Craig Wighton netted his 11th goal of the season when he arrived at the back post in the second half to convert Lewis McCann’s low cross.
It doubled Dunfermline’s lead in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Montrose at East End Park and came during a time when the home side were thoroughly on top.
Rhys Breen had nodded the Pars ahead towards the end of a first half they were made to earn the right to play.
🎥 Watch both the goals from yesterday's 2-0 win over Montrose.
Full Highlights Later! 🏁 pic.twitter.com/4kUXNooVC3
— Dunfermline Athletic (@officialdafc) February 5, 2023
James McPake’s side were dominant after the break – before and after Wighton’s goal.
Pleasing result
Wighton said there have been halves when the Pars have played better at home and gone in level at the break.
“I think it is the way [Montrose] play,” he said.
“They are quite direct, they are quite physical and they make it hard for you so we just had to get the ball down and try and play it at the right times.
“I don’t think there were a lot of options or time to do that today with the way they set up.
“We showed again that we can compete and do the dirty side as well so it is a pleasing result.”
Dunfermline went into this one after a tough week in which they were knocked out of the SPFL Trust Trophy and Scottish Cup before dropping points at Clyde.
There was certainly trepidation among some of the support after Falkirk used the slip-up to cut the Pars’ lead at the top of League One to five points.
Wighton said the players felt no extra pressure going into the match and remain focused on what is needed between now and the end of the season.
One game at a time
“It has been the same message throughout the season – it is one game at a time for us – and I think we still had chances to beat Clyde although we never played well on the day,” he said.
“Our performances have not been too bad, we have had chances and not taken them.
“We were still confident going into Saturday and I don’t think we played like a team that looked under pressure.
“We were quite confident, ground it out at times when we needed to and played some good stuff when we were able to.”
The former Dundee striker is enjoying one of the best spells of his career, scoring all of his 11 this season in the 19 matches since he made a full return to fitness.
He is also getting an extended run in his natural centre-forward position – something he has rarely been able to say in his career so far.
James McPake hails ‘team performance’ from Dunfermline and gives update on Rhys Breen injury https://t.co/rAhyVZAiBG pic.twitter.com/fJchFkwfpD
— The Courier Sport (@thecouriersport) February 4, 2023
“I am enjoying it – I know the manager trusts me and has faith in me,” added Wighton.
“So that helps as well when you have that backing from him and the staff.
“I think we are all enjoying it, that’s evident to see and hopefully we can keep it going.”
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