The Pars finished their first season back in the Championship with an underwhelming mid-table finish. After storming through League 1 Dunfermline thought their rise would continue, but patchy form plagued them over the season. Their signing of former Rangers striker Nicky Clark from English football proved a wise move as he was their main source of goals. The Pars struggled to score goals on the road, but at the same time they didn’t concede many either. The even split of 12 wins, 12 draws and 12 defeats reveals how inconsistent their form was. Manager, Allan Johnston, was persistent in his selections despite poor form and having a large squad available. The prime case was striker Michael Moffat, who made many starts despite not finding the net regularly.
A win on the opening day of the season provided optimism, but five consecutive defeats followed and with it their hopes of reaching the play-offs crashed. However, after a difficult opening quarter the Pars steadied and then between November and the end of the season they only lost four more games. Unfortunately for Dunfermline’s play-off hopes there were too many draws. Heading into the final quarter Dunfermline were at risk of relegation problems after a 1-0 defeat at home inflicted by bottom club Ayr United. However a solid run towards the end of the season including five wins, propelled them into 5th place. The Pars will look back on a season of consolidation. They appear to have the defensive foundations in place. Now the trick is to add attacking ability that will propel them into the top four and a chance at the Premiership.
