Views

No Pars, No Party

What’s it like being a football fan of your local town team when they are up against one of the top sides in the country?  We asked Elaine McCormack, one of our volunteers from Dunfermline about being a life-long Dunfermline Athletic fan before the big match on 23rd May and her thoughts afterwards.  Suffice to say it was really a case of ‘No Pars, no Party’ 

The first question, Elaine, is how long have you been a Pars fan? 

“Oh my word. Since I was really, really young. My dad used to take us on a Saturday - we would walk up to the games because we all stayed at the bottom of the town. I remember standing on the terrace before it was all seated; I jumped up and down on the steps. 

“I just continued on and then obviously John (my late husband) being a huge fan as well, the two of us just got involved and kept on going to the games. So, I’ve been a Pars fan virtually all my life.” 

Looking back, what era was your favourite, Elaine? 

“Oh, I say the Stevie Crawford and István Kozma era, so round about the 80s and 90s. It was when all these big names were all playing for us and when (Jim) Leishman was in charge.” 

What do you think of the team’s performance just now? 

“I think they’re doing really well considering it’s quite a young team. Most of the players are really young and (Neil) Lennon’s got them gelling together. You know, I do think they’ll give them (Celtic) a run for their money. 

“There’s been a lot going recently (at Dunfermline), so I think he’s done exceptionally well with the team. I think they’re playing really, really well.”  

Have you got any stars that we should be looking out for?  

“It’s definitely got to be the Tods, Andy and John. Matty Todd as well. He’s not one of the brothers; So yes, I think they all are going to do pretty well - especially Andy.” 

Have you got your ticket for the Cup final 

“Yes, I do - my nephew has organised it all. The bus was booked as soon as the semi-final was finished. And then he went online and got the tickets on Wednesday for the season ticket holders.  There’s about 16 of us in the minibus all going.” 

Any of the other games on the route to the final that stand out for you? 

“I’ve been to the Hibs and Aberdeen games. I think maybe the Aberdeen one. Just to be able to beat two Premier League teams, it’s not as though we went through the easy way to get there. We had to fight to get where we’ve got to.  

“But out of the two, I would think the Aberdeen game was the stand-out win, because it was a bit close at one point, but we did well in that game to get the 3-0 win.” 

On a scale of 1 to 10, how excited are you? 

“I’m really excited. I am sitting up there at about the 10s... considering as well that a couple of seasons ago we were in the first division and then we got promoted up to where we are now. I mean, we’ve taken it from that aspect as well. We’ve done really  well in the last couple of seasons. 

Do you think this team’s success is having a positive effect on the city as well? 

“Yeah, I think it is because most people you talk to, even if they’re not Dunfermline fans or football fans, everybody is aware of what is going on and what the achievement is.  

“You hear the football stories, even if it’s like old men talking about in the past and then even the youngsters today are talking about what’s happening at the moment.” 

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It wasn’t to be for the Pars on the day as they ended up losing 3-1 to Celtic, but nonetheless it was a day to remember for Elaine. 

What was it like arriving at Hampden and did you have a good view? 

“Oh, it was amazing. The atmosphere was unbelievable. And everybody was in such a good mood. It was phenomenal with the crowds. Absolutely amazing.” 

“Our seats weren’t too bad actually. We were at the back of the goals and to the right. It was good to see the whole pitch. 

Now to the game – how did you feel? 

“When the teams came out to the park I was all butterflies thinking, ‘Oh, here we go.’. The head’s saying ‘You don’t have a chance’ but the heart was saying, ‘Maybe, just maybe.’  

“But then when the other side scored goals, I was thinking, ‘That’s it.’ But come the second-half when we scored that goal, it was euphoric in that stadium. It was amazing and we had little black and white flags on our seats and were waving and cheering.” 

It was not meant to be for the Pars year. Was it glum faces all the way home? 

“Oh no, we just got on the bus and had a few drinks on the way home and had a wee party.  As everybody said, we got there, that was all we could have done. We beat 40 other teams to get there. Even back in the town, it was like a party atmosphere.” 

“It also meant a really good payday for Dunfermline. That’s vital for next season. And there was no trouble from fans of either side – a good party atmosphere all day!” 

Thank you Elaine for a lovely recounting of being a fan with all the ups and downs and ins and outs of a David and Goliath clash.