Dunfermline have the title sewn up by mid-April having lost just one League One match all season so far.
There was trepidation before a ball was even kicked, with Falkirk spending their fourth season in the third tier and other sides to be reckoned with such as Airdrie and Queen of the South.
In the end, the Bairns took too long to get going – though made an impressive push later in the season – Queens took even longer and Airdrie were too flaky for a title push.
There are still a handful of matches to play before the season concludes but Courier Sport has picked out key games that contributed to their League One success.
Dunfermline 1 Alloa 0 – July 30, 2022
It’s not essential to get off to a winning start, but this victory certainly set the tone.
The only goal of the game came from nowhere, a deflected Matty Todd cross deep into the second half that eluded Jay Hogarty.
With Falkirk drawing at home to Montrose, it gave an early psychological boost over their perceived nearest rivals.
It also dispelled any disquiet that started to bubble after the League Cup exit against Alloa the week before.
Dunfermline 1 Edinburgh 0 – October 15, 2022
Edinburgh were the Pars’ closest challengers in the first quarter.
Going into this match, the capital side sat top of League One having played one more game.
McPake was surprised by high-scoring Edinburgh’s ultra-defensive approach and the game was a perfect example of the packed defences they would often come up against at KDM Group East End Park.
With a minute remaining Sam Fisher forced an own goal from Liam Fontaine that sent the Pars to the top of the league, where they have stayed since.
Edinburgh failed to score in four matches against the champions.
Dunfermline 2 Kelty Hearts 1, October 29, 2022
This was the first fixture after Dunfermline’s first – and so far only – league defeat of the season.
How they responded to the 2-0 loss at Montrose – after 11 matches unbeaten and as Edinburgh closed the gap at the top to one point – felt significant at the time.
John Potter’s men were the first side to take points against the Pars and gave as good as they got for large parts of this one as well.
Goals from Nikolay Todorov and Craig Wighton, either side of a Darren Lyon beauty, gave the Pars all three points.
They haven’t lost in the league since.
Falkirk 0 Dunfermline 1 – November 5, 2022
The first match had ended in a draw but Dunfermline took control of the league with a perfectly executed game plan.
The Pars let Falkirk have the ball and despite their possession, the Bairns forced just one save out of Deniz Mehmet across the 90 mimutes.
Wighton scored the only goal of the game, nodding in a corner – an area identified by assistant manager Dave Mackay ahead of the game.
Airdrie 3 Dunfermline 4 – February 11, 2023
The game of the season across all four SPFL leagues.
Airdrie were sensational in the first half but their Jekyll and Hyde nature was in full view for this one after going 3-0 up on 50 minutes.
With no other League One games that day, it seemed second-place Falkirk were going to benefit without kicking a ball.
But a comeback for the ages saw Kyle Benedictus net from the spot and Matty Todd do Matty Todd things before supersub Nikolay Todorov sealed the win and made sure everyone joined him in celebration.
Dunfermline 2 Falkirk 0 – March 7, 2023
This is the game that effectively sealed the title – played under the lights in front of a sell-out crowd.
The first half ended in a stalemate before Rhys Breen made the breakthrough – although footage later showed the ball didn’t cross the line.
Despite that, the Pars were worthy of the victory for their overall performance which was sealed by Todd.
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