Dunfermline Athletic lose out to Hearts in pre-season opener

Ross Hart

PARS 1 Hearts 2

THE PARS opened their pre-season schedule with a narrow defeat to Hearts despite producing a promising performance.

A Ryan Thomson strike midway through the second half was not enough to cancel out first half goals from a Brad MacKay header and a Jamie Hamill penalty but manager Jim Jefferies was encouraged by his side's play in front of a bumper crowd of 4538.

The Pars side featured ten of the eleven who started the final match of last season with Alloa, with Ryan Wallace returning in place of Allan Smith who started on the bench.

Dunfermline started brightly, with Wallace sending a weak shot straight at Jambos keeper Jamie MacDonald before Andy Geggan saw a goal-bound header miraculously clawed from the line by MacDonald.

But it was the visitors who took the lead on nine minutes as the unmarked MacKay headed home a David Smith corner.

And it got worse for Athletic on 18 minutes as Hearts went two up. Chris Kane was judged by referee John Beaton to have tripped Smith and Hamill sent Michal Hrivnak the wrong way from the spot.

The second period saw both sides make a host of changes, including Dundee United loan target Ryan Ferguson for Dunfermline.

The Pars continued to pass the ball and began to cause the Tynecastle side problems as Thomson saw a header saved before the home team did pull a goal back.

Good play in midfield saw Josh Falkingham saw the midfielder burst forward and play a through ball for Thomson, who calmly placed the ball beyond Hearts sub keeper Mark Ridgers into the far corner of the net.

The home side then suffered a blow with 20 minutes left as Smith, on as a substitute, was stretchered off to be replaced by on the trial Kevin Buchan after sustaining an ankle injury.

Dunfermline continued to have the majority of the ball in the Jambos half and Ferguson shot over from the edge of the area after being teed up by Falkingham before the Pars claimed a goal after a header was sent towards the net through a crowd of players but no goal was awarded as Hearts clung on to lift the cup.