dunfermline ath 0
dundee 1
Scorer: Nicholson (13 og)
SEARCH the record books and you will be struggling to find the name of the player who has scored carbon copy own-goals against the same team in the same season.
Sadly for Barry Nicholson, by scoring an own goal against Dundee for the second time during this campaign he may have unwittingly given himself a footnote in SPL history.
The Dunfermline midfielder may not be in league with a ruthless Malaysian betting syndicate, but followers of Dunfermline must have felt last night he has at least done a deal with Dundee supporters to give them a really good laugh each time they play.
Back in November the Scottish internationalist scored an own goal against Dundee at Dens Park and last night he was at it again.
In the first game he was bailed out by his team-mates and Dunfermline went on to win 3-2, so his faux pas was relegated to a laughing matter.
Unfortunately for Nicholson, it took on a more serious hue at East End Park last night as his second own goal this season against Dundee cost his team dear.
His moment of madness came after only 12 minutes in a game which Dunfermline controlled apart from a few sporadic attacks from the visitors.
It appeared Steven Milne's cross was heading straight towards Nicholson's left boot and like he was at Dens Park, two months previously, he was unmarked and with all the time in the world to clear the ball.
However, once again he managed to make a real hash of things and turned the ball past his own goalkeeper. Not surprisingly, his mistake brought a stunned silence. The fans could not quite believe one of their top men had taken leave of his senses once again.
To be fair, Nicholson did not let this crazy mistake play on his mind and still tried his best to get into goal-scoring positions. In saying that, much of the grafting in the middle of the Park was done by Gary Dempsey and Lee Bullen, which allowed Nicholson to play a more forwards role.
From a Dundee point of view, taking three points from East End Park was a real bonus and rather fortuitous considering the manner in which they played.
They rarely threatened, although Gavin Rae had a great chance to make the points safe midway through the second half, but his effort was well saved by Gulian Speroni in the Dundee goal.
Apart from that clear-cut chance, Jim Duffy's side spent most of the game on the back foot with Jason Dair on the left flank causing much of the problems.
Later, Duffy confirmed he had made a bid to bring Mark Burchill to the club on loan to the end of the season. He said he expected to know within the next few days whether Portsmouth would allow the player to come north.
Duffy said: ''I'm maybe less confident of getting him than I was a few days ago. Financially we are the same as every club and we have a strict budget and Mark will be on a good salary. However, they may want to put him in the shop window and let him come on loan. He is not the only player we are looking at and I have made enquiries about several other players with English clubs.
Jimmy Calderwood, the Dunfermline manager, said of Nicholson's error: ''Barry had a mad 10 minutes with passes going astray. Football is the greatest game in the world, but it can be so cruel.''
Dunfermline Athletic (3-5-2) Stillie; MacPherson (Kilgannon (67), Skerla, Wilson; Dempsey, Hampshire (McGarty (80), Nicholson, Bullen, Dair (Hunt 67); Crawford, Brewster. Subs not used: Ruitenbeek, Karnebeek Booked Wilson
Dundee (4-4-2) Speroni; Mackay, Wilkie, Khizanishvili, Mair; Brady, Nemsadze, Smith, Rae; Caballero (Novo 67), Milne (Robertson (67). Subs: Langfield, Forbes, Robb Booked Rae
Referee W Young
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