page_title: 2007 Scottish Challenge Cup Final
section_title: First half
hierarchical_section_title: 2007 Scottish Challenge Cup Final / Match / First half
caption_attribution_description: English: Paul Gallacher playing for St. Mirren F.C. in a Scottish Premier League match against Heart of Midlothian F.C. on 29 December 2010.
context_page_description: The 2007 Scottish Challenge Cup Final was an association football match between Dunfermline Athletic and St Johnstone, held on 25 November 2007 at Dens Park in Dundee. It was the 17th final of the Scottish Challenge Cup since it was first organised in 1990 to celebrate the centenary of the Scottish Football League.
  St Johnstone progressed through four knock-out rounds to reach the final whilst Dunfermline Athletic contested only three after receiving a random bye into the second round. The 2007 final was Dunfermline's second appearance in a cup final in six months having lost the previous season's Scottish Cup final in May, however, it was the club's first Challenge Cup final. The match was St Johnstone's second appearance in the final of the tournament having lost in 1996. The tournament was contested by clubs below the Scottish Premier League with both clubs from the First Division.
  St Johnstone took a 3–0 lead within the first 30 minutes with a penalty kick from Paul Sheerin and goals from Peter MacDonald and Kenny Deuchar. Scott Wilson scored for Dunfermline after 37 minutes to make it 3–1 at half time.
context_section_description: The beginning of the match was dominated by St Johnstone and after 13 minutes they were awarded a penalty kick by referee Eddie Smith when Dunfermline midfielder Stephen Simmons collided with St Johnstone's Steven Anderson in the penalty area. Paul Sheerin took the penalty kick and scored beyond Dunfermline's goalkeeper, Paul Gallacher, by hitting the ball into the bottom-left corner of the goal to score his seventh penalty of the season. Just several minutes after the first goal St Johnstone had an opportunity to score again when Kenny Deuchar had an attempt on goal after a pass from Rocco Quinn; the header beat goalkeeper Gallacher but went just wide of the goalpost. In the 19th minute, however, St Johnstone did score their second goal when Peter MacDonald struck a left-footed volley from 12 yards out which Dunfermline's goalkeeper Gallacher failed to stop. 
  St Johnstone's early dominance coupled with Dunfermline's poor defending resulted in St Johnstone scoring a third goal after only 30 minutes; forward Andy Jackson passed the ball to Derek McInnes who then played the ball to Deuchar who moved past defender Sol Bamba in the penalty area and scored past the opposing goalkeeper from eight yards out to make it 3–0. Four minutes after the third goal, Dunfermline manager Stephen Kenny made the first substitution of the match, replacing defender Calum Woods with Darren Young. In the 37th minute, shortly after the substitution, Dunfermline scored when Scott Wilson's header beat St Johnstone goalkeeper Alan Main. Dunfermline's form changed for the better after their first goal and they almost scored again just before half time when substitute Young's goal-attempt rebounded off the goalpost.
caption: Paul Gallacher conceded three goals within the first 30 minutes of the match.
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