Dunfermline Athletic midfielder Gary Mason has called on fans of the East End Park side to be their twelfth man against Morton tomorrow in their potential IRN-BRU First Division title winning game at Cappielow.
With Raith Rovers four points behind, a win would make Jim McIntyre’s side uncatchable in the First Division and Mason reckons that the fans can play a huge part.
He said: “Cappielow is one of those grounds where the fans are right on top of you and that can create a highly charged atmosphere. I am sure our supporters will be out in great numbers and their backing will be superb motivation for us.
“They can be our extra man and help us over the finishing line.”
The Tail of the Bank ground already holds a special memory for Mason as he explained: “I scored down there last February in my first game in my second spell at Dunfermline. I would love to score again as I have only managed one goal since then and that was last season as well.
“We won that game 2-1 and I would gladly settle for that again. To be honest, I would settle for any win and I do not mind who gets the goals.”
Edinburgh born Mason started his career in England at Manchester City, before joining Dunfermline Athletic for the first time just as 2000 was drawing to a close and he spent six and a half seasons there before moving to St. Mirren when the Pars were relegated to the First Division. Two seasons in the SPL with the Paisley Saints was followed by a short stint at Hamilton Academical before Mason returned to Fife and scored his goal to mark his return as a born again Par.
During his playing career, Mason has yet to pick up a winners' medal saying: “I have had a great career but I have yet to win anything. I have been involved in big games before and I am looking forward to being involved in a huge one against Morton.
“It will be tough all the same as they seem to have a habit of playing really well against us and they will not want us coming to their place and winning anything.”
Despite his Scottish background, Mason was a product of the youth system at Manchester City as he explained: “I came through the ranks there and played nearly 30 first team games for them.
"I scored in a 7-1 League Cup win over Notts County and I also had a loan spell at Hartlepool United before coming back up the road.”
The majority of Mason’s games for Joe Royle’s side came during season 1998/99 which culminated in a memorable Wembley Play-off Final for Manchester City against Gillingham. Scotland striker Paul Dickov scored a 95th minute goal to tie the scores at 2-2 after a Gillingham side managed by Tony Pullis had been two goals ahead as the game entered injury time. The Manchester side won the penalty shoot-out 3-1 to start their climb back to the Premiership.
Mason maintains a soft spot for the Sky Blues saying: “They were a massive club then but are even bigger now and after spending six years with them, I like to see them doing well. I also look out for their results and, of course, they have a really important game of their own to play before the end of the season when they take on Stoke City in the FA Cup Final.”
Mason never played for City in the Championship or Premiership however, he went on to feature in big games north of the border saying: “I have played in both the Scottish Cup and the League Cup Finals but lost out on both occasions.
“I was part of the Dunfermline team that was leading in the 2004 Scottish Cup Final but then Henrik Larsson took over and we lost 3-1. It was a great experience as was playing in Europe.
"I also played in the ‘Jimmy Johnstone’ League Cup Final in March 2006 but again, we lost to Celtic and this time it was by a 3-0 scoreline.
“We reached the Scottish Cup Final again in 2007 but I was suspended so that was not such a great time as Celtic defeated us 1-0.”
That big game experience could prove invaluable against Morton with Mason saying: “We have been having a very good season and have been up there challenging throughout. That is a great credit to the Manager Jim McIntyre and the players, as the First Division is an incredibly tough division.
“You have to be prepared to battle every week and to be in one of the top two places for the majority of the season is a great achievement but nothing has been achieved yet.”
The Pars consolidated their position at the top of the table last Saturday when they defeated closest challengers Raith Rovers 2-1 thanks to a Martin Hardie double at a packed East End Park.
“It was an amazing atmosphere last Saturday and I would imagine this game will be exactly the same. Morton have a good record against us this season and we lost down there earlier in the season so no-one needs to tell us that we face anything other than a tough game.
“It is a hugely important game to the club and one where the result is probably more important than the performance. You always want to play well but if we get a win and have not hit great heights, I am sure most people would settle for that.
"We have all worked hard to get into the position we have got ourselves into and hopefully, we can get the job done at Greenock.”
Despite the prize of promotion being available this weekend, Manager McIntyre has kept things low key with Mason advising: “Not much has changed this week to be honest. Our training sessions are usually high tempo and they have continued that way.
"The preparation has remained consistent throughout the season and to be fair to the boss and the coaching staff, he has called it right throughout the season."
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