Pars in Scot Cup final, UEFA Cup

It has been an interesting ride to say the least for the Pars of Dunfermline this season. After sitting in the bottom position in the SPL practically all season, they now remain there, four points from safety with as many matches remaining. In the meantime, while suffering through a dismal SPL campaign, the Pars have had an incredible run at the Scottish Cup, a run that has included wins over Rangers (#2 in the SPL), Hearts (#4), and now Hibernian (#6). That’s right - Hibernian - in the playoff semifinal at Hampden Park today, Pars beat Hibs 1-0 on the strength of an 88th-minute Jim McIntyre penalty. Hibernian, who already won the League Cup and looked primed for a run at a double, were unable to do much of anything, and the few chances they did create were handled brilliantly by the undisputed Pars player of the year (at least to me), keeper Dorus De Vries. Dorus is one of the top keepers in the league, certainly not on par with Premiership-linked Artur Boruc or Craig Gordon but I think even with or better than any of the others.

The winner of the Scottish Cup gets a UEFA Cup spot, and since Celtic are already qualified to the Champions League for winning the SPL, that spot passes on to the other finalist. Even if Dunfermline don’t pull off the miracle and beat Celtic in the Cup final next month, they have a ticket to European play, which may go a long way to motivating them in this final gasp for SPL survival, as well as retaining their star keeper, who will be excited at the idea of his first European campaign. If they don’t manage to make up those four points on St. Mirren, we could see the unlikely scenario of a Scottish first-division team in the UEFA Cup. Congrats, Pars - you’ve certainly earned it.

Category: Scottish Premier League

Tags: 2007 Scottish Cup, Celtic, Dorus De Vries, Dunfermline, Hibernian, Scottish Premier League, SPL, UEFA Cup qualifying

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