Dunfermline Athletic bounced back from their disappointing cup exit with back-to-back wins to kick off League One.
The comfortable 3-0 win over FC Edinburgh on Saturday came in new surroundings at the Meadowbank Stadium.
Pars fans were packed behind barriers in the capital on the same level as the players, in scenes more suited to an amateur match between local social clubs.
Crashing into Sunday with 3 points like… pic.twitter.com/T0RywnNytJ
— Dunfermline Athletic (@officialdafc) August 7, 2022
Chris Mochrie’s goal against the 10 men of Edinburgh put a shine on the result, but it was no more than they – and he – deserved.
Last week Courier Sport broke the news that the 19-year-old was joining on loan from Dundee United – and he didn’t take long to make his mark.
Involved immediately
The youngster was sent on in place of Craig Wighton on the 63rd minute.
Mochrie can play across the midfield and his instinct was to play deeper and narrower than the man he replaced.
He was immediately involved, linking mostly with Joe Chalmers who assisted his debut goal.
The loanee ran onto the through ball and showed terrific composure to wait for the keeper to make his move.
Off the mark for the Pars 🤩#cinchL1 | @officialdafc pic.twitter.com/XrkiFR3aWm
— SPFL (@spfl) August 8, 2022
In the five minutes he was involved Mochrie had been on the ball a number of times, never giving it away, and had scored.
Versatility
As the game progressed Mochrie drifted across the pitch more, always playing with his head up in possession and looking to go forward.
Mochrie’s versatility was noted by Pars assistant Dave Mackay after the match and this was reflected by his willingness to come inside to link with teammates.
With a small squad Mochrie’s ability in wide areas, as well as in several midfield positions, is welcome.
Stat that stands out
Last season he played 447 minutes in the Scottish Premiership for Dundee United, according to Wyscout.
The vast majority of those came during his three starts and three sub appearances in the Premiership in Tam Courts’ youthful side.
What is noticeable from his minutes on the pitch so far for United is his passing accuracy of 86%.
That number stands up when looking only at passes into the final third.
He also appeared to drift across the park during his top-flight minutes – with his average heatmap failing to nail down a specific area.
It was an impressive debut from the 19-year-old though and came at a time when Dunfermline were comfortable against 10 men.
However, on this evidence, Mochrie does appear to have the attributes that will come in handy against more stubborn defences.
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