Dunfermline 1 Clyde 1
Saturday, 8th Dec 2007Caretaker boss Jim McIntyre makes three changes but Pars lose early goal and two points in a determined effort against the Bully Wee
Caretaker gaffer Jim McIntyre put himself on the bench and brought in Scott Thomson, Scott Morrison and Scott Wilson in place of Jamie Harris and the injured duo of Souleymane Bamba and Darren Young. Clyde Manager Colin Hendry made two changes David McGowan and Neil McGregor coming in instead of Kevin Bradley and Roddy MacLennan.
It was a dark December afternoon with the rain pelting down in the cold easterly wind. After the teams changed ends it was Mark Burchill and Jim Hamilton that got the match underway with Dunfermline attacking the goal at the McCathie Stand end. After two and a half minutes however it was the visitors who were celebrating the opening goal as they couldn`t believe their hosts generosity with an early Christmas present.
Under pressure from a long ball into the left side of defence Scott Wilson passed the ball back for Paul Gallacher but the keeper had come out expecting a shorter pass and he had to scurry back to clear the ball off his line. Unluckily for the keeper his clearance went directly to Dougie Imrie nipping in front of Callum Woods to clip it back in for David McGOWAN to slip the ball home from eight yards.
The Pars came storming forward forcing two corners both on the right side. There were appeals for handball at the first as the Clyde defence cleared but the next again taken by Stephen Glass was flicked on by Jim Hamilton and Mark BURCHILL headed the ball in at the far post.. Clyde`s lead thankfully had only lasted seven minutes.
Dunfermline were trying hard in the difficult conditions. Crawford fought hard to retain the ball but his final pass was intercepted and Scott Morrison was pushing forward from his left midfield position.
The home side then came perilously close to snatching the lead in 21 minutes when a clearance was chipped back into the right side of the Clyde penalty box and Burchill beat the advancing keeper only to see his effort come back off the base of the left goalpost.
Two Clyde corners switched play to the east end and from the second Craig McKeown shot on target but Gallacher held, fully outstretched to his right. Clyde kept up the pressure hitting the outside of Gallacher`s left hand post from distance.
When Dougie Imrie broke through on goal in 28 minutes it was fortunate that under pressure from the pursuing Pars captain the Clyde man lost control and Gallacher collected. Had the referee seen this differently DA could have been down to ten men.
In 31st minute Burchill was dumped by Danny Kirkup just 20 yards out. There was a number of Pars men wanting to take the free kick but Glass won the privilege and he drove his effort over the five man wall on to the crossbar. Hamilton was really out of luck as he chased in but there were more chances to come.
A Glass corner was headed back across the box by Hamilton and Morrison and Crawford left it for Glass but his shot was deflected away. At the other end the Bully Wee remained threatening with Michael McGowan narrowly failing to take advantage of a Danny Murphy slip that allowed him to pull the trigger on a shot from 15 yards but Wilson, sliding in beat away the on-target effort.
Just before Steven O`Reilly`s half time whistle, Hamilton headed down a cross for Simmons but the tall midfielder just failed to connect. Going a goal down so early was a worry given the past record of coming back after losing the first goal but the Pars rallied and went in at half time very wet but much in the game.
Half time: Dunfermline 1 Clyde 1
Five minutes into the second half Stephen Simmons stretched out in a tackle to win the ball. He required to leave the park to receive treatment as Burchill forced David Hutton to first clutch a cross from him and then deny him as he attempted to latch on to a long ball through the middle.
When he returned Simmons was just out of touch when Crawford produced a good cross through the Clyde box but in 57th minute Morrison broke clear as a Clyde free kick was defended only for Dougie Imrie to crudely demolish the Aberdonian was he reached half way. That was Imrie`s last act of the game as Referee O`Reilly reached for his yellow card. Back in 34th minute the Clyde no.10 had been the only yellow card of the first half and so he was off.
With more than half an hour to go this should have been a great advantage to the East End Park side. Hamilton came close again and Thomson, Crawford and Murphy all pumped balls into the opposition box. Crawford drove in from the right and released a tricky shot at the angle that Hutton held.
In 66th minute Burchill sprinted on to a long ball and with a low shot, looked more likely to net but the keeper again came out on top, albeit at the second take. Scot McBride was Jim McIntyre`s first substitution when he replaced Morrison and the Pars sub was quickly involved. First he set up Hamilton with a header he despatched wide right then from a Glass free kick, he hit a shot from the edge of the box that Hutton held.
Tam McManus returned as a 78th minute replacement for the injured Stevie Crawford, his first action since 10th November and was desperately unlucky immediately when Burchill`s cross from the left was headed on in the direction of the sub but a timely interception by Chris Higgins denied him of glory.
As the minutes ran out opportunities came the Pars way the best being from a McManus cross headed from Burchill to Simmons but his diving header hit the right woodwork. Then Burchill was yellow carded for going down in the box to a Neil McGregor tackle. It could so easily have been a penalty instead.
Jim Hamilton had time to compose himself for a shot just eight yards out, when picked out by Glass, but his attempt across goal was again taken by the keeper.
With just the ten men Clyde were always looking to hit on the break and they almost achieved that at the death. The game was into added time when Arbuckle broke into the left side of the Pars box and squared the ball tantalisingly along the six yard line but Kevin Bradley could not get near enough to finish. In 93rd minute McManus pumped another ball in that won a corner but Hutton held that and it was just one point in the end.
DUNFERMLINE: Paul Gallacher; Calum Woods, Scott Wilson (c), Scott Thomson, Danny Murphy; Stevie Crawford (Tom McManus 78), Stephen Simmons, Stephen Glass, Scott Morrison (Scott McBride 70); Mark Burchill, Jim Hamilton,SUBS NOT USED: Jamie Harris, Jim McIntyre, Sean Murdoch (GK).
SCORERS: Burchill (10)
YELLOW CARD: Thomson (84), Wilson (86), Burchill (90)
CLYDE: David Hutton; Dusan Bestvina, Craig McKeown, Dan Kirkup (Gary Arbuckle 64), Chris Higgins; Michael McGowan Ruari MacLennan, Neil McGregor, Christian Smith; David McGowan (Kevin Bradley 83), Dougie Imrie,
SUBS NOT USED: Evangelino Valentim, Julian Gallo, Peter Cherrie (GK)
SCORERS: D McGowan (3)
YELLOW CARD: Imrie ((34), McKeown (73), Smith (88)
RED CARD: Imrie (58)
REFEREE: Stevie O`Reilly
WEATHER: Cold very wet 5°C
ATTENDANCE 3547
NEXT MATCH: SFL (away) v Partick Thistle, Saturday 15th December 2007, kick off 3.00pm
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Preview Clyde
Wednesday, 5th Dec 2007The Pars have taken only one point from the last 15 on offer while Clyde have taken five
Just a month ago Clyde went to Dens Park and defeated Dundee 2-1. Colin Hendry`s team will be hoping for a similar outcome when he comes to West Fife on Saturday, their first visit there for the first time in over 13 years.
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League v Clyde | |||
|
Pld |
W |
D |
L |
|
74 |
29 |
17 |
28 |
That last Clyde visit was in the final game of the 1993-94 First Division season and that ended in a 5-0 win for the Pars. George O`Boyle netted four and Andy Tod the other. Dunfermline were already promoted and lowly Clyde were safe from relegation.
Clyde`s last win at East End Park was more than 33 years ago, 18 visits back on 16th March 1974. Their heaviest defeat was in 1964 when an Alex Ferguson hattrick sent the Bully Wee home on the end of a 7-2 drubbing.
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Milestones Clyde (Home)) | |||
|
Last League Victory |
14-05-94 |
5-0 |
Div 1 |
|
Last League Defeat |
16-03-74 |
3-2 |
Div 1 |
|
Best League Victory |
19-09-64 |
7-2 |
Div 1* |
|
Worst League Defeat |
17-11-51 |
7-3 |
Div 2* |
|
*Pre league reconstruction | |||
Over the past twelve matches between Dunfermline and Clyde, the Pars have won seven, lost three with two games ending all square. Prior to the visit to Broadwood in September, Clyde had failed to score in the previous five league meetings.
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Last Twelve League Matches v Clyde |
| Date | H/A |
F-A |
| 22-09-07 | A | 1-2 |
| 14-05-94 | H | 5-0 |
| 19-02-94 | A | 1-0 |
| 09-11-93 | H | 4-0 |
| 04-09-93 | A | 2-0 |
| 04-02-89 | H | 3-0 |
| 01-10-88 | A | 1-1 |
| 04-05-88 | H | 1-1 |
| 14-03-87 | A | 0-1 |
| 10-02-87 |
H |
2-0 |
| 11-10-86 |
A |
0-1 |
| 23-08-86 |
H |
2-0 |
The Pars have taken only one point from the last 15 on offer while Clyde have taken five. A Pars win would take them above their opponents and possibly over Queen of the South if Partick were to leave Dumfries with a win.
| Dunfermline | Clyde |
| Current League Position | |
| 9 | 7 |
| League form: Last Six Games | |
| WLLLDL | WLDLWD |
| League Points | |
| 13 | 15 |
| Goal Difference | |
| -7 | -7 |
| Home/Away Record | |
| P7, W2, D1, L4 | P7, W2, D2, L3 |
Last Time Out
DUNFERMLINE (v Dundee): Paul Gallacher; Jamie Harris, Souleymane Bamba (Scott Morrison 91), Danny Murphy; Calum Woods, Stephen Simmons, Stevie Crawford (Michael McGlinchey HT), Darren Young (Iain Williamson 84), Stephen Glass (c); Mark Burchill, Jim Hamilton,
SUBS NOT USED: Sean Murdoch (GK), Scott Thomson
CLYDE (v QOS): David Hutton; Dusan Bestvina, Christian Smith, Chris Higgins, Craig McKeown, Dan Kirkup, Kevin Bradley (Sean McKenna 87), Ruari MacLennan, Roddy MacLennan (David McGowan 75), Dougie Imrie, Michael McGowan
SUBS NOT USE: Evangelino Valentim, Carrio, Peter Cherrie (GK)
Referee will be Stevie O`Reilly, officiating only his third First Division match. The 30 year old Account Manager started his career in the Glasgow Amateur League but took control of ten lower league and cup games in 2005/06, 17 in 2006/07 and 6 so far this season. His yellow card and red card ratio has dropped from 3.5 yellow and 0.3 red per match in his first senior season to 2.66 yellow and 0.16 red this season.
Come on ye Pars!
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