The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Pars hero could be in line for a medal
They were probably the most muted title celebrations ever. Hearts captain Steven Naismith lifted the Championship trophy for the sum total of 24 seconds, in front of a deserted Tynecastle, before walking away from the glare of the cameras.
Across the Forth Road Bridge, around 19 miles away, former Hearts star Craig Wighton played a pivotal role in clinching Dunfermline’s place in the SPL play-off with a secondhalf brace in the 4-3 weekend win over Arbroath.
Wighton’s decisive double came after Jack Hamilton and Nicky Low had cancelled out early goals from Declan Mcmanus and Kevin O’hara.
Scott Stewart scored late on to ensure a nervy finish for the Pars but Stevie Crawford’s men clung on to clinch their place in the top four.
That will give Wighton, 23, a second chance at earning his place in the top flight and one that he’ll feel far more a part of than if he’d chosen to see out the season at Hearts instead of joining Dunfermline in February.
He could yet claim a title medal, having just met the minimum appearance criteria with three goals in eight games at the Jambos.
And while Wighton left Edinburgh for regular first-team football, he still cherishes the part he played in Hearts’ success as he aims to join them in the Scottish Premiership with the Pars.
“Hearts have been the best team in the league and have fully deserved to win the title,” said Wighton.
“But I didn’t feel a part of it towards the end.
“I didn’t feel like I had a role to play in the squad and I didn’t want to just hang around there to get a medal when I could come to Dunfermline and play games, score goals and enjoy my football.
“I signed a pre-contract with Dunfermline and could have seen out the season at Hearts but I wanted to get going here.
“I don’t know if I played in enough games for Hearts to earn a medal and right now my focus is on Dunfermline.
“Come the end of the season, though, it’s something I’ll look into.
“I played a few games and scored some important goals in the league for Hearts to win them a few points.
“I feel like I played more of a part than some of the players who came to the club in January.”
Wighton’s intervention was timely on Saturday in what proved to be a highly entertaining game of football.
Dunfermline took the lead in 10 minutes after Colin Hamilton’s challenge on Wighton earned the hosts a spot-kick.
Mcmanus duly converted before O’hara showed great skill to dribble past Ricky Little and curl a 10-yard strike beyond Derek Gaston.
At this point, with Inverness losing heavily at
Hearts, it seemed like Dunfermline’s place in the top four was secure.
However, Arbroath had different ideas as Jack Hamilton prodded home from close range after Tam O’brien’s header was parried by Owain Fon Williams to make it 2-1.
Nicky Low converted a penalty for Arbroath after Ewan Henderson tripped Jason Thomson, with the sides going in level at the break.
Henderson then made amends with a defencesplitting pass to send Wighton in to make it 3-2 before the former Dundee star cracked in a close-range volley for the fourth.
Arbroath refused to lie down and sub Stewart netted from close range to set up a nervy final few moments for the hosts.
“I always seem to do well against Arbroath,” added Wighton. “I had a really good spell up there last season and enjoyed my time with them.
“But I’m at Dunfermline now and my only focus is on what we can do in the play-offs.”