Dunfermline were in action in the first friendly ahead of the new season but the night ended in defeat against German side St Pauli.
A crowd of 7255 were inside East End Park to see goals either side of the break from Johannes Eggestein and Hauke Wahl, and a third 12 minutes from time from David Otto for the visitors. Pars boss James McPake said: “There was a good crowd, a good opposition and it was a very good exercise for our players. We’ll take a lot of that game in terms of where we are in pre-season. Playing in that atmosphere was great for the players. It didn’t feel like a friendly.”
The German side draw fans from across the globe, their ‘kult’ following attracted to the club’s left-wing politics and social activism. Hundreds of Celtic supporters were packed into a bustling away end to join the travelling Germans and followers from St Pauli’s UK fan clubs. On the pitch, there was a zip to the play, despite both being only a week into their pre-season regimes, and the visitors impressed from the off as they took the lead in nine minutes.
Robin Muller clipping in a cross that Eggestein headed beyond Deniz Mehmet. With St Pauli changing their whole team at half-time, they doubled their lead three minutes into the second-half.
Marcel Hartel’s corner was nodded on by Lennart Appe and knocked in by Wahl in a crowded box. Otto added a third in the 78th minute with a header.
New Dunfermline signings Ewan Otoo and Kane Ritchie-Hosler impressed for the home team in a tough 90 minutes for the League One champions. Paul McGowan, another who was on loan last term, featured as a trialist for 71 minutes following his departure from Dundee this summer as he tries to win a deal.
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