There were no defeats for the four Fife clubs in the SPFL over the weekend – with three progressing in the SPFL Trust Trophy.
Dunfermline Athletic, Raith Rovers and Kelty Hearts all booked their place in the quarter-final of the competition.
Eats Fife, meanwhile, on league duty, failed to take full advantage of their game in hand over Stranraer with a 0-0 draw at home to Bonnyrigg Rose.
Courier Sport looks at the main discussion points from the weekend and looks forward to what’s ahead.
Highlight
The decibel levels when Lewis Vaughan’s header hit the net were only slightly louder than when he made his return at the end of October.
Vaughan’s goal:
It was a crucial goal – levelling the scores and ultimately sending the game to penalties – and his first since a double versus Hamilton in July 2021.
Although teammate Ross Millen did his best to upstage him with a Panenka in the shootout.
Millen’s penalty:
Honourable mention:
It was just as pleasing to see Kelty striker Nathan Austin, another player without injury issues to seek, score the winning penalty in a dramatic tie versus Linfield.
Great video 👏⚽️🇱🇻🎥 https://t.co/H1onSE9Dl7
— Kelty Hearts FC 🇱🇻 (@KeltyHeartsFC) December 10, 2022
Standout
Joe Chalmers was exceptional in Dunfermline’s convincing victory at Gayfield but Craig Wighton was at the heart of most of the five goals.
He put the fifth past former Pars keeper Cammy Gill and was involved in creating three of the others.
Wighton helps to create Matty Todd’s second:
Wighton’s skill and pass:
Rovers keeper Andy McNeil also deserves to be mentioned after pulling out a number of saves, including two in the shootout.
Other talking points
- Does the Pars’ win show their Championship credentials?
- Dunfermline boss James McPake said Friday’s win wasn’t a barometer for his side – will next month’s trip to Partick Thistle in the Scottish Cup be one?
- East Fife have taken just two points from their last five matches but did keep their first clean sheet under Greig McDonald in the 0-0 draw with Bonnyrigg Rose.
What’s ahead this week?
The draw for the quarter-final of the SPFL Trust Trophy is on Tuesday when the three remaining Fife clubs will learn their fate.
It means there is a decent chance we will have a derby in the quarter-final.
The trio will be joined by Dundee, Queen of the South, Queen’s Park, Hamilton Accies and Clyde.
Over the last four days we've whittled down to just eight teams in this season's SPFL Trust Trophy. ⚽️
The quarter-final and semi-final draw is coming up on Tuesday – LIVE!
Who are you predicting to win?
🧵 [1/3] pic.twitter.com/yMpJdyLtQx
— SPFL Trust (@SPFLTrust) December 11, 2022
This weekend, the Pars face a tough trip to the Excelsior to take on Airdrie, Raith host Arbroath, East Fife are at home to Stranraer and Kelty travel to take on Queen of the South.
