Archives | East Kilbride 3 Dunfermline 0

Premier Sports Cup Group C
Saturday 11th July 2026
Bumblebee Stadium at K-Park

There can be few times that a goalkeeper has picked up the Man of the Match Award having made only four, pretty rudimentary, saves. East Kilbride`s Shay Kelly earned the accolade with two assists that saw the League One side add goals two and three in a comfortable 3-0 home win.

It had only been seven weeks since the Pars season ended with a Scottish Cup Final against Celtic. Dunfermline commenced their Premier Sports Cup campaign with an away tie at the Bumblebee Stadium at K-Park Stadium.

Mick Kennedy`s EK side were full of confidence after securing the Scottish League Two title in their maiden SPFL campaign, capping a remarkable rise that has seen them win back-to-back promotions and a third successive league championship. For Kennedy, who was named League Two Manager of the Season for his efforts, the visit of a Championship outfit offered an early indication of his side`s readiness for the step up.

Dunfermline Athletic, meanwhile, headed into the new campaign on the back of a run to last season`s Scottish Cup final, a achievement that will have raised expectations at KDM Group East End Park under Neil Lennon. The Fifers manager was eager to start their Premier Sports Cup campaign on the front foot and qualify out of Group C. A trip to Lanarkshire against a well-drilled East Kilbride side promised to be no formality but the gaffer made only one change from the eleven that started the previous Saturday`s friendly at Kelty. New signing goalkeeper Musa Dibaga came straight into side for his debut. The Gambian played 32 times for Inverness Caley Thistle the previous season.

Right from the kick off East Kilbride looked to take game towards the Pars goal. Malik Zaid and Craig McGuffie immediately stood out as dangers. Joao Balde injured himself and was soon substituted in conceding an early free kick on the left. Sam Cleall-Harding got his head to the delivery header but Darragh O`Connor hooked the ball away and Andrew Tod`s follow up shot was held by keeper Shay Kelly.

EK took a grip of the game in a spell that saw McGrattan tee up Cameron Elliot, McGuffie feed Elliot to win a corner, Jamie Hamilton head a good chance wide right and Sean Fagan fire an 18th minute effort wide left. The Fifers looked to get back into the tie from a free kick three minutes later. A Tod was hauled down by Fagan and the 20 year old took the setpiece himself his cross headed down by Charlie Gilmour for Cleall-Harding but his aim was wide. Right away Tod was presented with an opportunity but this time Kelly held diving to his left.

This interruption to the home side`s attack on the Pars goal was only for an all to brief five minute spell.

EK completed passes in the final third and Lewis McGRATTAN stepped in to finish in the bottom right after Zaid had picked him out. 1-0

Finding himself in free space McGuffie crashed a left footed shot over before Kelly held a Tod effort created by Oli Shaw. After Robbie Fraser was fouled Keith Bray was off target from a 36th minute free kick from the left. Kilby came closest to adding to their first half tally. McGrattan switched the ball slickly from left to right where Fagan crossed for Zaid to execute a shot that thankfully was off target.

It was a disappointing first half from Dunfermline. They struggled to enjoy passages of play and EK were able to slice through the Pars in attacking areas of the pitch. The home defence lived dangerously at times behind a keeper extremely comfortable in taking his ball at his feet and play out at close quarters from inside their own box. Dunfermline made it too easy for them by not pressing nearly enough. Mick Kennedy`s side were certainly very well organised, disciplined and deserved their half time lead.

Half Time: East Kilbride 1 Dunfermline 0

No changes from either side at the break but Callumn Morrison was first to threaten in the second half. Cashing in on a Corbally break the former Falkirk man sent his right footed shot at an angle from the right outside the far post. Instead it was the home side that found the net next in 54 minutes. It may have been that the visitors were finding the bounce of the ball difficult to predict on the AstroTurf pitch but a long ball from Kelly completely deceived Dunfermline and at the edge of the box, Finlay GRAY nipped in to clip his keeper`s kick over the advancing Dibaga. 2-0

More EK pressure came from a McGuffie corner that O`Connor headed on to crossbar. Things certainly needed to change for the Championship side and on the hour Neil Lennon introduced Zak Rudden, Alfons Amade and Luke Robinson for John Tod, Morrison and Corbally. The Pars switched to a back three with Gilmour between Cleall-Harding and Robinson, the midweek signing from Wigan Athletic. There were chances - Bray saw a free kick defended over bar, Cleall-Harding head over the EK crossbar and even a Tod attempt from 35 yards out that agonisingly dropped left of goal.

The contest was over however when East Kilbride snatched a third goal in 74 minutes. Another long ball from Kelly wrong footed Gilmour and after Dibaga had tried to narrow the striker`s angle, ELLIOT finished slotting in with precision at an angle from right. 3-0

Shaw sent an 82nd shot straight at Kelly and that was the last note in a really disappointing performance from Dunfermline against an East Kilbride side that was well ahead in terms of physicality and speed. The new town side were out on their feet by the end but no one could fault their effort. Neil Lennon had targeted progression out of the group stages of this Premier Sports Cup but the travelling support left feeling that the chances of that had gone at the first hurdle.

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