Hillfoots 15 Dunfermline 38

MARK DOBSON has called on his team to become more clinical when they begin to plot their bid for National League promotion next season.

The Dunfermline head coach, who watched his side win their penultimate game of the season at Hillfoots on Saturday to secure second place in Caledonia Division One, praised his players for their campaign but has earmarked areas of improvement as they bid to win the title next term.

Leaders Strathmore – the only side to have beaten the McKane men this season in both the league and Caledonia Regional Shield – wrapped up the championship and their place in National League Division Three at Alloa but Dobson has urged his men to finish on a high when they host Aberdeen Wanderers on March 23.

"We've gone through instrumental growth and we'll be looking to achieve the goal we set at the start of the season, which was to get to the Shield final at Murrayfield and win promotion," he said.

"This season has been a massive success. To only drop two league games is phenomenal considering where the group were two or three seasons ago but, while we should acknowledge it has been a good season, we can see there are areas where we can improve.

"We want to be the best team and get promotion, but we need to be more savagery and put teams to the sword. I think that was the main difference between ourselves and Strathmore.

"But we want to make sure we get a bonus-point win against Wanderers and put in a performance that merits the last home game of the season, and the big crowd that will be there."

After heading into the half-time break 17-15 ahead, Dunfermline found an extra gear in the second period to score 21 unanswered points thanks to three converted tries from Adam Fraser, Fraser Cowe and Thomas Murray to secure victory.

Dobson added: "I was really pleased with the second half response.

"At half-time, we were up 17-15 but we had given the opportunity to Hillfoots to establish themselves in the game, which in our eyes was unacceptable.

"In the second half we took the game well and truly away from them but, in the first half, whether it was down to complacency or that Hillfoots worked hard for their points, in my eyes they scored from our mistakes.

"But it has come at the end of a long season."

Meanwhile, on Sunday from 12.45pm, the club's women's team will make their playing debut when they host Strathmore and Perthshire in a round-robin competition.

The team has been created following a successful eight-week programme aimed at encouraging females of any experience, fitness or ability to give the sport a go.