Dunfermline 1 Livingston 1

Saturday, 1st Mar 2008

Alex Burke`s first goal as a Par was not enough to take all three points.

Kevin Harper returned for the Pars having served his one match suspension and that meant Nick Phinn was put back on the bench. Livingston made no changes from the team that lost 3-1 the previous week at Hamilton.

Dunfermline kicked off attacking the goal at the Cowdenbeath end with the wind and rain on their backs. Conditions were wretched but a glimmer of sunshine appeared as Stevie Crawford put in the first shot of the afternoon on six minutes. He ran on to a Stephen Simmons header but the ball went wide right.

There were weak appeals for a penalty just two minutes later when Cammy MacDonald eased Simmons off the ball but then Livi forced two corners that failed to place the defence under too much pressure in clear.

The Pars got the breakthrough in 13th minute when Crawford picked out BURKE. The on loan player evaded the challenge of two defenders before drilling the ball into the bottom left from the edge of the area. A well taken goal for his first in a Dunfermline strip.

Harper`s cross into the box five minutes later was turned away for the first home corner of the game but Stephen Glass` delivery did not turn out to endanger the Livi goal. Lee Makel and Liam Fox tried an exchange on the edge of the Dunfermline box but when Chris Malone got the break off Simmons he hammered his shot into the McCathie Stand.

In 24th minute Graham Dorrans made a marauding run in from the right setting up Robert Snodgrass with a shot at goal from 18 yards. The ball broke off the defence and DORRANS, 15 yards out, was left with a clear view of the net and drove home at the left goalpost.

A Fox-Snodgrass-Griffiths move won Livi a corner in 28 minutes and from James` delivery MacDonald headed powerfully down to the right post where Scott Morrison was stationed and he blocked the effort. Next Dorrans launched a shot from just outside the box that Griffiths just failed make a connection with and then Griffiths released a low shot at goal that Gallacher touched around his right hand post.

From the shock of going behind the West Lothian side were taking a real grip of the game with Lee Makel a significant contributor. Burke found himself conceding another corner as David Mackay pushed up and then when Dunfermline next got forward they froze. Burke received a short pass from Morrison that he sent through the six yard box. Eventually it was Harper that tried to net but James got in the way.

With 38 minutes on the clock Calum Woods nearly made it 2-1 as his high cross from the right touchline got caught in the wind, bounced in the six yard box and over the crossbar. Simmons put Crawford through in 44th minute but James McPake`s last man tackle 20 yards out did the business for the visitors.

Half time: Dunfermline 1 Livingston 1

The teams were out sharpish to resume but sadly those filtering back out from the lounges, as much as five minutes late, missed very little. The first real noteworthy action came in 54th minute when Crawford switched a clever ball right to Woods and on to Harper on the wing midway inside the opposition half. Unfortunately James dispossessed the winger and played a superb ball through for Snodgrass to head on goal with. Much to the undoubted relief of Kevin Harper, his shot from the left side cleared the right post.

Nick Phinn then replaced Harper and immediately Dunfermline created a chance through the middle with Glass and Burchill combining to set up Crawford with a blast from 20 yards that sadly soared over the crossbar.

Dorrans produced a cross that kept Gallacher alert but only a Woods cross promised anything for the Fifers as the painfully cold spectators grew quieter and quieter. In 65th minute there maybe should have been more to cheer after Morrison`s pass to Burke was swept into the Livingston penalty box but Simmons diving header went wide left.

A Pars free kick from Glass and a Burchill cross from the byeline brought no better but then then a long ball through the middle saw Crawford and McPake chasing towards Stewart. Willie Collum adjudged the Livi no.4 to have taken the ball as Craw tumbled 16 yards out.

More pressure was then created by Burke and Mark Burchill got two bites at shooting but neither were to penetrate the visitors defence. Morrison tried a long range effort in 77th minute but was well wide and high while at the other end Liam Fox was well offside as he swept the ball beyond Gallacher.

The match drew to a conclusion with offside decisions frustrating the Pars and Livingston attempts being dealt with by the home defence. A Glass free kick after sub Willis had been challenged by James did not bring a winning chance and in 93rd minute Stephen Simmons need treatment after an accidental clash.

Livingston`s drum did not make the trip over the Forth, the match lacked atmosphere, the weather was most unpleasant and on the park the game lacked the fight of real competition. Even Referee Willie Collum with an average of 4 cards from his 24 matches this season could not get excited enough to give even one an airing.

DUNFERMLINE: Paul Gallacher; Calum Woods, Scott Wilson (c), Scott Thomson, Scott Morrison; Kevin Harper (Nick Phinn 58), Stephen Simmons, Stephen Glass, Alex Burke (Paul Willis 85); Mark Burchill, Stevie Crawford (Tam McManus 81).
SUBS NOT USED: Sol Bamba, Sean Murdoch (GK)
SCORERS: Burke (13)

LIVINGSTON: Colin Stewart; David Mackay, James McPake, Cammy MacDonald, Craig James; Lee Makel, Graham Dorrans, Liam Fox, Chris Malone (Keaghan Jacobs 94), Leigh Griffiths, Robert Snodgrass
SUBS NOT USED: Allan Walker, Steven Weir, Des McCaffey, Marc Lunn (GK)
SCORERS: Dorrans (24)

REFEREE: Willie Collum
WEATHER: Heavy Rain at kick off 9°C
ATTENDANCE 3268

NEXT MATCH: (away) SFL v Stirling Albion, Saturday 8th March 2008, kick off 3.00pm

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Preview Livingston

Wednesday, 27th Feb 2008

Dunfermline have managed just three wins in the last twelve meetings between the teams. Referee for this one will be Willie Collum, the man of many cards.

This weekend it is Livingston who are the visitors at East End Park and Jim McIntyre`s men will want to erase the memory of the last Livi visit. Since taking over in December the boss has lost only two of the twelve league games and has a win record of  50%.

Pars v Livingston: The Full League Record
	P	W	D	L	F	A
At East End Park	11	6	2	3	18	13
At Almondvale	13	3	6	4	8	12
First Division (since 1975)	7	4	1	2	11	7
Premier League (since 1975)	17	5	7	5	15	18
TOTALS	24	9	8	7	26	25

Last time, on 3rd November, they recorded their heaviest ever defeat over Dunfermline with a four goal win. For Livingston it was their first away win of the season.

Milestones Livingston (Home)
Last League Victory#	22/04/06	3 - 2	SPL
Last League Defeat#	03/11/07	0 - 4	Sc Div 1
Best League Victory*	22/04/78	7 - 1	Sc Div 2
Worst League Defeat#	03/01/07	0 - 4	Sc Div 1
# As Livingston  * As Meadowbank Thistle

Dunfermline have managed just three wins in the last twelve meetings between the teams. Livi have won four times, with the other five games being drawn.

Last Twelve League Matches v Livingston
Date	H/A	F-A	Scorers
02/01/08	A	2-0	[1-0] Hamilton, [2-0] Burchill
03/11/07	H	0-4	[0-1] Craig, [0-2] Craig, [0-3] Tinkler, [0-4] Kennedy
19/08/07	A	1-1	[0-1] Mackay pen. [1-1] O Morrison
22/04/06	H	3-2	[0-1] Brittain, [1-1] Burchill, [1-2] Healy, [2-2] Burchill, [3-2] Burchill
11/02/06	A	1-0	[1-0] Burchill
19/11/05	H	0-1	[0-1] Dalglish
20/08/05	A	1-1	[1-0] Makel, [1-1] Wilson og
30/04/05	A	0-2	[0-2] O`Brien, [0-2] McPake
02/04/05	A	1-1	[0-1] Kachloul, [1-1] Hunt
27/12/04	H	0-0
16/10/04	A	0-2	[0-1] Wilson og, [0-2] Snodgrass
27/03/04	A	0-0

Livingston have only won one other away match this season and that was against Stirling Albion. Only Dundee and St Johnstone have registered wins at East End Park since that nightmare of an afternoon on 3rd November. 

Dunfermline	Livingston
Current League Position
5	7
Last 6-Match Form
DWWLWD	DLLLWL
Home/Away Record
P13, W5, D3, L5	P12, W2, D3, L7

 Form favours the home win for this one.

Recent Form
Dunfermline Home				Livingston Away
Partick Thistle	D	1-1		Hamilton	L	1-3
Morton	W	2-1		Stirling Albion	W	4-1
St Johnstone	L	0-1		Queen of the South	L	0-1
Stirling Albion	W	2-1		St Johnstone	L	2-5
Queen of the South	W	2-0		Clyde	L	1-2

Last Time Out

DUNFERMLINE Paul Gallacher; Calum Woods, Scott Wilson (c), Scott Thomson, Scott Morrison; Nick Phinn, Stephen Simmons, Stephen Glass, Alex Burke; Mark Burchill (Paul Willis 86), Stevie Crawford (Tam McManus 74).
SUBS: Sean Murdoch (GK), Stuart Dearden, Sol Bamba.

LIVINGSTON: Colin Stewart; David Mackay, Craig James, James McPake, Cammy MacDonald, Lee Makel, Graham Dorrans, Chris Malone, Leigh Griffiths, Liam Fox (Steven Craig 55), Robert Snodgrass
SUBS NOT USED: Allan Walker, Keaghan Jacobs, Marc Lunn (GK)

Referee for this match will be Willie Collum, the man of many cards. This season he has shown 87 yellow and 7 red in 24 matches and is well on target to exceed last season`s tally of 114 yellow and 7 red in 31 matches. This is his first visit to East End Park since his Christmas Saturday in 2006 when in the 0-0 draw with Inverness Caley Thistle, Dorus de Vries, Scott Wilson, Gary Mason and Jim Hamilton saw yellow and Stevie Crawford yellow twice followed by a red.

Come on ye Pars!

 

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