Dunfermline have endured a troubled start to the 2024/25 Scottish Championship campaign and with Pars supporters in need of a pick-me-up, we thought this would be an ideal juncture to delve into the club’s past to recall some of the glory days of yesteryear.
Rarely listed among the front runners or favourites in the betting markets for any competition they enter or even any fixture they contest, Dunfermline have had a habit of punching above their weight and the Pars have produced some monumental results throughout their 139-year history.
Punters who are familiar with surfing the bookies’ markets for the keenest prices and the best signup bonuses for sports betting will be used to seeing Dunfermline priced as the underdog, though the Pars have a history of revelling inthat role and below, we’ve wound back the clocks to remind ourselves of five games where the club beat the odds to prevail.
Dunfermline 2-0 Celtic (Scottish Cup Final Replay – 1961)
After a keenly contested first Cup Final encounter, well-matched Dunfermline and Celtic teams couldn’t be separated (0-0), though they would re-engage a few days later at Hampden Park to settle the score and the Pars would make the most of their second bite at the cherry.
Led by the tactical ingenuity of legendary manager Jock Stein and helped by the goalkeeping heroics of Eddie Connachan, Dunfermline counter-punched their way to glory through goals from Dave Thompson and Charlie Dickson. The Pars’ eventual 2-0 win secured the club’s first Scottish Cup success and the first piece of silverware of Jock Stein’s managerial career.
Dunfermline 6-2 Valencia (Fairs Cup Second Round – 1962/63)
The Pars’ Scottish Cup win in 1961 earned them the right to compete on the continent in the Fairs Cup and though the club’s first European adventure was relatively short-lived, there was still room for one sensational performance against Spanish big-hitters Valencia.
Trailing 4-0 in the tie from the first leg, Dunfermline had a monumental mountain to climb back in Fife, however, on a frosty evening on home soil, the Pars made the perfect start and netted two quickfire goals to get the ball rolling.
Making the most of their momentum, Dunfermline eventually powered to a 6-2 win to tie the two-legged aggregate and simultaneously became the first British team to beat Valencia after sides like Rangers, Celtic, Wolves and Manchester United had failed before.
Dunfermline lost the resulting playoff between the teams in Lisbon 1-0.
Dunfermline 3-1 Hearts(Scottish Cup Final – 1968)
Undoubtedly the climactic moment of George Farm’s tenure with the Pars, Dunfermline were Scottish Cup winners again in 1968, seven years on from their maiden success in the competition.
A solid Hearts side were the antagonists at Hampden Park on this occasion, though a rampant second-half showing from Dunfermline was enough to deliver another trophy for the club with a Pat Gardner double and an Ian Lister goal from the spot securing a 3-1 win for the Pars.
Those who were in attendance still talk about the wild celebrations in Fife that night and beyond as Dunfermline’s success was toasted in style.
Dunfermline 1-0 WBA (European Cup Winners Cup Quarter Final – 1968-69)
Domestic glory again earned Dunfermline a chance to test themselves on the continental stage and the Pars enjoyed a terrific run to the semi-finals of the European Cup Winners Cup during a historic 1968/69 campaign for the club.
Wins over Apoel FC and Olympiakos in the earlier rounds pushed Dunfermline into a quarter-final bout with a big name from south of the border in WBA, which had four Scots in their squad – including international Doug Fraser – adding an extra layer of intrigue to proceedings.
The firstleg between the teams in Fife finished 0-0, meaning the Pars had to travel to England in search of victory in the return fixture. A goal in the second minute from Scottish Cup Final hero Pat Gardner proved a decisive early moment and Dunfermline produced a masterclass in rearguard action to see the game out after that to book their place in the tournament’s last four.
Celtic 1-2 Dunfermline (Scottish Premiership – 2003/04)
Dunfermline lodged their best-ever Premiership points total in the 2003/04 campaign and finished fourth in what was a remarkably consistent year under the direction of Jimmy Calderwood, and their victory in Glasgow over recently crowned champions Celtic stood out as their best individual result of the league season.
It was the Pars’ first triumph at Celtic Park since August 1997 and the visitors silenced the home crowd when Lee Bullen converted a 28th-minute opener. Celtic icon Henrik Larsson levelled things up early in the second half, though young Irishman Gary Dempsey restored Dunfermline’s lead just before the hour mark.
The Pars would hold out for a landmark win before meeting Celtic again a few weeks later in their first Scottish Cup Final appearance in 37 years. Dunfermline lost that showpiece showdown 3-1 in what would prove to be Jimmy Calderwood’s last game in charge before a move to Aberdeen.
