Sammy the Tammy fires Pars back to SPL

In light of the recent threats made against the life of Neil Lennon, it was perhaps a little tasteless of Dunfermline's mascot, Sammy the Tammy - who appears to be a bear of some sort - to take to the pitch prior to kickoff in the big Fife Derby in a cardboard tank...yes, you read that right...and pretend to machine-gun the away support. That said, anyone who feels offended by a guy in a bear suit walking around in a cardboard box pretending to shoot people with a "gun" made out of toilet roll tubes probably needs a sense of humour transplant.

Anyway, "inspired" by their mascot, the Pars came from behind to beat Raith 2-1, thanks to a second half double from midfielder Martin Hardie, a 35 year old journeyman who spent a few years as a squad player in the SPL with Partick and Dunfermline, before helping fire St. Johnstone to their 2008-09 promotion. His aging legs lacked the oomph for the top division, but a January move to East End Park has paid dividends, and his strikes on Saturday took his goals total to eight.

Hardie symbolizes the potential problem Dunfermline face next season; a squad with next to no top flight experience. I was present when they were relegated in May 2007 away to Inverness; distanced at the bottom from mid-season, they appointed Irishman Stephen Kenny as manager and found enough form to give themselves half-a-chance of staying up (as well as a cup run). Their escape appeared to have gained further momentum when Jim McIntyre volleyed them in front in the first half, and their fans were still celebrating when Caley won a free kick on the edge of the box with 13 minutes left. To the surprise of the home support and the relief of the visiting fans, Canadian left back Richard Hastings, who scored less often than the Elephant Man at a Miss World contest, stepped up...only for his tame effort to go straight through the arms of keeper Dorus De Vries for the equalizer.

Dunfermline collapsed, conceding a late winner to Rory McAllister's deflected strike, and relegation was sealed. A fortnight later Celtic saw them off 1-0 in the cup final, thanks to a goal by Jean-Joel Perrier-Doumbe, a Cameroon full back who did literally nothing else in his Celtic career. There are barely any survivors left on the playing squad from that day; midfielder Gary Mason is back at the club after a spell at St. Mirren, full-back Calum Woods is still present, and McIntyre is now manager, having replaced Kenny in January 2008. But the squad is full of players who have spent their careers in the first division, plus those such as Hardie, top scorer Andy Kirk and defender Kevin Rutkiewicz (on loan from St Johnstone) who have played in the SPL before, and who clearly weren't good enough.

McIntyre has a lot to do to make sure his side emulate their predecessors - only one side in a decade has been immediately relegated the season after winning the first division, and that was the infamous Gretna - but he might need Sammy the Tammy to mow down the opposing players, as well as the fans, in order to give Dunfermline a good chance of staying up.

Still, that can wait; barring two defeats to finish the season, they have the right to enjoy the celebrations first.

L.