Dunfermline boss James McPake hails win over Morton

JAMES McPake hailed this classy win over Morton as "the best performance" since he's been in charge of Dunfermline.

And when you've got a highlights reel including that win under the floodlights in front of a capacity crowd against Falkirk, the amazing 4-3 comeback victory at Airdrie and the five star showing against Queen of the South to clinch the League One title, that tells you just how good the Pars were.

He's enjoyed some magic moments since he was appointed Dunfermline boss in May 2022, with 56 competitive games now under his belt, but this one topped the lot for McPake as he watched his team put on an attacking display full of pace, power and skill.

Dunfermline boss James McPake said the performance against Morton is up there as the best yet. (Image: Craig Brown.)

He said: "The real pleasing thing is that performance. I thought we were excellent from start to finish.

"Morton had a wee spell for 10 minutes in the second half. And that was before their goal, actually. We were back on top by the time their goal came.

"Some of the football, building up, going forward at pace. There's real pace in that team.

McPake continued: "A really good performance. I'd put that up there, particularly the first half, as the best performance since we've been at the football club.

“I don’t think there was anybody in that team today who I couldn’t say was excellent."

First half goals from Craig Wighton and Lewis McCann put Pars on easy street and although Morton caused some anxiety with a late Robbie Crawford strike, Michael O'Halloran sealed the win in the dying embers of the game.

Pars striker Craig Wighton celebrates after opening the scoring against Morton. (Image: Craig Brown.)

It could have been more emphatic, Dunfermline passed up some really good chances in front of goal, but the boss was all smiles as the first home victory since the opening day clash with Airdrie lifted his side into fourth place in the table.

And that was without five players you would class as first choice picks, goalie Deniz Mehmet, club captain Kyle Benedictus, Matty Todd, wing king Kane Ritchie-Hosler - the luckless winger has already had two ops this season - and Rhys Breen.

James McPake praised his team as excellent and hailed loan star Ben Summers as a class act. (Image: Craig Brown.)

Dunfermline were up early with Joe Chalmers swinging in a corner and Wighton stepping in front of Alan Power in the six yard box and poking a simple volley into the net in the eighth minute.

Full of confidence after two goals at the national stadium the previous week, including that stunning free kick, you could almost see the confidence coursing through McCann and after a neat exchange with Wighton he was mightily unlucky to see his thunderous 25-yard drive thump back off the bar with Jamie McDonald well beaten.

It's a hands on head moment as Lewis McCann's thunderbolt rebounds back off the Morton crossbar. (Image: Craig Brown)

An impressed McPake said: "It was an incredible strike. He hits the ball harder with his side foot than anybody I know with the top of their foot!"

Not to be denied, the striker got his goal when he finished off an excellent move in the 27th minute. Josh Edwards scampered onto Ewan Otoo's perfectly weighted pass and his low centre was tapped home by McCann at the back post.

Morton manager Dougie Imrie admitted they were lucky to just be two goals down at the break as McCann should have done better than lift the ball high and wide after Wighton unselfishly teed him up.

Supporters in the North West stand paid tribute to 'one of our own', Pars fan Kray Bathgate, who sadly passed away recently. (Image: Craig Brown)

To their credit, the Greenock men forced Pars onto the back foot in the second half with Cammy Blues sclaffing a great chance wide in the 50th minute.

Summers then tested McDonald with a fizzing drive, McCann fired inches past the post and sub Alex Jakubiak should have made the game safe in the 73rd minute when he raced clean through but pulled his effort wide of target.

That looked ominous when Crawford squeezed a low shot past Harry Sharp in the 82nd minute to reduce the deficit but Pars showed true grit with heroic blocks from Otoo, Sam Fisher and Chris Hamilton preventing Ton getting clean strikes on goal.

And the pressure was eased in the final seconds when Jakubiak looped a clever ball over the Morton rearguard for O'Halloran to run through and net his first goal for Dunfermline.

Michael O'Halloran scores the third goal for Dunfermline. (Image: Craig Brown)

Despite missing key players, the team and bench were sprinkled with quality as McPake admitted: "When you can bring Alex Jakubiak on and Owen Moffat on and you're still as dynamic, you're still as quick, you're still as threatening, that is a luxury to have players of that quality now.

"No disrespect to the players we had last year, but I think they're up a notch.

"Like last year, everyone will probably have a spell out, game to game where we see fit, on who we're playing against.

"There are the injured ones to come back as well, so the squad is in a really good place."

Dunfermline Sharp 6, Comrie 6, Fisher 7, Hamilton 6, Otoo 8, Edwards 7, Chalmers 7, Summers 8 (Allan 90), O'Halloran 7, Wighton 7 (Jakubiak 68), McCann 7 (Moffat 74).

Subs not used: Little, Fenton, Sutherland.

Goals: Wighton (8), McCann (27), O'Halloran (89).

Morton McDonald, Waters, Baird, Broadfoot, French (O'Connor 56 (Wilson 63)), Boyd (Gillespie 73), Blues, Power, McGrattan (Bearne 73), Crawford, Muirhead.

Subs not used: Mullen, Davidson, Keay.

Goal: Crawford (82).

Booked: French (3), Muirhead (33), Broadfoot (76).

Attendance: 5,344.

Referee: Grant Irvine.