Dunfermline had a reasonable season but failed to challenge Hearts for the title despite a strong start. Finishing in 4th place, they lost out to Fife rivals, Raith Rovers, at the first stage of the play-offs. Manager Steve Crawford confirmed their failure with his resignation.
With new German owners to impress, Dunfermline began with confidence and 4 wins in their first 5 matches. However, the goals dried up and away form remained poor all season (W1 D6 L6). A strong finish saw them squeeze Inverness out of 4th place.
When Dunfermline defeated Hearts 2-1 in Round 5, anything seemed possible. But following that day they won only 1 of their next 8 matches. Inconsistency dogged their second half of the season and they were fortunate to reach 4th place.
Central defender Ewan Murray and winger Dom Thomas formed a strong combination and provided many goals especially at the start of the season. However, Dunfermline simply did not score enough goals to challenge – no player made it into double figures.
Dunfermline had hoped to challenge for the title, but they did not. As one of the bigger clubs in the Championship this can only be viewed as failure. The 5-1 loss in the Fife Derby against Raith Rovers will haunt them for some time.
With Crawford departed, it is another fresh start for Dunfermline. With no ‘big’ team in the Championship next season it could be their time strike.
