyons sent a shot just wide as he was quickest onto a loose ball following a rat-a-tat in the Pars box but it was a corner from which Steeves hit a 25 yarder over the top. But, no goals to show for all Montrose possession.

It was fully twenty minutes before Dunfermline started to get the upper hand with a couple of corners and they suddenly had speed down the flanks with the Mo on the back foot. Terry Masson was unlucky to be yellow carded on 32 minutes as previous tackles by both teams had not been similarly punished but then the Pars pressure paid off following 2 corners and two free kicks. On 40 minutes from a free kick out wide the ball ended up near the Mo 6-yard line and there was a bit of ‘head tennis’ before Rhys Breen thought enough was enough and put his head firmly on it from close range to make it 1-0 for Dunfermline. That’s how is stayed up to half-time although Montrose had two more chances just before the break but nothing came of them.

Whilst the first half could have gone either way the second half started with the Pars on the front foot straightaway. They wasted 2 early corners then there was a long stoppage for what looked like a bad injury to Breen who was stretched off. That break did not do any good for Montrose who stood there in cold pouring rain and as soon as play re-started they were literary caught cold as the Pars scored a second goal on 63 minutes to make it 2-0. McCann found space down the left and his cross was easily side-footed in by Craig Wighton at close range. 

Montrose changed shape and made two changes immediately with Masson and Waddell (who had taken a knock) off and Webster and Callaghan on. Montrose had to try to regain some momentum but were now playing against the wind and rain. On 65 minutes a corner was whipped across low from the left and surprisingly nobody got on the end of it from either side as the ball found touch on the far side. Lyons tried his luck again but keeper Mehmet kept him out. On came Craig Johnston for Mark Whatley to add pace up front and his speed certainly had Dunfermline backing off as Montrose had two more corners, one cleared easily and the other went over the top from a header.

Into the 83^rd minute and Montrose made two more changes with Paul Watson and Craig Brown on for Adam McKinnon and Lewis Milne as the Pars also made a change with Todorov on for Wighton. The clock was winding down but Montrose had a header from Johnston which was too high them a Webster hard hit shot from distance was straight at the keeper. Dunfermline also had chances late on with around 8 minutes of stoppage time during which McAllister was yellow carded.

It ended as a 2-0 win for Dunfermline – they took two of their chances whilst Montrose took none of theirs and that’s what counts. Montrose will need to re-group now and take as many points as they can in the last 12 games if they are to make it to the play-off places again.

Report by Steve Doyle