James McPake was positively beaming as he labelled Dunfermline’s 5-1 win over Arbroath as their ‘best performance of the season.’
And the Pars boss had every right to be pleased with himself.
On a night where everything went wrong for their Championship hosts, everything went RIGHT for League One leaders Dunfermline.
The future for Pars, on the evidence of this 90 minutes alone, looks bright as Courier Sport discusses three talking points from their five-star display:
Revenge is sweet for Dunfermline at Arbroath
Gayfield has not been a happy hunting ground for Dunfermline in recent times.
And Arbroath proved to be their nemesis last term with a clean sweep of four wins from four in the Championship.
Lichties netted eleven goals and conceded just two in those victories.
But they found themselves on the wrong end of a heavy defeat this time.
And while Arbroath boss Dick Campbell was right to suggest ‘Christmas came early’ for Pars, the Fifers more than merited this win.
📸 It was @KyleMacdon_19, @matttodd__, Kyle Benedictus and Craig Wighton with the #DAFC goals during tonight's 5-1 win over Arbroath 🏁 pic.twitter.com/kdFJNh1CNK
— Dunfermline Athletic (@officialdafc) December 9, 2022
They looked up for it from the off.
Pars raced into a 3-0 lead inside 22 minutes, showing real guile and class to carve open the Arbroath defence with ease.
Despite their poor start to the league season, no side has ripped Arbroath apart as much as Dunfermline did on Friday.
They looked ahead of their hosts in almost every department.
And manager James McPake was positively purring at full-time.
Dunfermline have Championship credentials
🎥 Watch the #DAFC goals from the 5-1 win over Arbroath 🔥⚽️
Full highlights later 🏁 pic.twitter.com/4DAc8bz9cC
— Dunfermline Athletic (@officialdafc) December 10, 2022
Dunfermline fans would love nothing more than to see their side claim some silverware this year.
But while a run in the SPFL Trust Trophy will be a welcome distraction, it’s the League One title they crave.
With a five point lead heading into the crucial Christmas period, it’s looking good for Pars.
And this result and performance will do wonders for their confidence.
Dunfermline look the polar opposite of the side that were relegated last term.
Devoid of confidence and disjointed, they whimpered out of the Championship.
They now have a team full of drive, determination and creative spark.
Craig Wighton is reborn under James McPake
If there’s one player who epitomised Dunfermline’s demise last year, it was Craig Wighton.
Wighton is an incredibly naturally gifted player.
On his day, he can cut defences open with flashes of brilliance and he showed that to good effect during his first loan spell at Arbroath.
But after finding himself out-of-favour at Dunfermline last year, his second coming at Arbroath was nowhere near as happy as his initial loan deal.
His head dropped and he was unable to impose himself on games in the way he had done in the past.
Enter James McPake.
McPake seems to have twigged that Wighton is a confidence player, someone who needs the occasional arm around his shoulder.
And with three goals in three games, Wighton is back firing again.
