Moray 21 Dunfermline 22
Dunfermline Rugby Club's senior men's first XV edged to their first National League Division Four win of the season by the narrowest of margins at Moray on Saturday.
At a venue that has previously been tough for the West Fifers, who lost there by two points last season, whilst drawing with their opponents at home, they claimed victory by a single-point margin.
After losses at Ellon, and at home to Linlithgow, in their first two matches, it was a welcome result for head coach, Andrew Royle, who told Press Sport: " Look, it's not an easy trip.
"It's a long trip to get there, and we're happy with an away win. The performance wasn't great, but it was a tough win. It's more about getting the points on the road than the actual performance.
"We carried in a couple of injuries and a couple of players that couldn't make the trip due to work. There were a couple of second 15 players that managed to pull through and I'm very happy with their contribution.
"I was happy we came away with the points. It got a bit scrappy - we probably let them get back into the game, where we had moments where we could've taken the game away from them, and it would've been more accurate, and we probably would've had enough points on the board.
"It ended up being a bit closer at the end than it should've been but, again, I can't complain.
"I don't think we got the win (at Moray) last year. Apparently, we've got a draw and a loss against this team, so it's a tricky place to go, and a tricky couple of points to get."
On his team's start to the season, Royle continued: "We've had two really tough away games and then Linlithgow at home, where we probably were a little bit asleep in the first half.
"It's probably been the story of our season so far. We've been slow to start games and then when we get in, we play well, but it just takes us too long to get into the game.
"So, one of the goals that I'm looking at is to get the players starting a little bit better, a little bit more focused in the beginning of games, and then I think we'll bring back the points.
"Against Linlithgow at home, they just used the wind to their advantage. They pinned us back to the first half.
"I thought they were very good against us in that first half and, again, we played well to get back in the game.
"Up against Ellon, we should have won that game, but we started 14-0 down after about five minutes, so it's tough to come back in those situations."
He added: " There's growth there and the team's prepared to work hard.
"It's just how we manage the squad, how we manage the availability of the players, and it's the season's definitely a marathon. It's not a sprint. We're aware of that.
"We're just looking at tiny little gains each time, just making sure that we're on the right side of the progression ladder.
"We've just got to keep getting better and better and better, but the players are happy, the players are happy, and we know that we're working towards a goal."
On Saturday, Dunfermline return to McKane Park to welcome Kilmarnock for a 3pm kick-off.
Meanwhile, in Caledonia Midlands Region League Division Three, Dunfermline's second XV edged their Fife derby at Rosyth Sharks by a 33-31 scoreline.
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