Match date: 18 October 2021 Kickoff: 8.00 pm
With no League game scheduled for last weekend, the Dunbar Management team arranged a Friendly match against a young Gala Fairydean Rovers side on Monday night to keep the squad match fit before the Scottish Cup game next Saturday.
Right from the kick off it was obvious that the home side were going to dominate proceedings and it only took them two minutes to open their account when Johnny Edmond’s low cross from the right was drilled home by Fraser McLaren.
Eight minutes later and an almost identical move from both players saw McLaren score his second from close range before the Gala side began to settle into the pace of the game.
Poor finishing by the Dunbar players and some inspired saves by the Gala keeper kept the score line the same until he was beaten again three minutes before the break when Johnny Edmond shielded the ball from a throw in and quickly did an overhead kick leaving Dan Purves the chance to stroke home with the help of his knee.
All the Dunbar substitutes were utilised after the restart and sadly for the visitors the first half wasted chances by Dunbar began to fall kindly for the hosts and the goals accumulated at regular intervals.
Dan Purves scored his second in the 47th minute after Ben Bathgate’s low shot was palmed away into his path at the back post and Bathgate himself finally got onto the scoresheet in the 51st minute after dispossessing a defender and playing a one two with Fraser McLaren before slotting the ball into the net to make it 5-0.
Johnny Edmond made it six in the 57th minute flicking home Dan Purves’s cross from close range, before Jamie Devlin fired in the seventh three minutes later picking his spot at the back post after a deceptive cross from Fraser McLaren.
Gala had a couple of chances to open their account before Michael McFarlane headed in a Fraser Neave cross in the 65th minute and nine minutes from time new signing Dean Whitson scored his first goal in Dunbar colours with a neat finish from a deflected Fraser Neave cross to make it 9-0.
Three minutes from time Johnny Edmond headed in a Neave corner before Fraser McLaren rounded a good night’s work in the final few minutes after beating the offside trap and firing low past the keeper for his own hat trick in the game and Dunbar’s eleventh of the night.
Credit to the young Gala side who struggled to keep up with the pace of the game, but never gave up, despite being heavily beaten and their keeper impressed with some fine saves against a ruthless Dunbar side.
A good run out for the hosts before the big one on Saturday with kick-off against Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale at 3pm in the Scottish Cup Second Round, when hopefully another big crowd will inspire Dunbar to victory.
Dunbar United :- Ryan Mack, Grant Thomson, Scott Hay, Nicky Weir, Jordan Purves, Kieran Ingram, Ben Bathgate, Fraser Neave, Dan Purves, Fraser McLaren, Johnny Edmond.
Substitutes :- Dean Whitson, Michael McFarlane, Darren Smith, Darren Handling, Jamie Devlin.
Match report courtesy of Laurie Wood